Median pay for database architects runs from $67,630 in Cheyenne to $197,960 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 2.93× range across 132 metropolitan areas. The national median of $139,500 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of database architects earn below $86,240 and ten per cent above $204,000 — a 2.37× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 46%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Cheyenne (WY) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $197,960 | $95.17 | 2.29 | 1,120 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $175,860 | $84.55 | 1.56 | 1,600 |
| Reno NV | $170,390 | $81.92 | 0.64 | 80 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom CA | $169,310 | $81.40 | 0.5 | 230 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura CA | $168,390 | $80.96 | 0.44 | 60 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $163,590 | $78.65 | 1.2 | 1,500 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $163,350 | $78.53 | 0.99 | 170 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $162,870 | $78.30 | 3.5 | 4,740 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $162,640 | $78.19 | 1.96 | 1,360 |
| Springfield MA | $161,730 | $77.75 | 0.57 | 50 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $161,650 | $77.72 | 1.82 | 2,120 |
| Bloomington IL | $161,430 | $77.61 | 2.26 | 90 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ | $160,300 | $77.07 | 0.67 | 110 |
| Southwest Maine nonmetropolitan area | $159,620 | $76.74 | 0.95 | 60 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA | $159,240 | $76.56 | 0.43 | 40 |
| North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota FL | $157,730 | $75.83 | 0.23 | 30 |
| Flint MI | $157,100 | $75.53 | 0.54 | 30 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $156,800 | $75.39 | 0.59 | 390 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $156,100 | $75.05 | 0.95 | 980 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $155,740 | $74.88 | 0.57 | 1,530 |
| Madison WI | $155,160 | $74.60 | 0.96 | 170 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $154,770 | $74.41 | 2.47 | 4,320 |
| Peoria IL | $154,400 | $74.23 | 0.44 | 30 |
| Pittsburgh PA | $152,800 | $73.46 | 1.18 | 570 |
| Harrisburg-Carlisle PA | $151,210 | $72.70 | 1.03 | 150 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne WY | $67,630 | $32.52 | 5.12 | 110 |
| Springfield MO | $81,830 | $39.34 | 1.39 | 130 |
| Jackson MS | $97,090 | $46.68 | 0.48 | 60 |
| Jefferson City MO | $97,560 | $46.90 | 1.3 | 40 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $98,890 | $47.54 | 0.19 | 60 |
| Columbia MO | $99,000 | $47.60 | 0.7 | 30 |
| Chattanooga TN-GA | $100,260 | $48.20 | 0.37 | 40 |
| Knoxville TN | $101,090 | $48.60 | 0.42 | 80 |
| Lexington-Fayette KY | $101,540 | $48.82 | 0.5 | 60 |
| Huntsville AL | $101,860 | $48.97 | 0.93 | 110 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cheyenne WY | $67,630 | $32.52 | 5.12 | 110 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater WA | $133,500 | $64.18 | 3.82 | 210 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $141,770 | $68.16 | 3.78 | 560 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $162,870 | $78.30 | 3.5 | 4,740 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $105,430 | $50.69 | 2.77 | 2,500 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC | $138,870 | $66.77 | 2.66 | 1,560 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $154,770 | $74.41 | 2.47 | 4,320 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $197,960 | $95.17 | 2.29 | 1,120 |
| Omaha NE-IA | $136,620 | $65.68 | 2.27 | 490 |
| Bloomington IL | $161,430 | $77.61 | 2.26 | 90 |
| Raleigh-Cary NC | $132,740 | $63.82 | 2.21 | 710 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $139,960 | $67.29 | 1.98 | 1,110 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $131,540 | $63.24 | 1.33 | 5,460 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $162,870 | $78.30 | 3.5 | 4,740 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $154,770 | $74.41 | 2.47 | 4,320 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $105,430 | $50.69 | 2.77 | 2,500 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $161,650 | $77.72 | 1.82 | 2,120 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $139,500 | $67.07 | 1.69 | 2,110 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $175,860 | $84.55 | 1.56 | 1,600 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC | $138,870 | $66.77 | 2.66 | 1,560 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $155,740 | $74.88 | 0.57 | 1,530 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington PA-NJ-DE-MD | $163,590 | $78.65 | 1.2 | 1,500 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $162,640 | $78.19 | 1.96 | 1,360 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $147,490 | $70.91 | 0.65 | 1,260 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 15-1243. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 132 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 396 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.