Data Engineer salary by region
| Region | Typical annual pay |
|---|---|
| United StatesNational range; SF/NYC skew higher. | $110,000 – $160,000 |
| United KingdomNational range; London skews higher. | £85,000 – £125,000 |
| European UnionVaries widely by country. | €100,000 – €145,000 |
Ranges are directional benchmarks for budgeting, not offers. Actual pay depends on location, company stage, and the candidate’s track record.
Salary factors for Data Engineer
Seniority is the biggest lever (mid–senior is the common band for this role), followed by the depth of these skills:
- 3+ years building production data pipelines with Python, SQL, or Java
- Experience with at least one modern data warehouse (Snowflake, BigQuery, Redshift, or Databricks)
- Proficiency in a workflow orchestration tool (Airflow, dbt, Prefect, or equivalent)
- Strong SQL skills—you can write complex queries and optimize slow ones without help
- Hands-on experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and their data services
- Understanding of data modeling principles and ability to design schemas for both analytics and operational use
Why companies invest in Data Engineer
SMBs are drowning in disconnected data sources and slow reporting. They need someone who can build a real data stack—not just queries, but the plumbing that lets the whole business trust and act on data.
When you are ready to hire
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