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 Data Engineering Lead in California is $134,638 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $65.
However, a Data Engineering Lead'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 HR
AI-Powered Talent
Data Engineering Lead Salaries by Percentile
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $146,307 | $12,192 | $2,814 | $70 |
| Average | $134,638 | $11,220 | $2,589 | $65 |
| 25th Percentile | $123,634 | $10,303 | $2,378 | $59 |
Block - San Francisco, CA
NEXTracker - Fremont, CA
Morongo Casino Resort Spa - Cabazon, CA
Verse - San Francisco, CA
A Data Engineering Lead'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 Data Engineering Lead'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 Data Engineering Lead | $82,323 |
| Database ... Level Data Engineering Lead | $111,239 |
| Data Engi... Level Data Engineering Lead | $135,402 |
| Database ... Level Data Engineering Lead | $155,484 |
| Database ... Level Data Engineering Lead | $181,415 |
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 Data Engineering Leads. 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 Data Engineering Lead roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 75% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Healthcare and Construction sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 40% above the average. In contrast, Data Engineering Lead positions in Transportation or Software & Networking typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Data Engineering Lead as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
| Industry Sector | Average Annual Salary | Average Hourly Rate | Pay vs.Avg |
|---|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | $188,493 | $91.0 | 40% |
| Construction | $181,761 | $87.0 | 35% |
| MFG Nondurable | $175,029 | $84.0 | 30% |
| Aerospace & Defense | $168,297 | $81.0 | 25% |
| Media | $161,565 | $78.0 | 20% |
Understanding how a Data Engineering Lead'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 | $146,307 | $12,192 | $2,814 | $70 |
| Average | $134,638 | $11,220 | $2,589 | $65 |
| 25th Percentile | $123,634 | $10,303 | $2,378 | $59 |
Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Data Engineering Lead job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.
Strategic Legal Practices
Los Angeles, CA
Strategic Legal Practices | Los Angeles, CA
Job Description. Job Description. About Strategic Legal Practices. Based in Los Angeles, Strategic Legal Practices is one of the largest litigation firms w... more
4 Days Ago
FieldAI
Irvine, CA
FieldAI | Irvine, CA
Job Description. Job Description. FieldAI’s Irvine team is where embodied AI meets real robots, real sensors, and real field deployments. Based in the hear... more
4 Days Ago
The Walt Disney Company (Corporate) Careers
Burbank, CA
The Walt Disney Company (Corporate) Careers | Burbank, CA
Department DescriptionAt Disney, we're storytellers. We make the impossible, possible. The Walt Disney Company is a world-class entertainment and technolog... more
4 Days Ago
Jobot
San Diego, CA
Jobot | San Diego, CA
Join the fastest growing Data engineering solutions company. This Jobot Job is hosted by: Adam BennettAre you a fit. Easy Apply now by clicking the Apply b... more
5 Days Ago
Discord
San Francisco, CA
Discord | San Francisco, CA
Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there's one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform:play vid... more
5 Days Ago
Grammarly
San Francisco, CA
Grammarly | San Francisco, CA
Software Engineer, Data EngineeringSuperhuman offers a dynamic hybrid working model for this role. This flexible approach gives team members the best of bo... more
5 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:
