Data Engineer Salary in 2026

The median annual salary for a Data Engineer is $133,080 per year. Job growth is projected at 15.8% over the next decade.

How Much Do Data Engineers Make?

MetricValue
Median Annual Salary$133,080
10-Year Job Growth15.8%
Total Employment1,654,440
Typical EducationBachelor's degree
SOC Code15-1252

Which Skills Increase Data Engineer Pay?

Data Engineers with these high-demand tools and technologies typically command higher salaries.

Amazon Web Services AWS softwareApache KafkaAtlassian JIRACC#C++Cascading style sheets CSSDockerGitGitHub
Full skills breakdown →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average salary for a Data Engineer?
The median annual salary for a Data Engineer is $133,080 per year, based on the most recent national wage survey data.
Is Data Engineer a growing career?
Employment for Data Engineer roles is projected to grow 15.8% over the 2024–2034 decade. Total employment is currently 1,654,440 workers nationally.
What skills increase Data Engineer pay?
Data Engineers who demonstrate skills like Amazon Web Services AWS software, Apache Kafka, Atlassian JIRA, C typically command higher salaries. Certifications and advanced tools expertise can further boost compensation.

Salary and employment figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES May 2024) and Employment Projections 2024–2034. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, and employer.