Database Administrator Salary.
Across 30 U.S. cities.
$108,000
national median salary
$82,000 to $142,000. Last updated April 2026.
Highest Paying
$149,000
San Jose, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$112,000
San Diego, CA
Lowest Paying
$96,000
Indianapolis, IN
Salary data sourced from SEC filings, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, and aggregated job postings across 50+ platforms. Ranges reflect 25th to 75th percentile for full-time positions. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated April 2026.
The average Database Administrator salary in the United States is $108,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $82,000 at the 25th percentile to $142,000 at the 75th. San Jose pays the most at $149,000, while San Diego offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. DBAs managing mission-critical Oracle, SQL Server, or PostgreSQL clusters for Fortune 500 companies earn the highest base salaries.
Database Administrator salary by city
What you should know
DBAs managing mission-critical Oracle, SQL Server, or PostgreSQL clusters for Fortune 500 companies earn the highest base salaries. Expertise in performance tuning, disaster recovery design, and database migration to cloud-managed services adds 15 to 20% over general administration. Financial and healthcare data compliance knowledge commands additional premiums.
Junior DBAs start at $58,000 to $75,000, progressing to mid-level at $82,000 to $115,000 within three to four years. Senior DBAs earn $120,000 to $145,000, while database architects and directors of data infrastructure reach $155,000 to $210,000 at enterprise organizations.
Annual bonuses of 8 to 12% are standard, with on-call stipends adding $5,000 to $10,000. Many employers cover Oracle or Microsoft certification costs, and senior DBAs at large enterprises receive retention bonuses of $10,000 to $25,000.