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Data Engineer
San Diego
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Data Engineer Salary and Equity in San Diego 2026

How much does a Data Engineer expect to make at San Diego-based startups? The average expected salary for Data Engineers in San Diego-based startups is 136k per year, with a range from 43k to 200k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Data Engineers in San Diego startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.

136.1k

Average Salary

3 years

Average years of experience

Hiring data hero image

Salary

By quarter
The average salary for a Data Engineer in San Diego is $136,125, which is 0.6% higher than the average San Diego startup salary of$135,375. Data Engineer salaries in San Diego are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.

Top of market

$172,375/yr

Range $147k - $200k

Average

$136,125/yr

Range $126k - $147k

Below Average

$84,625/yr

Range $43k - $118k


Industries

The highest average salary a Data Engineer in San Diego can get in Healthcare, that is $140,000. This pay is 8.7% higher than the average Data Engineer salary in San Diego, which is $128,750. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Healthcare (avg $140,000 per year), Financial Services (avg $117,500 per year).

Tech Stack

The highest average salary a Data Engineer in San Diego can get with AWS, that is $140,000. This pay is 3.4% higher than the average salary in San Diego startups, which is $135,375. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
The top-paying Data Engineer skills in San Diego of 2026 are:
  • 1. AWS

    $140k

  • 2. Pyspark

    $140k

  • 3. Python

    $122k

  • 4. Java

    $122k

  • 5. SQL

    $122k

  • 6. Scala

    $122k


Years of experience

Below Average

Average

Top of Market

The highest average salary a Data Engineer in San Diego can get with 4-6 years of experience, that is $122,000. This pay is 9.9% lower than the average salary in San Diego startups, which is $135,375. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.