Data Engineer Salary: What You Actually Take Home
National median: $132,000/year. After federal taxes (single filer), that's $100,975/year take-home — 23.5% effective rate.
Data Engineer Salary After Federal Tax by Experience Level
Take-home calculated for single filer, federal taxes only (no state income tax baseline).
| Level | Gross Salary | Take-Home / Year | Monthly | Eff. Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entry Level | $85,000 | $68,184 | $5,682 | 19.8% |
| 25th Percentile | $103,000 | $80,847 | $6,737 | 21.5% |
| MedianBLS Median | $132,000 | $100,975 | $8,415 | 23.5% |
| 75th Percentile | $168,000 | $125,581 | $10,465 | 25.2% |
| 90th Percentile | $215,000 | $159,766 | $13,314 | 25.7% |
| Senior Level | $185,000 | $137,752 | $11,479 | 25.5% |
Data Engineer Take-Home Pay by State
Salary figures adjusted for state cost of living and local market rates. Single filer.
| State | Est. Salary | Take-Home / Year | Monthly | Eff. Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $162,030 | $108,431 | $9,036 | 33.1% |
| Washington | $150,480 | $113,606 | $9,467 | 24.5% |
| New York | $173,910 | $120,326 | $10,027 | 30.8% |
| Texas | $142,890 | $108,418 | $9,035 | 24.1% |
| Massachusetts | $157,740 | $110,681 | $9,223 | 29.8% |
About This Career
Data engineers build and maintain the pipelines that move, transform, and store data for analytics and machine learning applications. The explosion of real-time streaming architectures using tools like Apache Kafka and Spark has made experienced data engineers among the most sought-after technical hires.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average Data Engineer salary in the US?+
The national median Data Engineer salary is $132,000 per year (BLS data). The middle 50% of earners fall between $103,000 and $168,000, while the top 10% earn over $215,000.
How much does a Data Engineer take home after taxes?+
A Data Engineer earning the median $132,000 takes home approximately $100,975 after federal taxes (single filer, assuming no state income tax). Add state taxes to get a more precise figure for your location.
Where do Data Engineers earn the most?+
The highest-paying states for Data Engineers are California, Washington, New York. Top cities include San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, where salaries can exceed $168,000 for experienced professionals.