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The national median salary for Database Architects is $139,506 per year ($67.07/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $109,366 and $169,291 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $204,006 per year. There are approximately 67,140 database architects employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Design strategies for enterprise databases, data warehouse systems, and multidimensional networks. Set standards for database operations, programming, query processes, and security. Model, design, and construct large relational databases or data warehouses. Create and optimize data models for warehouse infrastructure and workflow. Integrate new systems with existing warehouse structure and refine system performance and functionality.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
+8.7%
Much faster than average
Annual openings
4K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
67K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
15% from new growth86% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
Bachelor's degree
Experience
Less than 5 years
On-the-job training
None
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Computer Systems Design and Related Services
NAICS 541500
16K
$148,680
Management of Companies and Enterprises
NAICS 551100
7K
$139,320
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services
NAICS 541600
4K
$130,690
Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services
NAICS 518200
4K
$152,560
Software Publishers
NAICS 513200
4K
$131,900
Wage range across top 5 industries: $130,690 to $152,560 (17% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$41.46
$86,237
P25
$52.58
$109,366
P50MEDIAN
$67.07
$139,506
P75
$81.39
$169,291
P90
$98.08
$204,006
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · tech sector
Cooling
Openings Rate
2.8%
Quits Rate
1.1%
Information sector openings held flat at 81K in March, but layoffs jumped to 66K (+13K, rate 2.4%) -- the highest layoff rate among major sectors. Quit rates dropped to 1.1%. Tech employers retain maximum leverage; cuts continue in pockets.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average database architects salary?
The national median salary for Database Architects is $139,506 per year ($67.07/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $109,366 and $169,291 annually.
How much do top-earning database architects make?
The 90th percentile salary for Database Architects is $204,006 per year ($98.08/hr). The 75th percentile is $169,291 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for database architects?
Entry-level Database Architects (10th percentile) earn approximately $86,237 per year ($41.46/hr). The 25th percentile is $109,366 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.