Career profile · 15-1242
Database Administrators
Administer, test, and implement computer databases, applying knowledge of database management systems. Coordinate changes to computer databases. Identify, investigate, and resolve database performance issues, database capacity, and database scalability. May plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard computer databases.
What the work can involve
- Modify existing databases and database management systems or direct programmers and analysts to make changes.
- Plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard information in computer files against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification or disclosure.
- Plan and install upgrades of database management system software to enhance database performance.
- Specify users and user access levels for each segment of database.
- Test changes to database applications or systems.
- Test programs or databases, correct errors, and make necessary modifications.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This O*NET group commonly calls for substantial preparation, often including a bachelor’s degree or considerable relevant experience. An introductory vocational course alone may not provide an entry route.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Speaking
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Telecommunications
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Working with Computers
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Getting Information
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Analyzing Data or Information
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Contact with others most of the time | 70.7%08/2023 · sample 22 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Never | 93.0%08/2023 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 95.5%08/2023 · sample 21 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 95.2%08/2023 · sample 21 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 92.7%08/2023 · sample 21 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Access software: Access management software, Citrix cloud computing software
- Accounting software: Fund accounting software
- Administration software: Redgate SQL Server
- Analytical or scientific software: IBM SPSS Statistics, Minitab, SAS, Safe Software FME
- Application server software: Docker, GitHub, Kubernetes, Oracle WebLogic Server
- Backup or archival software: Acronis Recovery Expert, BMC Software Recovery Manager RMAN, Database cloning software, EMC NetWorker
- Business intelligence and data analysis software: Apache Spark, IBM Cognos Impromptu, Micosoft SQL Server Analysis Services SSAS, MicroStrategy
- Cloud-based management software: Amazon Web Services AWS CloudFormation, IBM WebSphere, Microsoft Azure Data Factory, Splunk Enterprise
- Cloud-based protection or security software: SolarWinds
- Clustering software: Cluster server software, Oracle Real Application Cluster RAC, VMware
- Communications server software: IBM Domino
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk Revit, Dassault Systemes CATIA
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for database administrators
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 51 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $93,900 | $45.14 | 1,840 |
| Alaska | $108,810 | $52.31 | 90 |
| Arizona | $104,280 | $50.14 | 1,120 |
| Arkansas | $82,480 | $39.66 | 420 |
| California | $113,060 | $54.35 | 7,240 |
| Colorado | $118,340 | $56.90 | 1,220 |
| Connecticut | $108,270 | $52.05 | 810 |
| Delaware | $100,910 | $48.52 | 670 |
| District of Columbia | $118,540 | $56.99 | 560 |
| Florida | $104,120 | $50.06 | 3,810 |
| Georgia | $106,810 | $51.35 | 2,460 |
| Hawaii | $85,500 | $41.11 | 100 |
| Idaho | $85,660 | $41.19 | 180 |
| Illinois | $104,650 | $50.31 | 2,340 |
| Indiana | $90,090 | $43.31 | 930 |
| Iowa | $101,210 | $48.66 | 360 |
| Kansas | $100,170 | $48.16 | 440 |
| Kentucky | $87,390 | $42.02 | 650 |
| Louisiana | $98,270 | $47.24 | 290 |
| Maine | $70,500 | $33.90 | 260 |
| Maryland | $124,300 | $59.76 | 2,300 |
| Massachusetts | $129,300 | $62.16 | 2,310 |
| Michigan | $99,830 | $48.00 | 1,150 |
| Minnesota | $100,700 | $48.42 | 1,020 |
| Mississippi | $87,790 | $42.21 | 200 |
| Missouri | $100,270 | $48.21 | 1,140 |
| Montana | $83,120 | $39.96 | 300 |
| Nebraska | $100,020 | $48.09 | 610 |
| Nevada | $109,670 | $52.72 | 380 |
| New Hampshire | $92,110 | $44.29 | 250 |
| New Jersey | $125,860 | $60.51 | 1,810 |
| New Mexico | $98,450 | $47.33 | 570 |
| New York | $105,900 | $50.91 | 3,590 |
| North Carolina | $113,900 | $54.76 | 1,920 |
| North Dakota | $78,730 | $37.85 | 80 |
| Ohio | $97,190 | $46.73 | 1,860 |
| Oklahoma | $95,320 | $45.83 | 790 |
| Oregon | $100,260 | $48.20 | 1,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $100,110 | $48.13 | 2,450 |
| Rhode Island | $106,020 | $50.97 | 280 |
| South Carolina | $93,640 | $45.02 | 990 |
| South Dakota | $82,540 | $39.69 | 170 |
| Tennessee | $115,500 | $55.53 | 2,020 |
| Texas | $114,400 | $55.00 | 6,430 |
| Utah | $135,750 | $65.27 | 1,200 |
| Vermont | $104,230 | $50.11 | 120 |
| Virginia | $93,320 | $44.86 | 5,940 |
| Washington | $118,140 | $56.80 | 1,730 |
| West Virginia | $73,490 | $35.33 | 240 |
| Wisconsin | $100,020 | $48.09 | 1,220 |
| Wyoming | $82,480 | $39.66 | 100 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 230 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
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Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 15-1242.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.