Database Administrators
Also called Database Administration Manager, Database Administrator (DBA), Database Analyst, or Systems Administrator (Systems Admin)
Updated · Source: O*NET 31.0
What Database Administrators do
You keep the organized stores of information a company runs on fast, safe, and available, so nobody loses a customer record or a day's work.
A database is an organized store of information, like every customer order, patient record, or student grade a company keeps. Database administrators, often called DBAs, set up those stores, keep them running fast, and decide who is allowed to see what. When something slows down or breaks, you dig in and find out why.
The work is a mix of quiet focus and steady contact with people. You spend long stretches alone reading, testing changes, and installing software updates. You also sit on a team, answer questions by email, train people on how to use a system, and guide junior staff or clients through problems. Most of it happens indoors at a desk, and much of it involves careful judgment about security.
A day in the life
You start with email: a report ran slowly overnight, and a new hire needs access to part of the system. You check what level of access that person should actually have, set it up, and note the change. Then you dig into the slow report, testing ideas until you find the cause. Late morning, you meet with your team about installing an upgrade to the database software, and you plan when to do it so users are not interrupted. After lunch, you walk a coworker through a question they keep hitting, then test a change a programmer made before real users start using it. You are sitting most of the day, indoors, thinking carefully.
This could fit you if you…
- ✓Like finding the one small cause behind a big problem
- ✓Keep things accurate, orderly, and on schedule without being reminded
- ✓Enjoy reading technical documents closely and learning new tools on your own
- ✓Can switch between quiet solo work and explaining things patiently to other people
- ✓Feel comfortable taking charge of a change and owning the result
You might not like it if you…
- –Want to be on your feet or outdoors instead of sitting at a desk
- –Dislike being the person called when something is broken and users are waiting
- –Would rather not keep learning new software for the rest of your career
- –Need a fast-growing field: this one is projected to change -0.1% from 2025 to 2035, compared with +3.5% for all jobs
How people get in
- 1Get comfortable with computers early: take math, and any classes that touch programming or how data is organized.
- 2Earn a bachelor's degree, which is the typical entry education. Common paths include computer and information sciences, information systems security, or data modeling and database administration programs.
- 3Practice on your own: build a small database, load real data into it, and learn to ask it questions.
- 4Look for internships or entry-level technical support and junior tech roles, where many people first work alongside experienced administrators.
- 5Learn the specific database software your target employers use, and keep adding to that as tools change.
- 6Apply for roles listed under names like database analyst, DBA, or systems administrator, and expect to handle both technical work and user questions.
Who tends to enjoy it
Organizing
People who like keeping things accurate, orderly, and running on schedule.
Curious
People who like figuring things out, research, science, and solving problems.
Leading
People who like persuading, selling, starting things, and taking charge.
Official task list
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. (O*NET)
- 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.
- Train users and answer questions.
- Provide technical support to junior staff or clients.
A typical day involves
Skills that matter most
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Learning
What you'll need to know
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Telecommunications
How much Database Administrators make
The median pay for Database Administrators in the U.S. is $104,620 a year ($50.30 an hour). Most earn between $60,230 and $163,320. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025)
Pay depends a lot on where you live: the median is highest in Utah ($135,750) and lowest in Puerto Rico ($51,880).
Pay by state and territory
| State | Median pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $93,900 | 1,840 |
| Alaska | $108,810 | 90 |
| Arizona | $104,280 | 1,120 |
| Arkansas | $82,480 | 420 |
| California | $113,060 | 7,240 |
| Colorado | $118,340 | 1,220 |
| Connecticut | $108,270 | 810 |
| Delaware | $100,910 | 670 |
| District of Columbia | $118,540 | 560 |
| Florida | $104,120 | 3,810 |
| Georgia | $106,810 | 2,460 |
| Hawaii | $85,500 | 100 |
| Idaho | $85,660 | 180 |
| Illinois | $104,650 | 2,340 |
| Indiana | $90,090 | 930 |
| Iowa | $101,210 | 360 |
| Kansas | $100,170 | 440 |
| Kentucky | $87,390 | 650 |
| Louisiana | $98,270 | 290 |
| Maine | $70,500 | 260 |
| Maryland | $124,300 | 2,300 |
| Massachusetts | $129,300 | 2,310 |
| Michigan | $99,830 | 1,150 |
| Minnesota | $100,700 | 1,020 |
| Mississippi | $87,790 | 200 |
| Missouri | $100,270 | 1,140 |
| Montana | $83,120 | 300 |
| Nebraska | $100,020 | 610 |
| Nevada | $109,670 | 380 |
| New Hampshire | $92,110 | 250 |
| New Jersey | $125,860 | 1,810 |
| New Mexico | $98,450 | 570 |
| New York | $105,900 | 3,590 |
| North Carolina | $113,900 | 1,920 |
| North Dakota | $78,730 | 80 |
| Ohio | $97,190 | 1,860 |
| Oklahoma | $95,320 | 790 |
| Oregon | $100,260 | 1,060 |
| Pennsylvania | $100,110 | 2,450 |
| Puerto Rico | $51,880 | 170 |
| Rhode Island | $106,020 | 280 |
| South Carolina | $93,640 | 990 |
| South Dakota | $82,540 | 170 |
| Tennessee | $115,500 | 2,020 |
| Texas | $114,400 | 6,430 |
| Utah | $135,750 | 1,200 |
| Vermont | $104,230 | 120 |
| Virginia | $93,320 | 5,940 |
| Washington | $118,140 | 1,730 |
| West Virginia | $73,490 | 240 |
| Wisconsin | $100,020 | 1,220 |
| Wyoming | $82,480 | 100 |
Where to study for this
College programs that commonly lead to this career, and how many US colleges offer each.
- Computer and Information Sciences 1,032 colleges
- Computer and Information Systems Security / Auditing / Information Assurance 1,005 colleges
- Data Modeling / Warehousing and Database Administration 162 colleges
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Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA), occupation 15-1242.00, used under CC BY 4.0 and modified by Whittle. Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), SOC 15-1242. Outlook and entry education: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35. Program links: NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. How we build these pages.