How fast can a database administrators search fill?

23 to 35 days, 2 to 3x faster than a typical contingency search, per the recruiting provider's published figures.

What if the hire does not work out?

A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.

Hiring Database Administrators

Employers across the 84 metro areas we have BLS OEWS wage data for pay database administrators a median of $76,820 to $138,620 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A search through recruitlocalpros runs Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340, set by seniority, never by location or salary. Our vetted recruiting partner handles sourcing, screening and placement end to end.

What do database administrators do?

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.

Core tasks, O*NET OnLine, 15-1242.00.

What does it take to become one?

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.

O*NET Job Zone 4, SVP (7.0 to < 8.0). O*NET OnLine.

Employers commonly list experience with Amazon Redshift, Amazon Simple Storage Service S3, Amazon Web Services AWS software, Apache Airflow, Apache Hadoop, Apache Kafka for this role.

What do database administrators get paid?

BLS OEWS, May 2025 publishes a wage for database administrators in 84 of the metro areas in this build. The median ranges from $76,820 to $138,620 a year depending on the metro, with a midpoint of $103,620. This is what employers pay, place of work, not a single national figure and not what any one person takes home.

BLS OEWS, BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 15-1242.

What does hiring one cost?

The same as any role: tier, not location or salary, sets the fee. Across all six tiers the published range is $6,240 to $54,340 per search. For scale, the highest published median for database administrators in this build is $138,620. A contingency firm hiring at that level would bill roughly $27,724 to $41,586 on the first year salary alone, 20 to 30%.

Frequently asked

How fast can a database administrators search fill?: 23 to 35 days, 2 to 3x faster than a typical contingency search, per the recruiting provider's published figures.
What if the hire does not work out?: A 45-day replacement guarantee, at 50% off a repeat search for the same role.

Price a database administrators search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen, with the contingency comparison if you are paying one now.

Other computer and mathematical roles

All roles we run searches for · Pay by city instead

Where we run database administrators searches

The fee does not move with the city. The wage band does, so each page prices the role against what that metro actually pays.