Salary · Data & Analytics
Databricks Certified Data Engineer Associate salary: what it pays (2026)
Indicative pay ranges for roles that commonly value Databricks DE Associate - broken down by role and by market. These are orientation figures, not a salary survey, so use them to compare and plan, then verify for your own city and year.
Indicative ranges for orientation only - not surveyed data, and not financial or career advice.
What Databricks DE Associate tends to pay
Pay for this associate-level credential tracks the underlying data-engineering role far more than the single vendor cert. US aggregators put Databricks- and Spark-skilled data engineers broadly in the US$90k-150k range, climbing well beyond that with seniority. These are indicative figures that vary by region, employer and experience, and the certification is one factor among many.
Pay by role (indicative)
| Junior Data Engineer | $85,000 - $115,000 |
|---|---|
| Data Engineer (Databricks / Spark) | $100,000 - $150,000 |
| Senior Data Engineer | $135,000 - $185,000 |
| Data Platform / Lakehouse Engineer | $150,000 - $200,000 |
Bands are indicative US figures unless stated. Actual pay depends on experience, employer, city and year.
Other markets (indicative)
| United Kingdom | ~£45k-80k |
|---|---|
| India | ~₹9-20 LPA |
| Australia | ~A$110k-160k |
Jobs that often ask for it
- Data Engineer
- Analytics Engineer
- ETL Developer
- Big Data Engineer
- Data Platform Engineer
Weigh the pay against the cost
Salary is only half the picture. Before you commit, check what Databricks DE Associate actually costs to sit and maintain, and where it can take you over a career.
- See the full fee breakdown in the Databricks DE Associate cost and overview (exam fee, retake, materials and renewal).
- Estimate your total spend, including a possible retake, with our exam cost calculator.
Where Databricks DE Associate leads (with a pay ladder)
These career paths show how pay typically climbs stage by stage, and where Databricks DE Associate fits on the way up: