The results of our third-annual SQL Server Magazine Salary Survey are
in, giving us a composite view of a typical SQL Server professional and how
factors such as age, experience, location, and job title affect your compensation.
We determined that the average age of the SQL Server professionals who responded
is 40 (the median age is 35); 84 percent of you are male; you most likely have
the job title of DBA; and you work in the finance, banking, or investment industry.
On average, you've worked 13 years in IT, eight of which have been in the database
development and administration area, and 64 percent of you have spent six years
working with SQL Server. In terms of education, most of you have a bachelor's
degree or higher, and 52 percent of you have at least one certification.
Most of you (91 percent) are working full time at a company that has about
1000 employees, you've been at your present company for approximately six years,
and your average total compensation is $81,710. Many of you are working longer
hours; the reported work week was up 1.2 hours from last year to an average
of 46 hours.
Figure 1 shows the top five job categories
with the highest number of respondents and compares them with the results from
the 2005 survey. It shows that the percentage of DBAs (37 percent) and consultants
(5 percent) remained the same, but database developers (11 percent) moved up
to third place, and IT directors or managers (9 percent) moved down to fourth
place. When we looked at respondents' experience in their careers, we noticed
an interesting anomaly. Although high numbers of respondents indicated that
they have extensive experience in IT (from 6 years to 30 years), the same respondents
said they have spent considerably less time working specifically with databases
(from 1 to 10 years). These responses seem to indicate that people are coming
into database work through other IT fields. We speculated that this trend is
happening because businesses are placing increasing value on data and pressuring
IT pros to manage and deliver data more effectively. A recent study by IDC indicates
that over the next 15 years, businesses will be demanding even more specialized
data-analysis and BI skills from database pros (see Douglas McDowell, "Listen
to the Analysts: Microsoft BI Skills Are a Good Bet," InstantDoc ID 93343).
What's in Your Wallet?
Many factors influence your annual paycheck. Here are a few of the more interesting
findings so you can see how you compare.
Region: As Figure 2 shows, if you
live in the western United States, you're making more money than your counterparts
in the South. And US workers typically are making more than their Canadian
peers.
Job title: Of the five job categories with the highest number of
respondents, consultants receive the highest average total compensation ($101,969),
as Figure 3 shows, and application developers
and programmers receive the lowest ($74,718) in this top-five-ranking. For
a complete breakdown of salaries by all job titles, see Web
Table 1 (http://www.sqlmag.com,
InstantDoc ID 94012).
Experience: Not surprisingly, in general, the longer you've worked
as a DBA, the larger your annual paycheck. In fact, if you've been a DBA for
more than 30 years, you're making more than $150,000. Web
Table 2 shows the complete results for total compensation according to
years working as a DBA.
Industry: According to survey results, the most lucrative industry
in which to be a DBA is the computer-related retail industry, followed by
the computer-related manufacturing industry. The lowest paid DBAs are in the
agriculture, forestry, or environmental services field. For a complete comparison
of compensation by industry, see Web Table
3.
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Reader Comments
The average $81,710 quoted appears to be less than each of the four averages by region in Figure 2. So unless this overall average includes Canada, something seems to be wrong. I would like to see a clarified average salary for US employees only.
kbailey- November 24, 2006
Article Rating 3 out of 5
Canada was included in this. But note, it was only 4% of total respondants. Here is how the calculation was done: Base Salary: The average base salary is $77,119. The median salary is $78,000. When we divide the respondents into quartiles, we find that 25% of respondents make a base salary of $61,000 or less. Fifty percent of respondents make $78,000 or less. Seventy-five percent of respondents make $92,000 or less. The highest paid; those in the last quartile make between $93,000 and $160,000.
Bonus Amount: The average bonus amount is $4,360. The median bonus is $1,000. When we divide people into quartiles, we see that 25% of respondents get no bonus. A full 42% (259 respondents) got no bonus. When considering the 2nd quartile, we find that 50% of respondents get a bonus of $1,000 or less. Seventy-five percent of respondents get a bonus or $6,000 or less. The people in the last quartile, those who get the biggest bonuses, receive between $6,000 and $40,000 in bonuses a year.
Total Compensation: The average total compensation is $81,710. The total compensation median salary is $82,000. When we divide people into quartiles, we find that 25% of respondents have a total compensation of $65,000 or less. Fifty percent of respondents make $82,000 or less. Seventy-five percent make $100,000 or less. The top quartile makes between $100,000 and $190,000. Hope this answers your questions. D May
DianaMay- December 01, 2006
Article Rating 3 out of 5
I was curious, you said the mean was 40 years of age, the median was 35, but what was the mode?
