Database administrators: pay, outlook and skills
Administer, test, and implement computer databases, applying knowledge of database management systems. Coordinate changes to computer databases. Identify, investigate, and resolve database performance issues, database capacity, and database scalability. May plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard computer databases.
Pay distribution and location comparison
These are published pay distribution points for everyone working in this occupation, not pay levels for junior, mid, or senior roles. Location figures are pay as published; no cost-of-living adjustment is applied.
United States, all industries
| Pay point | United States | Selected area |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $60,230 | - |
| 25th percentile | $79,610 | - |
| Median | $104,620 | - |
| 75th percentile | $135,460 | - |
| 90th percentile | $163,320 | - |
| People employed | 69,990 | - |
Source: OEWS May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file Reference period: OEWS May 2025.
Long-term outlook
Official ten-year projection for 2025 to 2035. Projected annual openings are an average per year over the decade, including openings from workers leaving the occupation. They are not a count of jobs open today.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file Employment is published in thousands of jobs and converted here to people.
OptimizeResume analysis using U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data. This is not a BLS statistic or a prediction that an individual will be hired.
Score trend
Historical scores may be restated when BLS revises underlying data. The chart uses the latest restated values.
Confidence
- At least 90% of required inputs and occupation-industry mapping are covered.
How this score is built
Monthly industry demand is mapped to this occupation using official occupation-industry relationships, then combined with occupation fundamentals and long-term projections.
Read Methodology v1.0Skills, software, and day-to-day work
Skill values are O*NET importance ratings on a 1-5 scale for the occupation itself. They describe what the work requires, not how much employers are hiring right now.
Most important skills
- Complex Problem Solving3.9 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
- Active Listening3.8 / 5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
- Active Learning3.5 / 5
- Programming3.4 / 5
- Speaking3.4 / 5
- Monitoring3.3 / 5
- Writing3.3 / 5
- Operations Analysis3.1 / 5
- Systems Analysis3.1 / 5
O*NET importance rating, 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Software and technology
- Data base management system softwareApache Hadoop (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), MongoDB (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), NoSQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Oracle PL/SQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Relational database management system software (in demand for this occupation), Amazon DynamoDB (hot technology)
- Object or component oriented development softwareOracle Java (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Python (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Scala (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), C# (hot technology), C++ (hot technology), jQuery (hot technology)
- Data base user interface and query softwareAmazon Redshift (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Amazon Web Services AWS software (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Microsoft Access (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Microsoft SQL Server (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), MySQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Oracle Database (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology)
- Development environment softwareApache Kafka (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Microsoft Azure software (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Microsoft PowerShell (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Apache Maven (hot technology), C (hot technology), Eclipse IDE (hot technology)
- Operating system softwareLinux (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Shell script (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), UNIX (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Apple macOS (hot technology), Bash (hot technology), Microsoft Windows (hot technology)
- Business intelligence and data analysis softwareApache Spark (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Microsoft Power BI (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Tableau (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), IBM Cognos Impromptu, Micosoft SQL Server Analysis Services SSAS, MicroStrategy
- Metadata management softwareInformatica software (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Data dictionary software, Data mapping software, Data modeling software, IBM Rational Data Architect, Pentaho Kettle
- Application server softwareGitHub (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Kubernetes (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Docker (hot technology), Red Hat OpenShift (hot technology), Spring Boot (hot technology), Oracle WebLogic Server
- Enterprise application integration softwareMicrosoft SQL Server Integration Services SSIS (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Extensible markup language XML (hot technology), Atlassian Bamboo, BMC Software Control-M, IBM InfoSphere DataStage, Oracle Fusion Middleware
- Configuration management softwareIBM Terraform (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Chef (hot technology), Puppet (hot technology), Deployment software, Perforce Helix software, Red Hat Ansible Engine
- Object oriented data base management softwarePostgreSQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Transact-SQL (in demand for this occupation) (hot technology), Hibernate ORM (hot technology), IBM Informix, Object database management system ODBMS
- Cloud-based management softwareMicrosoft Azure Data Factory (in demand for this occupation), Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation (hot technology), Splunk Enterprise (hot technology), IBM WebSphere
O*NET marks individual examples only. “Hot technology” means the tool is frequently named across job postings generally; “in demand for this occupation” means O*NET recorded it as required by employers for this occupation. Unmarked examples are still commonly used.
Typical tasks
- Modify existing databases and database management systems or direct programmers and analysts to make changes.
- Plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard information in computer files against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification or disclosure.
- Plan and install upgrades of database management system software to enhance database performance.
- Specify users and user access levels for each segment of database.
- Test changes to database applications or systems.
- Test programs or databases, correct errors, and make necessary modifications.
- Train users and answer questions.
- Provide technical support to junior staff or clients.
- Approve, schedule, plan, and supervise the installation and testing of new products and improvements to computer systems, such as the installation of new databases.
- Develop standards and guidelines for the use and acquisition of software and to protect vulnerable information.
Also advertised as: Database Administration Manager, Database Administrator (DBA), Database Analyst, Database Coordinator, Database Engineer, Database Manager, Development and Database Administration Manager, IS Admin (Information Systems Administrator).
Check your resume against a real job posting
This page describes the occupation in general. A free scan compares your own resume with the specific job description you are applying to, requirement by requirement, and shows where your real experience is already strong and where it is simply not documented yet. Only experience you actually have should ever be added.
Scan my resume freeSource: O*NET Database version 31.0 by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Used under CC BY 4.0. OptimizeResume has modified the data for display only: selected the most important rated skills, grouped software examples by category while keeping each example’s official flags, and shortened the task list.
Guides for applying to this work
Sources and how to read this page
Source: OEWS May 2025, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-2035, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (imported 9/17/2026) official file
O*NET 31.0 Database version 31.0 by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0 and modified for display on this page. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
How each number should be read
- Pay percentiles describe the spread of pay across everyone in the occupation, not experience levels.
- Employment counts are jobs, not people hired during the year.
- Projected annual openings are a decade average from the official projection, not current vacancies.
- O*NET skill ratings describe the work, not employer hiring demand.
- Values BLS did not publish, suppressed, or top-coded are shown as such and never treated as zero.