Hiring a data engineer in the US? Across 3,992 live data engineer postings in the US, the market pays a $170K median salary (typically $134K–$205K). Recruiting from Scratch is the contingency technical recruiting firm for these hires — a 29-day average time to hire, 300+ placements, and a 2M+ candidate network.
A data engineer builds and maintains the data pipelines, warehouses, and infrastructure the business runs on. Hiring one in the US means competing with the companies below.
What employers actually screen for, aggregated across 3,992 active data engineer postings in the US:
| Percentile | Base salary |
|---|---|
| 25th | $134K |
| Median | $170K |
| 75th | $205K |
Based on 827 data engineer postings in the US that disclose pay. Base only — equity is typically on top.
Across the 1,634 data engineer postings in the US that spell out responsibilities:
The companies with the most live data engineer openings in the US, with what each pays and screens for (medians shown only where at least 3 postings disclose pay):
| Company | Open data engineer roles | Median pay (disclosed) | Top skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluelightconsulting | 97 | — | Python, Spark, SQL |
| ExlService Holdings | 80 | $124K | Python, SQL, Spark |
| Capital One | 61 | $211K | Java, Python, AWS |
| Amazon | 57 | $132K | SQL, AWS, Python |
| MyNextHire | 48 | — | SQL, Python, Java |
| Devoteam NV | 46 | — | Python, SQL, GCP |
| Sopra Steria | 38 | — | Python, Databricks, AWS |
| Jobgether | 34 | $215K | SQL, CI/CD, Python |
| Amgen | 31 | — | Python, Spark, Databricks |
| Barclays Sustainable And Impact Banking | 29 | — | Data Pipelines, AWS, Python |
Where the data engineer demand sits across funding stages, across the 150 companies with the most live openings in the US:
| Stage | Companies hiring | Open roles | Median pay (disclosed) | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seed | 9 | 84 | $175K | Jobgether, Weekday 1, CapTech Consulting |
| Series A | 4 | 25 | $180K | Ladders, Quantiphi, Sequoia Capital |
| Series B | 5 | 37 | — | Chase, Bristlecone Inc, JPMorganChase |
| Series C | 1 | 12 | — | Cognito |
| Series D+ | 15 | 114 | $188K | Bosch Group, OKX, 3Pillar Global |
| Public | 64 | 715 | $169K | ExlService Holdings, Capital One, Amazon |
A further 52 of those companies have no funding stage on file and are not shown above.
Recruiting from Scratch is a contingency technical recruiting firm — no retainer and no upfront cost, so you pay only when you make a hire. The process: align on the role and must-haves → a curated shortlist of 3–5 genuinely qualified data engineers (not resume volume) → a 29-day average time to hire versus the 49-day industry average → a 90-day replacement guarantee. Backed by 300+ placements, a 2M+ candidate network, and named hires at companies like Decagon and Mercor.
A data engineer builds and maintains the data pipelines, warehouses, and infrastructure the business runs on.
What salary does a data engineer in the US command in 2026?Across 3,992 live postings in the US, a $170K median salary (typically $134K–$205K) — base only; equity is typically on top. Most postings expect 5+ years of experience.
What should you look for when hiring a data engineer?Depth in the skills these postings require (Python, SQL, AWS, data pipelines, Snowflake, Spark, Airflow, Databricks), plus pipeline and warehouse experience, strong SQL, and distributed-data fluency. Recruiting from Scratch sends a shortlist of 3–5 genuinely qualified candidates, not resume volume.
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