Data Engineering Lead

Data Engineering Lead Salary

$64K

$146.5K

$200K

$145,772

/year

$70.08

/hour

Data Engineering Lead Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$145,772

Columbus

Ohio

$140,801

    Do you get a good deal as a Data Engineering Lead?

    Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.

    Take The Breakroom Quiz

    Breakroom banner

    How much does a Data Engineering Lead make?

    As of Aug 6, 2026, the average annual pay for a Data Engineering Lead in the United States is $145,772 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $70.08 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,803/week or $12,147/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $200,000 and as low as $64,000, the majority of Data Engineering Lead salaries currently range between $126,000 (25th percentile) to $163,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $191,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Data Engineering Lead varies greatly (by as much as 37500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Data Engineering Lead in your area makes on average $140,801 per year, or $4,971 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $145,772. Ohio ranks number 41 out of 50 states nationwide for Data Engineering Lead salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Data Engineering Lead jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Data Engineering Lead on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Data Engineering Lead Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Data Engineering Lead job is above the national average. Topping the list is Fremont, CA, , with Nome, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $34,074 (23.4%), and Fremont, CA, furthers that trend with another $41,097 (28.2%) above the $145,772 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Data Engineering Lead appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 8% between Fremont, CA, and Sunnyvale, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Data Engineering Lead role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Fremont, CA

    $186,869

    $89.84

    Nome, AK

    $180,830

    $86.94

    Cupertino, CA

    $179,846

    $86.46

    Berkeley, CA

    $178,489

    $85.81

    Sitka, AK

    $175,609

    $84.43

    Atlanta, NE

    $173,903

    $83.61

    Santa Clara, CA

    $172,154

    $82.77

    Palo Alto, CA

    $171,791

    $82.59

    San Francisco, CA

    $171,745

    $82.57

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $171,609

    $82.50

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Data Engineering Lead Jobs in the U.S.

    We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Data Engineering Lead category.

    For example Principal Electrical Engineer jobs pay as much as $9,051 (6.2%) more than the average Data Engineering Lead salary of $145,772. If you're qualified, finding work as a Principal Electrical Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Data Engineering Lead position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Principal Electrical Engineer

    $154,823

    $74.43

    Nintendo Game Designer

    $149,118

    $71.69

    Principal Mechanical Engineer

    $145,075

    $69.75

    Design Principal

    $109,393

    $52.59

    Aerospace Quality Engineer

    $90,170

    $43.35

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Data Engineering Lead salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $145,772 per year or $70.08 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.