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JakartaReading the data engineer market in Philadelphia, PA
The observed data engineer median in Philadelphia, PA is $164,000 a year ($13,700 / month gross). Versus the United States average the metro is 6% higher, with a cost-of-living index of 100.
Data engineers build the pipelines and warehouses that make data reliable and available. Technology pay in Philadelphia, PA is usually base-plus-bonus (and sometimes equity). Treat $164,000 as a cash midpoint for United States, then read the $164,000–$164,000 band as seniority and company type. Long-term employment for this occupation is modeled at about +30% over a decade — a national sketch, not a Philadelphia, PA hiring guarantee.
The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Data Engineer in Philadelphia, PA, not a national median multiplied by a pay index. That matters: you are looking at how this labour market actually priced the role, including local industry mix. They are still estimates of the market — not a promise of what one employer will offer.
Among the 9 United States metros we can compare for this role, Philadelphia ranks 3 by median. Washington DC leads this comparison at $195,000 (+19% vs Philadelphia), while San Antonio sits at $124,000. Use those gaps to test a relocation thesis: a 15% cash raise that lands in a much more expensive metro can disappear in rent.
Philadelphia’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart ($164,000 vs $164,000). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is $1,650 / month, about 15% of take-home, with leftover near $7,830.
If you are comparing a Philadelphia office offer with a location-flexible one, the United States national median for this role is about $154,000. Local pay is 6% higher — a $10,000 gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in Philadelphia are anchoring to this page.
World Bank consumer-price inflation for United States was about 2.9% in 2024; an illustrative model tied to inflation and the occupation’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 26% over the last few years. H-1B / employment-based green card is the usual skilled-hire route (selective for typical hires): Most skilled foreign hires enter via employer-sponsored H-1B (lottery-capped) or specialty routes; permanent residence usually follows an employment-based petition. At 1.8× United States GDP per capita, this median is around a typical national living standard. Unemployment was about 4.2% in 2025. None of that is tax, immigration, or career advice — run the calculators and confirm rules officially.
How to read a data engineer offer in Philadelphia
Start with gross cash, not the recruiting headline. If an offer lands near $164,000, you are in the lower half of this metro’s observed distribution; near $164,000 you are already paid like a stronger local hire. Then subtract a realistic tax path (simplified national effective rate here is about 17%, leaving $135,906 a year) and a housing number you would actually accept — not only the $1,650 model.
Because the 90th percentile is about 2.1× the 10th, two data engineer jobs in Philadelphia can be different careers that share a title. Ask what sits in the package (bonus, overtime, equity, on-call) before you treat $164,000 as a fair target.
Demand and the data engineer pipeline
Occupation-level employment for data engineers is projected at about +30% over ten years. That is a national sketch of demand, not a forecast that Philadelphia will hire at that rate. Local openings still follow Philadelphia’s industry mix — hospitals, studios, public employers, or product companies — which is already baked into the observed percentiles more than into the outlook percentage.
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