Data Engineer Salary Guide (2026)

Data engineer salary ranges for pipeline, ETL, and data platform roles. Compensation by experience and top technologies. Based on 1,672 active job listings.

📊 Data Scientist🤖 AI Engineer🧠 Machine Learning Engineer

Salary Range (USD/year)

$147k$170k$195k

Based on 375 jobs with disclosed salaries

Top Skills

Python 1,416 SQL 1,131 AWS 625 Spark 457 Snowflake 436 Airflow 423 Docker 362 PySpark 357 dbt 349 Git 344 Kafka 289 Databricks 275 GCP 257 Looker 240 BigQuery 229 Terraform 228 Kubernetes 227 Azure Synapse Analytics 223 Azure DevOps 220 Azure 215

Salary by Experience Level

Entry Level$105k
$88k10 jobs$131k
Mid-Level$152k
$132k70 jobs$175k
Lead / Staff+$170k
$170k52 jobs$234k
Senior$171k
$159k232 jobs$195k

Salary by Work Mode

On-site$190k
$156k56 jobs$211k
Hybrid$172k
$135k79 jobs$204k
Remote$170k
$144k186 jobs$175k

Data Engineer Jobs Hiring Now

View all jobs
Wayve

Staff Data Platform Engineer

Wayve·London·$225k–$275k
Gen Digital

Lead Data Platform Engineer

Gen Digital·Pune·$245k–$391k
Jobgether

SR Data Platform Engineer

Jobgether·Brazil·$105k–$130k
recruiting

Data Engineer

Recruiting·Arlington·$117k–$243k
recruiting

Data Engineer

Recruiting·Arlington·$86k–$176k
BRUNT Workwear

Data Engineer

BRUNT Workwear·North reading·$120k–$150k
Jobgether

Data Engineer

Jobgether·Spain·$75k–$105k
Jobgether

Data Engineer

Jobgether·Ireland·$88k–$118k

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average Data Engineer salary?

The median Data Engineer salary is $170,073 per year (USD). Salaries range from $146,556 (25th percentile) to $194,970 (75th percentile), based on 375 job listings with disclosed compensation.

How much do senior data engineers earn compared to entry level?

Senior data engineers earn a median of $170,719/year, while entry-level roles start around $105,000/year — a 63% increase with experience.

Do remote data engineers earn more or less?

Remote data engineer roles have a median salary of $170,000/year, which is 0% lower than the overall median. Based on 186 remote positions with disclosed pay.

What skills do data engineers need to earn top salaries?

The most in-demand skills for Data Engineer roles are Python, SQL, AWS, Spark, Snowflake. Mastering these technologies can help you qualify for higher-paying positions in the $194,970+ range.

Which companies pay data engineers the most?

Top-paying companies for Data Engineer roles include jobgether ($100k median), jobs at launch potato ($170k median), point72 ($250k median). Salary varies by company size, location, and experience level.

How do I negotiate a higher data engineer salary?

Research market rates using salary data like this page. Quantify your impact with specific metrics and achievements. Highlight in-demand skills like Python, SQL, AWS on your resume. Use CareerPair's AI resume builder to create a compelling resume that showcases your value.