Data engineer salaries in the UK and US (2026)
Data engineers sit between software and analytics on pay. Here’s where the market is in 2026, from your founding data hire to head of data.
Updated November 2026. All figures are drafts pending Jono’s sign-off.
United Kingdom.
Base salary for permanent hires at venture-backed startups. London, then the rest of the UK.
| Level | London | Rest of UK |
|---|---|---|
| Junior (0-2 yrs) | £40k-£55k | £32k-£45k |
| Mid-level (2-4 yrs) | £60k-£80k | £48k-£65k |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | £80k-£105k | £65k-£85k |
| Lead / staff | £100k-£130k | £80k-£105k |
| Head of Data | £115k-£160k | £90k-£125k |
United States.
Base salary. San Francisco and New York, then everywhere else, including remote.
| Level | SF / NY | Other US and remote |
|---|---|---|
| Junior (0-2 yrs) | $115k-$145k | $95k-$125k |
| Mid-level (2-4 yrs) | $145k-$180k | $120k-$155k |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | $175k-$225k | $150k-$190k |
| Lead / staff | $210k-$265k | $180k-$225k |
| Head of Data | $225k-$300k | $190k-$250k |
Typical option grants.
For a mid-level or senior hire, as a percentage of the company.
- Seed
- 0.15%-0.6%
- Series A
- 0.05%-0.25%
- Series B+
- 0.02%-0.1%
What moves the number.
- 01Platform depth. Building and running the platform pays more than writing models on top of it.
- 02AI work. Data engineers supporting AI and ML teams are pricing closer to ML engineers.
- 03Stack match. Deep experience on your exact warehouse and orchestration tools shortens ramp-up, and costs more.
- 04Location. London and SF/NY pay clear premiums.
If you’re hiring one.
- Work out whether you need a data engineer or an analytics engineer. The pay gap is real.
- Hire before your AI roadmap depends on it, not after.
- Give them a real problem in the interview, not a SQL quiz.
Ranges are typical, not limits. A great candidate in a hot market can sit above them.