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Database Architect

$135,980
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Design and build databases that store, secure, and organize an organization's data at scale.

Where you work

Offices or remote, across most industries

The hours

Full-time, occasional on-call

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$135,980
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~4,000
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+9%
Much faster than average
Working in the U.S.
66,900
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

Bachelor's degree

Training path: Bachelor's degree.

License or certification

No license required to start in most places.

What it takes

Database designSQLData modelingSecurity

The honest take

Builds the systems that store and organize data, a role usually reached after years of hands-on database work.

Standard Occupational Classification 15-1243. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.