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Salary · Database Architect · United States

Database Architect salary: $139,500 median, and how to negotiate yours.

The full pay range by percentile, every state, the top-paying metro areas and similar roles, from the latest BLS survey. Place your own offer on the range.

Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025
Annual wage range · U.S. · BLS May 2025
$139,500median ($67.07/hr)

Hourly pay, BLS May 2025: 10th percentile $41.46 · 25th $52.58 · median $67.07 · 75th $81.39 · 90th $98.08.

Quick answer

The median annual wage for database architects in the United States was $139,500 in May 2025 (BLS). The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $86,240 and the top 10% earned more than $204,000. That median is 2.7 times the $50,980 median for all occupations. The highest-paying state was California ($170,160).

10th percentile
$86,240
lowest-paid 10% earn less
25th percentile
$109,370
a quarter earn less
75th percentile
$169,290
a quarter earn more
90th percentile
$204,000
top 10% earn more
Key facts

More on database architect pay

  • The median hourly wage for database architects in the United States was $67.07 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The middle half of database architects in the United States earned between $109,370 and $169,290 a year in May 2025 (25th to 75th percentile, BLS).

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The lowest-paid 10% of database architects in the United States earned less than $86,240 a year in May 2025, and the top 10% more than $204,000 (BLS).

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • The mean annual wage for database architects in the United States was $144,440 in May 2025, according to BLS; the mean is a different measure from the median.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • BLS estimated that 67,140 people were employed as database architects in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Pay by state

Database Architect salary in every state

Data BLS state estimates, May 2025. 46 states and DC published a median for this occupation. Sort by pay or by number employed.

Highest median pay
  1. California$170,160
  2. Massachusetts$161,650
  3. Virginia$160,360
  4. Arizona$156,100
  5. Colorado$154,560
Most people employed
  1. Texas8,270
  2. California6,210
  3. Virginia5,260
  4. North Carolina4,070
  5. New York3,850
Median annual wage by state
State10th–90th percentile
California$170,160$101,200–$227,9006,210
Massachusetts$161,650$123,670–$220,9102,690
Virginia$160,360$105,210–$210,1605,260
Arizona$156,100$99,730–$189,1901,200
Colorado$154,560$88,000–$195,5101,950
Texas$151,370$92,890–$200,3908,270
District of Columbia$150,010$82,220–$225,110790
Delaware$147,800$83,370–$160,860n/a
Connecticut$144,460$106,040–$210,8001,140
Illinois$142,500$97,820–$193,9501,590
New York$141,350$82,540–$216,5503,850
Rhode Island$140,320$92,540–$189,810160
Nevada$140,200$72,500–$200,190420
New Hampshire$139,990$74,120–$174,850120
Georgia$139,500$102,400–$187,4102,590
Florida$138,320$85,880–$206,4101,810
Oregon$138,250$100,820–$175,600730
Wisconsin$137,810$92,660–$170,450520
South Dakota$136,540$95,060–$142,98040
North Carolina$134,630$81,230–$178,3804,070
Nebraska$134,320$91,560–$173,050610
Hawaii$134,040$93,780–$212,15060
Maine$133,120$86,880–$159,620190
Minnesota$133,050$94,220–$169,3801,240
Maryland$132,940$80,090–$205,3201,370
Ohio$132,910$94,530–$174,2601,820
Indiana$132,830$83,480–$172,460500
Utah$131,740$97,990–$198,920630
Michigan$131,000$79,810–$174,0601,390
South Carolina$130,000$84,300–$183,7001,160
Kansas$129,990$81,790–$165,330360
Washington$128,760$101,970–$195,5902,990
Kentucky$125,400$74,140–$173,110350
Iowa$124,040$78,660–$159,790240
Idaho$121,380$79,140–$187,440260
New Jersey$120,790$86,230–$197,9503,090
New Mexico$117,950$70,870–$165,440120
Tennessee$115,170$73,440–$170,520650
Alaska$112,500$65,060–$130,50070
Missouri$110,570$64,420–$166,6101,410
Oklahoma$110,110$82,820–$173,990860
Montana$109,990$86,470–$128,500n/a
North Dakota$109,430$86,370–$138,25060
Alabama$105,450$78,400–$172,890270
Arkansas$104,070$74,700–$162,920360
Mississippi$98,420$61,030–$137,340100
Top-paying metro areas

Where the median is highest

Data Metropolitan areas with at least 100 people employed in the occupation, BLS May 2025.

  1. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$197,960
  2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$175,860
  3. Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$169,310
  4. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD$163,590
  5. Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT$163,350
  6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$162,870
  7. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$162,640
  8. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH$161,650
  9. Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ$160,300
  10. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$156,800
Similar roles

How the pay compares

Data National medians for related occupations (O*NET related roles, BLS pay).

  1. Database Architect$139,500
  2. Network Engineer$134,050
  3. Blockchain Engineer (BLS: Computer Occupations, All Other)$116,580
  4. Computer Systems Analyst$105,850
  5. Database Administrator$104,620
  6. Computer Programmer$100,390
  7. Operations Research Analyst$88,940
Negotiation script builder

Ask for more, calmly and in writing

Advice Uses only what you type. Replace anything in brackets with something true.

Our view If you cite market data, cite this page's source: the BLS median for your state and the percentile your offer sits at. A specific, sourced number is easier to agree to than a feeling.

Pay by industry

What OEWS reports by employing industry

Data Median and mean annual wage for database architect jobs in the industries employing the most of them (May 2025).

Pay by industry
IndustryJobsMedian annual wageMean annual wage
Computer Systems Design and Related Services16,410$148,680$152,550
Management of Companies and Enterprises6,830$139,320$142,890
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services4,340$130,690$136,910
Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services3,970$152,560$158,410
Software Publishers3,770$131,900$139,000
Insurance Carriers3,250$139,610$144,700
Employment Services2,680$156,000$148,730
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities (5221 and 5223 only)2,460$147,430$150,750

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates (A_MEDIAN and A_MEAN fields), detailed industries with at least 1,000 such jobs. Since May 2025 OEWS publishes specific values for many wages that used to appear only as “$239,200 or more”; values BLS still marks that way are shown that way. Industry estimates differ; they are not a forecast of anyone's pay after a move.

Method

How this page is built

Wages are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates for May 2025 (national, state and metropolitan area), for the occupation shown. OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay: they include base pay, commissions, production bonuses and tips, and exclude overtime, shift differentials, non-production bonuses and benefits. Percentiles describe all workers in the occupation, not entry or senior levels.

What this page can't tell you
  • Pay at a specific employer, or for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Experience level: percentiles are not seniority bands.
  • Equity, bonuses outside OEWS's definition, and benefits.
Sources
  1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
  2. 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.

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

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