Big data salaries set to rise in 2017

Starting salaries for big data pros will continue to rise in 2017 as companies jockey to hire skilled data professionals.

Recruiting and staffing specialist Robert Half Technology studied more than 75 tech positions for its annual guide to U.S. tech salaries, including 13 jobs in the data/data administration field.

In the big picture, starting salaries for newly hired IT workers are forecast to climb 3.8% next year. (See also: 14 hot network jobs/skills for 2017)

In the data world, the highest paying title is big data engineer; these specialists can expect starting salaries ranging from $135,000 to $196,000. The biggest raise is projected for data scientists, who can expect a 6.4% boost in 2017. 

Here are 13 data-related roles poised to gain pay bumps next year. Note: Only base salaries are calculated. Totals don’t include bonuses, equity awards or other compensation elements.

Big data engineer 2017 salary range: $135,000 – $196,000 Raise: 5.8%

Data architect 2017 salary range: $131,250 – $184,000 Raise: 4.1%

Data warehouse manager 2017 salary range: $129,000 – $179,000 Raise: 4.1%

Database manager 2017 salary range: $122,250 – $177,000 Raise: 3.7%

Business intelligence analyst 2017 salary range: $118,000 – $171,750 Raise: 4.3%

Data scientist 2017 salary range: $116,000 – $163,500 Raise: 6.4%

Data modeler 2017 salary range: $111,000 – $161,500 Raise: 3.9%

Database developer 2017 salary range: $108,000 – $161,500 Raise: 5.1%

Data warehouse analyst 2017 salary range: $107,500 – $155,750 Raise: 2.4%

Database administrator 2017 salary range: $98,500 – $148,500 Raise: 3.6%

Portal administrator 2017 salary range: $96,000 – $138,750 Raise: 2.8%

Data analyst/report writer 2017 salary range: $77,500 – $118,750 Raise: 3.8%

EDI specialist 2017 salary range: $77,500 – $118,750 Raise: 2.2%

Robert Half Technology also singled out four skills that can boost a data pro’s salary potential. Job candidates with Microsoft SQL Server database skills can expect to see an 8% bump in salary, and those with Hadoop skills can earn an additional 7%. Oracle database skills will deliver a 6% salary increase, and ETL skills also will boost salaries by 6%.

The full report is available for download here.