Independent Contractor Data Engineer

Independent Contractor Data Engineer Salary

$46K

$165K

$243.5K

$165,018

/year

$79.34

/hour

Independent Contractor Data Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$165,018

Columbus

Ohio

$159,391

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    How much does an Independent Contractor Data Engineer make?

    As of Aug 6, 2026, the average annual pay for an Independent Contractor Data Engineer in the United States is $165,018 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $79.34 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,173/week or $13,751/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $243,500 and as low as $46,000, the majority of Independent Contractor Data Engineer salaries currently range between $133,500 (25th percentile) to $170,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $243,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for an Independent Contractor Data Engineer varies little (about 36500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.

    An Independent Contractor Data Engineer in your area makes on average $159,391 per year, or $5,627 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $165,018. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Independent Contractor Data Engineer salaries.

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

    Find your next high paying job as an Independent Contractor Data Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Independent Contractor Data Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for an Independent Contractor Data Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Cupertino, CA, , with Berkeley, CA, and Sitka, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Sitka, AK, beats the national average by $33,776 (20.5%), and Cupertino, CA, furthers that trend with another $38,572 (23.4%) above the $165,018 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as an Independent Contractor Data Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Cupertino, CA, and San Jose, 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 an Independent Contractor Data Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Cupertino, CA

    $203,590

    $97.88

    Berkeley, CA

    $202,055

    $97.14

    Sitka, AK

    $198,794

    $95.57

    Wyoming, WY

    $196,805

    $94.62

    Mountain View, CA

    $196,373

    $94.41

    Palo Alto, CA

    $194,472

    $93.50

    San Francisco, CA

    $194,420

    $93.47

    Sunnyvale, CA

    $193,674

    $93.11

    Livermore, CA

    $193,564

    $93.06

    San Jose, CA

    $193,400

    $92.98

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Independent Contractor Data Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Independent Contractor Data Engineer job category, we found that Healthcare Data Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Independent Contractor Data Engineer jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Healthcare Data Engineer

    $129,716

    $62.36

    Data Science Developer

    $118,171

    $56.81

    Data Warehouse Developer

    $113,204

    $54.42

    Data Developer

    $110,489

    $53.12

    Catalog Model

    $65,246

    $31.37

    About Our Data

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

    Infographic detailing Independent Contractor Data Engineer salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $165,018 per year or $79.34 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.