A Look at SQL Server and Data-Related Salaries in 2015

It's always smart to keep up on technology trends to make sure your career is on track. It's also smart to make sure you're being paid a comparable salary. Industry hiring trends and predictions for where the demand for new skills will be in the coming years are other areas to watch.

Robert Half Technology, an IT staffing agency and member of the Microsoft Partner Network, releases an annual Salary Guide to help businesses offer competitive salaries in specific industries and geographic regions. The information is based on the market observations of Robert Half Technology staffing and recruiting personnel, the thousands of placements they make each year, as well as surveys of CIOs and other IT professionals.

Related: Emerging Data Culture Makes it an Exciting Time to Be a SQL Server DBA

Hiring Trends

Citing current business trends, the Robert Half Technology 2015 Salary Guide indicates specialized IT professionals in mobile, security, and big data will be especially in demand during 2015.

 Describing the need for big data-related roles, the Salary Guide states:

"Many companies are only just launching big data initiatives, while others are well advanced in their efforts to transform raw data into actionable intelligence for business decision-making, strategy-setting and innovation. But regardless of where any organization stands in harnessing the potential of its ever-growing quantity of data, it needs skilled professionals who know how to retrieve, interpret, analyze and report on that data – which often must be gathered from disparate sources. Big data-related roles, including data architect, data modeler and data analyst/report writer, are in high demand. Skilled business intelligence analysts are particularly marketable in the current environment." [Emphasis added.]

The following starting salary ranges reflect national averages for each position. In addition, the Survey Guide notes to add 10 percent to IT salaries for workers having Microsoft SQL Server database skills (add 7 percent to salaries for Oracle database skills).

2015 Technology Salaries (United States)

Data/Database Administration Positions

Big Data Engineer                      $119,250 - $168,250 (9.3% increase from 2014)

Database Manager                     $112,250 - $160,250 (6.1%)

Database Developer                   $98,000 – 144,750 (7.2%)

Database Administrator             $91,000 - $134,750 (5.7%)

Data Analyst/Report Writer        $70,750 - $108,250 (6.1%)

Data Architect                            $119,750 – 164,750 (7.2%)

Data Modeler                              $101,750 – 145,250 (6.7%)

Data Warehouse Manager           $119,750 – 163,000 (4.9%)

Data Warehouse Analyst             $102,500 – 142,500 (5.3%)

Business Intelligence Analyst      $108,500 – 153,000 (7.4%)

The Salary Guide also provides an estimated salary range (local variance) for positions by different geographical areas of the United States and Canada. A glossary of detailed job descriptions is another valuable part of the Salary Guide.  

A Look Back As Well As a Look Ahead

To celebrate the founding of Robert Half Technology in 1994, the 2015 Salary Guide also takes a fascinating look back at how technology has evolved over the past two decades. Be sure to take a look at how far we've come in a short 20 years. In terms of salary, in 1994 the national average salary range for a Database Manager was $62,500 - $77,500. In 2015, the national average salary for a Database Manager will be $112,250 - $160,250.

Perhaps even more interesting are the predictions for the next 20 years. Some interesting highlights include:

Predictions are always tricky. Do you have any predictions about how SQL Server professionals will evolve in the next 20 years? Submit your thoughts below!

Download your copy of the Robert Half Technology 2015 Salary Guide.