Know your market value with insights across roles — from individual contributors to executive pay and overall company compensation trends.
Access a suite of powerful calculators to make data-driven career decisions.
Automate pay cycles, manage job architectures, and ensure pay equity with AI-powered compensation platforms.
Access validated salary benchmarks, labor market trends, and minimum wage data to stay competitive.
Participate in and purchase industry-specific salary surveys to obtain the most accurate, peer-reported pay data.
As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Database Engineer in California is $83,279 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $40.
However, a Database Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2026 Compensation Trend
AI-Powered Talent
Recruit with AI
Database Engineer Salaries by Percentile
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $92,031 | $7,669 | $1,770 | $44 |
| Average | $83,279 | $6,940 | $1,602 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $73,574 | $6,131 | $1,415 | $35 |
Vertex Sigma Software - Foster City, CA
Eitacies Inc - San Francisco, CA
Staffing the Universe - San Mateo, CA
ICONMA - San Mateo, CA
A Database Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.
Experience is a primary driver of a Database Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here’s how the average salary grows at different career stages:
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Database ... Level Database Engineer | $82,635 |
| Database ... Level Database Engineer | $111,661 |
| Database ... Level Database Engineer | $135,916 |
| Database ... Level Database Engineer | $156,073 |
| Database ... Level Database Engineer | $182,102 |
What Am I Worth?
Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Database Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:
For Database Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 113% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Pharmaceuticals and Software & Networking sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 40% above the average. In contrast, Database Engineer positions in Transportation or Telecom typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Database Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
| Industry Sector | Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Rate | Pay vs.Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pharmaceuticals | $116,590 | $56.0 | 40% |
| Software & Networking | $112,426 | $54.0 | 35% |
| Financial Services | $108,262 | $52.0 | 30% |
| Insurance | $104,098 | $50.0 | 25% |
| Biotechnology | $99,934 | $48.0 | 20% |
Understanding how a Database Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.
| Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 75th Percentile | $92,031 | $7,669 | $1,770 | $44 |
| Average | $83,279 | $6,940 | $1,602 | $40 |
| 25th Percentile | $73,574 | $6,131 | $1,415 | $35 |
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Database Engineer job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
Mutual of Omaha Mortgage
Irvine, CA
Mutual of Omaha Mortgage | Irvine, CA
Job Description. Job Description. Database Engineer – Databricks. Location: Hybrid - Irvine, CA. Job Type: Full-Time. Mutual of Omaha is a Fortune 300 Comp... more
2 Days Ago
Centurum
San Diego, CA
Centurum | San Diego, CA
Job Description. Job Description. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES. Provides SQL Server Database engineering expertise to support recommendations, designs, deve... more
6 Days Ago
CatchProbe Intelligence Technologies
San Francisco, CA
CatchProbe Intelligence Technologies | San Francisco, CA
A technology solutions provider in San Francisco is looking for a Senior Database Engineer specializing in MongoDB, ElasticSearch, and Hadoop.The ideal can... more
6 Days Ago
Zilliz
Redwood City, CA
Zilliz | Redwood City, CA
Job Description. Job Description. Zilliz is a fast-growing startup developing the industry’s leading vector database for enterprise-grade AI. Founded by th... more
4 Days Ago
VSolvit
Norco, CA
VSolvit | Norco, CA
Job Description. Job Description. POSITION IS 100% ONSITE IN NORCO, CA. Job Summary. The SQL Server Database Developer / Data Engineer II independently des... more
4 Days Ago
VSolvit
Norco, CA
VSolvit | Norco, CA
Job Description. Job Description. POSITION IS 100% ONSITE DAILY IN NORCO, CA. Job Summary. The SQL Server Database Developer / Data Engineer I supports the... more
6 Days Ago
Get a Salary Increase
Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.
Search Job Openings
Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.
Adjust Employee Salary
Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.
Price My Industry Jobs
Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.
Use Salary.com's Cost of Living Calculator to find out what income you need to maintain your standard of living in a different city and how much more or less money you need to budget for basic expenses.
Explore Cost of Living CalculatorSalary.com experts will help you thrive your workplaces.
Salary.com provides salary survey data for thousands of industry Jobs.
Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:
