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Data Engineer
Seattle
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Data Engineer Salary and Equity in Seattle 2026

How much does a Data Engineer expect to make at Seattle-based startups? The average expected salary for Data Engineers in Seattle-based startups is 177k per year, with a range from 95k to 262k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Data Engineers in Seattle startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.

177.3k

Average Salary

3 years

Average years of experience

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Salary

By quarter
The average salary for a Data Engineer in Seattle is $177,250, which is 27.4% higher than the average Seattle startup salary of$139,125. Data Engineer salaries in Seattle 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

$214,792/yr

Range $175k - $262k

Average

$177,250/yr

Range $155k - $216k

Below Average

$143,250/yr

Range $95k - $203k


Industries

The highest average salary a Data Engineer in Seattle can get in Cloud Computing, that is $174,500. This pay is 22.8% higher than the average Data Engineer salary in Seattle, which is $142,150. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Cloud Computing (avg $174,500 per year), Open Source (avg $174,500 per year), Databases (avg $174,500 per year).

Tech Stack

The highest average salary a Data Engineer in Seattle can get with Python, that is $135,000. This pay is 3.0% lower than the average salary in Seattle startups, which is $139,125. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
The top-paying Data Engineer skills in Seattle of 2026 are:
  • 1. Python

    $135k

  • 2. SQL

    $95k

  • 3. Kubernetes

    $95k


Years of experience

Below Average

Average

Top of Market

The highest average salary a Data Engineer in Seattle can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $102,000. This pay is 26.7% lower than the average salary in Seattle startups, which is $139,125. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.