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Role hub · Database Administrators

Database Administrator: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of database administrators earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$104,620
Hourly
$50.30
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Database Administrators administer, test, and implement computer databases, applying knowledge of database management systems. The median pay is $104,620 a year ($50.30 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (89% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$104,620
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
69,990
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
89% of workers
Key facts

Database Administrators at a glance

  • Database administrators in the United States earned a median annual wage of $104,620 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for database administrators in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of database administrators in the United States to decline 0.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,300 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 69,990 people were employed as database administrators in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Database Administrators

SalaryDatabase Administrator salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeDatabase Administrator how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →ResumeDatabase Administrator resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsDatabase Administrator interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What database administrators do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Modify existing databases and database management systems or direct programmers and analysts to make changes.
  2. Plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard information in computer files against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification or disclosure.
  3. Plan and install upgrades of database management system software to enhance database performance.
  4. Specify users and user access levels for each segment of database.
  5. Test changes to database applications or systems.
  6. Test programs or databases, correct errors, and make necessary modifications.
  7. Train users and answer questions.
  8. Provide technical support to junior staff or clients.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all database administrator jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services22.9% of all jobs in this occupation · +5.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $120,140
  2. Educational services; state, local, and private11.2% of all jobs in this occupation · -5.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $91,410
  3. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals9.3% of all jobs in this occupation · -4.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $106,140
  4. Insurance carriers and related activities6.7% of all jobs in this occupation · -1.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $112,940
  5. Management of companies and enterprises6.6% of all jobs in this occupation · -2.7% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $119,400
  6. Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations5.5% of all jobs in this occupation · -2.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $82,170

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Complex Problem SolvingcoreCritical ThinkingcoreJudgment and Decision MakingcoreReading ComprehensionActive ListeningActive LearningProgrammingSpeakingWriting

Knowledge areas: Computers and Electronics, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Mathematics, Telecommunications, Engineering and Technology.

Tools and technology

Software database administrators use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Apache AirflowProcedure management softwareIn demand
  • Apache HadoopData base management system softwareIn demand
  • Atlassian JIRAContent workflow softwareIn demand
  • GitFile versioning softwareIn demand
  • GitHubApplication server softwareIn demand
  • IBM TerraformConfiguration management softwareIn demand
  • Informatica softwareMetadata management softwareIn demand
  • KubernetesApplication server softwareIn demand
  • Microsoft SQL Server Integration Services SSISEnterprise application integration softwareIn demand
  • MongoDBData base management system softwareIn demand
  • NoSQLData base management system softwareIn demand
  • Oracle PL/SQLData base management system softwareIn demand

Also called: Database Administration Manager, Database Administrator (DBA), Database Analyst, Database Coordinator, Database Engineer, Database Manager.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.