15 Series · SOC 15-1243
Database Architects Salary
National pay, percentile range, growth outlook, and state-by-state detail from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey (May 2025).
- $139,500
- Median / year
- $204,000
- Top 10% earn
- +8.7%
- Growth '23–'33
- 67,140
- US workers
Database Architects earn a median of $139,500 per year.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS survey, the median annual wage is $139,500, based on the most recent survey of employers. Reported pay ranges from $86,240 (10th percentile) to $204,000 (90th percentile) nationally, across roughly 67,140 US workers. California pays the most ($170,160), since pay varies by state and metro area.
The pay verdict
Database Architects earn a median of $139,500, putting them among the better-paid US occupations and higher than 94% of the 825 occupations with a published BLS median. Within Computer and Mathematical, it ranks #2 of 21 by median pay. Employment is projected to grow 8.7% by 2033.
- $139,500
- Median annual wage
- Top 6%
- of 825 US occupations with published wages
- #2 of 21
- in Computer and Mathematical
- 2.4×
- 90th-to-10th pay spread
Highest-paying state: California at $170,160. Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
Database Architects (SOC 15-1243) pays a national median of $139,500 per year according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey released in May 2025. Full-range compensation stretches from $86,240 at the 10th percentile to $204,000 at the 90th, with a mean of $144,440 indicating a right-skew where top earners pull the average above the midpoint. An estimated 67,140 Americans work in this occupation across 47 reporting states and 136 metro areas.
BLS Employment Projections forecast a +8.7% change in employment from 2024 to 2034, which the agency classifies as much faster than average relative to the 5% all-occupations baseline. About 4,000 openings are projected per year, combining new positions with replacement needs from retirements and occupation-switchers. Typical entry-level preparation is Bachelor's degree, with less than 5 years of prior experience generally required. The BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) produce a workplace-safety grade of A for this role, with a fatality rate of 0.3 per 100,000 and injury rate of 0.2 per 100.
Geographic variation matters as much as the headline median. California pays the highest state median at $170,160, which is +22% above the national figure. The top metro is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $197,960 - metro premiums typically reflect higher cost of living, industry concentration, or specialized employer demand. When using this page for negotiation or career planning, pair the national median with the state and metro rows below, remember that BLS wages exclude benefits, bonuses, and overtime, and revisit after each May OEWS release since percentiles shift with cost-of-living cycles and industry demand. See our methodology for exactly how these figures are sourced, computed, and verified.
Median Salary
$139,500
per year
Median Hourly
$67.07/hr
per hour
Mean Salary
$144,440
average
Employment
67,140
jobs nationwide
How does this pay compare nationally?
Where Database Architects pay sits nationally
Median annual wage vs. 825 detailed BLS occupations with a published median
$139,500 Top 6% higher than 94% of 825 US occupations
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS · May 2025
Does this job pay well and grow?
Each dot is a 15-series occupation, placed by projected 2024–2034 growth and median pay. The highlighted dot is Database Architects; the upper-right quadrant is the sweet spot (high pay + fast growth).
Among 21 15-series occupations with growth data, Database Architects sits on the faster-growing side at +8.7% growth and $139,500 median pay.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (wages, May 2025) and Employment Projections (2024–2034).
Job Outlook (2024–2034)
Projected Growth
+8.7%
Much faster than average
Annual Openings
4,000
per year (projected)
Typical Education
Bachelor's degree
Work Experience
Less than 5 years
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034
Workplace Safety
All safety ratings →Very Safe
Safety Grade (BLS 2023)
Fatality Rate
0.3/100K
Injury Rate
0.2/100
Danger Index
1/100
Source: BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) & Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), 2023
Career Intelligence
Skills, knowledge, and tasks most important for Database Architects roles, ranked by importance. Source: O*NET.
Top Skills
Knowledge Areas
Key Tasks
- ▸ Develop and document database architectures.
- ▸ Collaborate with system architects, software architects, design analysts, and others to understand business or industry requirements.
- ▸ Develop database architectural strategies at the modeling, design and implementation stages to address business or industry requirements.
- ▸ Develop data warehouse process models, including sourcing, loading, transformation, and extraction.
- ▸ Verify the structure, accuracy, or quality of warehouse data.
- ▸ Design databases to support business applications, ensuring system scalability, security, performance, and reliability.
- ▸ Map data between source systems, data warehouses, and data marts.
- ▸ Develop and implement data extraction procedures from other systems, such as administration, billing, or claims.
- ▸ Develop data models for applications, metadata tables, views or related database structures.
- ▸ Design database applications, such as interfaces, data transfer mechanisms, global temporary tables, data partitions, and function-based indexes to enable efficient access of the generic database structure.
Source: O*NET Online, National Center for O*NET Development. Data represents typical importance ratings for this occupation.
Salary Range
Annual Salary Distribution
Hourly Rate Distribution
10th Percentile
$86,240
25th Percentile
$109,370
Median
$139,500
75th Percentile
$169,290
90th Percentile
$204,000
Salary by State
Highest Paying States
View all 47 states →
| # | State | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $170,160 | +22% above national |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $161,650 | +16% above national |
| 3 | Virginia | $160,360 | +15% above national |
| 4 | Arizona | $156,100 | +12% above national |
| 5 | Colorado | $154,560 | +11% above national |
| 6 | Texas | $151,370 | +9% above national |
| 7 | District of Columbia | $150,010 | +8% above national |
| 8 | Delaware | $147,800 | +6% above national |
| 9 | Connecticut | $144,460 | +4% above national |
| 10 | Illinois | $142,500 | +2% above national |
| 11 | New York | $141,350 | +1% above national |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $140,320 | +1% above national |
| 13 | Nevada | $140,200 | +1% above national |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $139,990 | same as national |
| 15 | Georgia | $139,500 | same as national |
| 16 | Florida | $138,320 | 1% below national |
| 17 | Oregon | $138,250 | 1% below national |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $137,810 | 1% below national |
| 19 | South Dakota | $136,540 | 2% below national |
| 20 | North Carolina | $134,630 | 3% below national |
| 21 | Nebraska | $134,320 | 4% below national |
| 22 | Hawaii | $134,040 | 4% below national |
| 23 | Maine | $133,120 | 5% below national |
| 24 | Minnesota | $133,050 | 5% below national |
| 25 | Maryland | $132,940 | 5% below national |
| 26 | Ohio | $132,910 | 5% below national |
| 27 | Indiana | $132,830 | 5% below national |
| 28 | Utah | $131,740 | 6% below national |
| 29 | Michigan | $131,000 | 6% below national |
| 30 | South Carolina | $130,000 | 7% below national |
| 31 | Kansas | $129,990 | 7% below national |
| 32 | Washington | $128,760 | 8% below national |
| 33 | Kentucky | $125,400 | 10% below national |
| 34 | Iowa | $124,040 | 11% below national |
| 35 | Idaho | $121,380 | 13% below national |
| 36 | New Jersey | $120,790 | 13% below national |
| 37 | New Mexico | $117,950 | 15% below national |
| 38 | Tennessee | $115,170 | 17% below national |
| 39 | Alaska | $112,500 | 19% below national |
| 40 | Missouri | $110,570 | 21% below national |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $110,110 | 21% below national |
| 42 | Montana | $109,990 | 21% below national |
| 43 | North Dakota | $109,430 | 22% below national |
| 44 | Alabama | $105,450 | 24% below national |
| 45 | Arkansas | $104,070 | 25% below national |
| 46 | Mississippi | $98,420 | 29% below national |
| 47 | Puerto Rico | $95,620 | 31% below national |
Salary by Metro Area
Highest Paying Metros
View all 136 metro areas →
| # | Metro Area | Median Salary | vs National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $197,960 | +42% above national |
| 2 | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $175,860 | +26% above national |
| 3 | Reno, NV | $170,390 | +22% above national |
| 4 | Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $169,310 | +21% above national |
| 5 | Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $168,390 | +21% above national |
| 6 | Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $163,590 | +17% above national |
| 7 | Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | $163,350 | +17% above national |
| 8 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $162,870 | +17% above national |
| 9 | Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $162,640 | +17% above national |
| 10 | Springfield, MA | $161,730 | +16% above national |
| 11 | Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $161,650 | +16% above national |
| 12 | Bloomington, IL | $161,430 | +16% above national |
| 13 | Waterbury-Shelton, CT | $160,480 | +15% above national |
| 14 | Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | $160,300 | +15% above national |
| 15 | Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area | $159,620 | +14% above national |
| 16 | Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $159,240 | +14% above national |
| 17 | North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | $157,730 | +13% above national |
| 18 | Flint, MI | $157,100 | +13% above national |
| 19 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $156,800 | +12% above national |
| 20 | Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $156,100 | +12% above national |
| 21 | Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $155,740 | +12% above national |
| 22 | Madison, WI | $155,160 | +11% above national |
| 23 | Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $154,770 | +11% above national |
| 24 | Peoria, IL | $154,400 | +11% above national |
| 25 | Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | $153,240 | +10% above national |
| 26 | Pittsburgh, PA | $152,800 | +10% above national |
| 27 | Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | $151,210 | +8% above national |
| 28 | Worcester, MA | $150,940 | +8% above national |
| 29 | Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | $150,330 | +8% above national |
| 30 | Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI | $148,020 | +6% above national |
| 31 | Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $147,490 | +6% above national |
| 32 | Lancaster, PA | $146,400 | +5% above national |
| 33 | Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $143,540 | +3% above national |
| 34 | Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $143,410 | +3% above national |
| 35 | Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $142,490 | +2% above national |
| 36 | Idaho Falls, ID | $142,170 | +2% above national |
| 37 | Providence-Warwick, RI-MA | $142,070 | +2% above national |
| 38 | Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | $141,770 | +2% above national |
| 39 | Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $141,220 | +1% above national |
| 40 | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $141,170 | +1% above national |
| 41 | Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $139,960 | same as national |
| 42 | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $139,500 | same as national |
| 43 | Boulder, CO | $139,160 | same as national |
| 44 | Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $139,100 | same as national |
| 45 | Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $138,870 | same as national |
| 46 | Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $137,980 | 1% below national |
| 47 | Ogden, UT | $137,870 | 1% below national |
| 48 | Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | $136,990 | 2% below national |
| 49 | Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $136,990 | 2% below national |
| 50 | West Northwestern Ohio nonmetropolitan area | $136,730 | 2% below national |
| 51 | Jacksonville, FL | $136,640 | 2% below national |
| 52 | Omaha, NE-IA | $136,620 | 2% below national |
| 53 | Baton Rouge, LA | $136,480 | 2% below national |
| 54 | Columbus, OH | $135,840 | 3% below national |
| 55 | Columbia, SC | $135,790 | 3% below national |
| 56 | San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $135,790 | 3% below national |
| 57 | New Haven, CT | $135,580 | 3% below national |
| 58 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $135,130 | 3% below national |
| 59 | Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $134,480 | 4% below national |
| 60 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $134,040 | 4% below national |
| 61 | Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $134,010 | 4% below national |
| 62 | Richmond, VA | $133,770 | 4% below national |
| 63 | Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $133,500 | 4% below national |
| 64 | Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $133,290 | 4% below national |
| 65 | Akron, OH | $133,150 | 5% below national |
| 66 | Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | $133,020 | 5% below national |
| 67 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $132,940 | 5% below national |
| 68 | Stockton-Lodi, CA | $132,810 | 5% below national |
| 69 | Raleigh-Cary, NC | $132,740 | 5% below national |
| 70 | Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $132,150 | 5% below national |
| 71 | Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $132,040 | 5% below national |
| 72 | New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $131,540 | 6% below national |
| 73 | Wilmington, NC | $131,470 | 6% below national |
| 74 | Manchester-Nashua, NH | $131,290 | 6% below national |
| 75 | Fresno, CA | $130,290 | 7% below national |
| 76 | Charleston-North Charleston, SC | $129,640 | 7% below national |
| 77 | Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | $129,100 | 7% below national |
| 78 | Birmingham, AL | $129,030 | 8% below national |
| 79 | Spartanburg, SC | $128,290 | 8% below national |
| 80 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | $128,100 | 8% below national |
| 81 | Ann Arbor, MI | $127,990 | 8% below national |
| 82 | Kansas City, MO-KS | $127,590 | 9% below national |
| 83 | Cleveland, OH | $127,530 | 9% below national |
| 84 | Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | $127,070 | 9% below national |
| 85 | Colorado Springs, CO | $127,050 | 9% below national |
| 86 | El Paso, TX | $126,700 | 9% below national |
| 87 | Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $126,690 | 9% below national |
| 88 | Salem, OR | $126,670 | 9% below national |
| 89 | Reading, PA | $126,370 | 9% below national |
| 90 | Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | $125,890 | 10% below national |
| 91 | Winston-Salem, NC | $125,530 | 10% below national |
| 92 | Memphis, TN-MS-AR | $124,080 | 11% below national |
| 93 | Boise City, ID | $122,810 | 12% below national |
| 94 | Charlottesville, VA | $122,780 | 12% below national |
| 95 | St. Louis, MO-IL | $122,310 | 12% below national |
| 96 | Albuquerque, NM | $121,790 | 13% below national |
| 97 | Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $121,730 | 13% below national |
| 98 | Utica-Rome, NY | $121,720 | 13% below national |
| 99 | Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | $121,610 | 13% below national |
| 100 | Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway, AR | $121,490 | 13% below national |
| 101 | Scranton--Wilkes-Barre, PA | $120,890 | 13% below national |
| 102 | Roanoke, VA | $120,460 | 14% below national |
| 103 | Eugene-Springfield, OR | $120,210 | 14% below national |
| 104 | Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | $120,030 | 14% below national |
| 105 | Lincoln, NE | $119,760 | 14% below national |
| 106 | Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | $118,980 | 15% below national |
| 107 | Columbus, GA-AL | $118,880 | 15% below national |
| 108 | Toledo, OH | $118,800 | 15% below national |
| 109 | Western North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $118,570 | 15% below national |
| 110 | Tulsa, OK | $117,690 | 16% below national |
| 111 | Anchorage, AK | $117,540 | 16% below national |
| 112 | Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $114,560 | 18% below national |
| 113 | Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | $114,490 | 18% below national |
| 114 | Portland-South Portland, ME | $114,270 | 18% below national |
| 115 | Savannah, GA | $112,660 | 19% below national |
| 116 | Tucson, AZ | $111,510 | 20% below national |
| 117 | Syracuse, NY | $110,980 | 20% below national |
| 118 | Asheville, NC | $110,910 | 20% below national |
| 119 | Oklahoma City, OK | $110,110 | 21% below national |
| 120 | Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | $108,730 | 22% below national |
| 121 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $105,430 | 24% below national |
| 122 | Rochester, NY | $104,610 | 25% below national |
| 123 | Charleston, WV | $104,570 | 25% below national |
| 124 | Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | $104,070 | 25% below national |
| 125 | Fort Wayne, IN | $103,830 | 26% below national |
| 126 | Lansing-East Lansing, MI | $102,160 | 27% below national |
| 127 | Huntsville, AL | $101,860 | 27% below national |
| 128 | Lexington-Fayette, KY | $101,540 | 27% below national |
| 129 | Knoxville, TN | $101,090 | 28% below national |
| 130 | Chattanooga, TN-GA | $100,260 | 28% below national |
| 131 | Columbia, MO | $99,000 | 29% below national |
| 132 | San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | $98,890 | 29% below national |
| 133 | Jefferson City, MO | $97,560 | 30% below national |
| 134 | Jackson, MS | $97,090 | 30% below national |
| 135 | Springfield, MO | $81,830 | 41% below national |
| 136 | Cheyenne, WY | $67,630 | 52% below national |
Similar Occupations in the Same Category
Other roles in SOC major group 15 (computer and mathematical) with comparable pay and career paths.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a Database Architects make? ▼
What state pays Database Architects the most? ▼
What education do you need to become a Database Architects? ▼
How dangerous is being a Database Architects? ▼
Is Database Architects a good career? ▼
How does Database Architects pay vary by state? ▼
Which metro areas pay the most for Database Architects? ▼
What to do with this data
How to use Database Architects pay figures in a real decision
- For an experienced offer, anchor on the 75th percentile (about $169,290/year), not the median. The median marks the middle worker; the upper quartile is the realistic target with strong experience. Salary calculator
- Location moves pay significantly: California leads at $170,160/year for this role. Weigh state pay against local cost of living before relocating or negotiating remote. Pay by state
- Compare this occupation against similar roles before you decide, so you are reading the pay band in context rather than in isolation. Compare jobs
These are BLS survey estimates for the occupation, not a salary offer or a prediction for any individual. Your pay depends on experience, employer, exact role, and location.
Every figure on WageDex is rendered directly from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, no number is typed in by an editor. This occupation's figures are computed directly from the BLS OEWS and Employment Projections datasets, nothing is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2025.
This page is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or career advice. Actual pay for a specific role, employer, or offer may differ from these national/state figures, consult a qualified career counselor, recruiter, or financial advisor before making decisions based on this data.