Database Administrators Salary
The median pay for a database administrators in Salinas, CA is $83,970/year ($40.37/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $52K at the entry level to $151K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.04), so that salary is closer to $77,008 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,684/month, about 50.9% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $84K actually covers in Salinas, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Salinas’s Regional Price Parity (109.04). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About database administrators
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What this looks like in Salinas
Pay for database administrators in Salinas runs about 20% below the U.S. median of $105K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,684/month, which is 50.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 9% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.04), so groceries and services cost more too. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for database administrators.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for database administrators in metros near Salinas, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $113K | $99K |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $128K | $111K |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $107K | $95K |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $139K | $126K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Salinas, CA
Entry-level database administrators (10th percentile) start around $52K. Mid-career wages sit at $84K. Top earners bring in $151K or more, a $98K spread from bottom to top.
Database Administrators pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Database Administrators salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utah | $136K | +30% | 1,200 |
| Massachusetts | $129K | +24% | 2,310 |
| New Jersey | $126K | +20% | 1,810 |
| Maryland | $124K | +19% | 2,300 |
| District of Columbia | $119K | +13% | 560 |
| Colorado | $118K | +13% | 1,220 |
| Washington | $118K | +13% | 1,730 |
| Tennessee | $116K | +10% | 2,020 |
| Texas | $114K | +9% | 6,430 |
| North Carolina | $114K | +9% | 1,920 |
| California | $113K | +8% | 7,240 |
| Nevada | $110K | +5% | 380 |
| Alaska | $109K | +4% | 90 |
| Connecticut | $108K | +3% | 810 |
| Georgia | $107K | +2% | 2,460 |
| Rhode Island | $106K | +1% | 280 |
| New York | $106K | +1% | 3,590 |
| Illinois | $105K | +0% | 2,340 |
| Arizona | $104K | -0% | 1,120 |
| Vermont | $104K | -0% | 120 |
| Florida | $104K | -0% | 3,810 |
| Iowa | $101K | -3% | 360 |
| Delaware | $101K | -4% | 670 |
| Minnesota | $101K | -4% | 1,020 |
| Missouri | $100K | -4% | 1,140 |
| Oregon | $100K | -4% | 1,060 |
| Kansas | $100K | -4% | 440 |
| Pennsylvania | $100K | -4% | 2,450 |
| Nebraska | $100K | -4% | 610 |
| Wisconsin | $100K | -4% | 1,220 |
| Michigan | $100K | -5% | 1,150 |
| New Mexico | $98K | -6% | 570 |
| Louisiana | $98K | -6% | 290 |
| Ohio | $97K | -7% | 1,860 |
| Oklahoma | $95K | -9% | 790 |
| Alabama | $94K | -10% | 1,840 |
| South Carolina | $94K | -10% | 990 |
| Virginia | $93K | -11% | 5,940 |
| New Hampshire | $92K | -12% | 250 |
| Indiana | $90K | -14% | 930 |
| Mississippi | $88K | -16% | 200 |
| Kentucky | $87K | -16% | 650 |
| Idaho | $86K | -18% | 180 |
| Hawaii | $86K | -18% | 100 |
| Montana | $83K | -21% | 300 |
| South Dakota | $83K | -21% | 170 |
| Arkansas | $82K | -21% | 420 |
| Wyoming | $82K | -21% | 100 |
| North Dakota | $79K | -25% | 80 |
| West Virginia | $73K | -30% | 240 |
| Maine | $71K | -33% | 260 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track database administrators salary changes
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a database administrator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Salinas?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $84K, rent takes 50.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,684/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,600/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for database administrators in Salinas?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new database administrators typically earn — is $52K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,553/month. At HUD’s $2,684/month FMR, rent would take 76% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is database administrator a high-paying job in Salinas?
Local pay runs 20% below the national median — $84K here vs. $105K nationally.
How does Salinas compare to the national average for database administrators?
Salinas pays $84K median vs. the U.S. average of $105K — that’s -20%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.04), the purchasing-power equivalent is $77K — below the national median.
How much do database administrators make in Salinas, CA?
The median is $83,970 a year, that works out to about $40 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $52,300, and experienced database administrators can clear $150,650. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $84K enough to live in Salinas?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,293/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,684/month, which eats 50.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a database administrators salary go in Salinas?
Salinas has a Regional Price Parity of 109.04 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median database administrators salary is worth about $77,008 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do database administrators get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.