What Is a Data Architect’s Salary?

Written by Coursera Staff • Updated on

A data architect builds systems to create, organize, and store data while keeping it secure. Discover how much you can earn based on a variety of factors, including education, experience, location, industry, and job title.

[Featured Image] Two coworkers who are both working for a data architect salary, discuss information on a wipe board.

Data architects can work for various organizations, including financial institutions, insurance companies, computer services organizations, or educational institutions, to help build and maintain databases. In this role, you’ll create and administer data storage solutions, back up and restore data, and maintain existing databases. 

Projected growth for data architect positions is increasing as companies migrate to the cloud and upgrade from legacy systems in almost all sectors of the economy. Explore the factors that affect a data architect salary to maximize your earning potential.

What is a data architect?

A data architect determines the strategy for how a business collects, stores, and uses data as it moves through the data architect’s designed framework. You can work in nearly any industry and take a holistic view of the company’s data system or architecture.

Your responsibilities could include: 

  • Maintain current data infrastructure or develop new solutions for data

  • Secure and back up data regularly

  • Respond to data security incidents and restore data as needed

  • Troubleshoot issues and fix problems to ensure databases operate efficiently

How much does a data architect make?

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), data architects in the United States earn a median annual salary of $134,700. The lowest 10 percent earn less than $76,000 per year, while the highest 10 percent earn over $194,960 [1].

According to various job listing sites, the average annual pay for data architects ranges from roughly $114,000 to $139,000. The base salary ranges given by five different organizations that track data architect salaries are as follows:

Zippia [2]Glassdoor [3]Payscale [4]Salary.com [5]BLS [1]
$113,700$138,968$132,682$134,511$134,700

*All salary data current as of January 2025

Factors that affect data architect salary

Several factors can affect your salary in the data architect field. You could earn a higher salary based on your education or experience in the field. Your location can also factor into your income depending on the demand for data architects or the cost of living in your area. Data architects can earn more money in particular fields or industries.

Education

According to Zippia, 64 percent of data architects hold a bachelor’s degree, while 27 percent hold a master’s, and 4 percent hold an associate degree [6]. Typically, data architects focus their studies on computer science, business, or electrical or computer engineering. But if a degree isn’t an option, some employers may also value certification in the specific software or database languages they may use to create, maintain, or troubleshoot their databases.

According to Zippia, the average data architect salaries based on education level include the following [6]:

  • Some college or an associate degree: $102,453

  • Bachelor’s degree: $118,898

  • Master’s degree: $130,263

  • Doctorate: $130,464

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Experience

Your experience as a data architect can affect your potential salary, and more experience could boost your annual income. Check out the estimated average base salary you can expect based on your experience, according to Glassdoor [3]:

  • 0–1 year: $111,422 

  • 1–3 years: $120,537

  • 4–6 years: $137,389

  • 7–9 years: $147,864

  • 10–14 years: $157,822 

  • 15+ years: $167,971

Location

Your salary could depend on where you live and the demand for data architects in your area, with the top states and districts paying a higher median income. The five top-paying states for data architects based on information collected by BLS are [7]:

  1. District of Columbia: $162,980

  2. California: $162,660

  3. Kansas: $161,820

  4. New Jersey: $158,930

  5. Washington: $154,430

Likewise, some cities may have higher salaries than others, which means you could earn a higher income based on whether you live in a particular city or are willing to relocate to an area with a higher median annual wage for data architects.

For example, areas in the Silicon Valley region of California have the highest median annual wage for data architects. The San Francisco, Oakland, and Hayward areas can earn you a mean yearly income of $171,160, while the San Jose, Sunnyvale, and Santa Clara metropolitan area has an average annual income of $202,410 for data architects. Farther north is the Seattle, Tacoma, and Belleview areas of Washington state, where you can earn $159,020.

Industry

The industry in which you work will also impact your earnings. For example, you can earn a median annual income of $151,890 in computing infrastructure design and web hosting services compared to $134,780 in computer system design services, according to the BLS [8].

Glassdoor lists the following five highest-paying industries for data architects in terms of their total median salaries, which include additional compensation from profit sharing, bonuses, and other sources [3]:

  • Telecommunications: $178,721

  • Insurance: $177,942

  • Financial services: $177,850

  • Management and consultant: $177,373

  • Media and communication: $171,609

You can gain additional experience with other jobs focused on data architecture or find a job that could better fit you if you don’t want a position as a data architect. Explore a few in more detail below. 

Computer network architect

Median annual US salary: $129,840 [9]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033: 13 percent [10]

Education requirements: Most computer network architects hold a bachelor’s degree in a computer science field, such as network and computer systems administration.

If you prefer to work with computers, you can work as a computer network architect. You can create plans for computer networks and build them, upgrade hardware and software for companies, or develop plans to implement new technology for your company or organization. 

Read more: A Guide to Network Architectures

Computer and information systems managers

Median annual US salary: $169,510 [11]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033: 17 percent [12]

Education requirements: Computer and information systems managers typically earn a bachelor’s degree in computer or information science. 

Computer and information systems managers are responsible for planning and coordinating computer-related activities for a company or organization. You would be responsible for designing and installing computer hardware and software as well as maintaining it. You may also be responsible for researching new technology and potentially upgrading systems to meet the demands of your company. 

Read more: What Are Computer Information Systems? Definition, Degree, and Careers

Job outlook

The BLS expects data architect positions to grow by 11 percent from 2023 to 2033, much faster than the national average of 4 percent for all occupations. BLS estimates an increase of 6,600 data architect positions in that period [13].

Data architect jobs will likely continue to increase due to the data needs of companies across almost all sectors of the economy. Data architects will be important for designing and maintaining databases and ensuring they remain secure. You may also have to update outdated systems or find a way to integrate older systems into new data architecture, like migrating to the cloud.

Getting started in data with Coursera

Data architect salaries depend on education, experience, industry, and location. With the expected increase in data architect positions, now is the time to gain in-demand skills. It’s also an excellent time to continue learning and honing your skill set relevant to data architecture with courses on Coursera.  

For example, by completing the Preparing for Google Cloud Certification: Cloud Data Engineer Professional Certificate, you can boost your knowledge of Google Cloud data construction. You can also learn with the Data Engineering Foundations Specialization from IBM on Coursera, which teaches the fundamentals of managing databases and data engineering.

Article sources

1

US Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Database Administrators and Architects, https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/database-administrators.htm#tab-5.” Accessed January 9, 2025.

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