Build and maintain data pipelines, warehouses, and infrastructure for analytics. Median salary in Richmond: $132K/year. Data from BLS, O*NET, and H-1B disclosures.
Figures represent annual base salary in Richmond, Virginia. Reviewed by SalaryOptics Editorial · How we calculate this →
Analysis derived from the salary, COL, tax, and labor-market figures above — specific to this role and city.
Adjusted for Richmond's cost-of-living index (98), the median Data Engineer salary buys the equivalent of $134,694 in a US-average-cost city. That's $2,694 more purchasing power than the national median — a meaningful real-wage advantage.
This role's national salaries are growing at 6.5% year-over-year, well above the BLS all-occupations average of ~3.5%. If that pace holds, the Richmond median reaches $180,851 in five years.
This role is 68% remote-eligible nationally according to job-posting analysis, which significantly expands the job market for Richmond-based Data Engineers. Many Richmond professionals in this role are paid on the locality scale of their employer's HQ rather than Richmond's local rate — verify which scale your offer references before negotiating.
Based on BLS 2022–2032 Employment Projections and WEF Future of Jobs Report 2026. At current growth rates, median salary reaches $132K by 2030.
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The median Data Engineer salary in Richmond, VA is $132,000 per year as of Q1 2026. This figure represents the midpoint of all reported compensation for this role in the Richmond–VA metropolitan area, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics, H-1B visa disclosures from the Department of Labor, and O*NET occupational data.
Entry-level Data Engineers in Richmond with 0–2 years of experience typically earn between $98,000 and $132,000 annually. Mid-career professionals with 3–7 years command $132,000 to $168,000, while senior-level practitioners with 8+ years of experience regularly earn $168,000 to $210,000 or more.
Richmond has a cost of living index of 98 compared to the US national average of 100. This means your salary goes approximately 2% further in Richmond than the national average. Virginia has a 5.75% state income tax rate.
Bachelor's in CS, Engineering, or related. This role is 68% remote-eligible nationally, which can significantly expand the job market for Richmond-based professionals.