Data Engineer.
Fargo.
$114,000
median salary, 16% below the national average
$91,000 to $142,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
A Data Engineer in Fargo earns a median of $114,000 in 2026. That is 16% below the national average. The range runs from $91,000 to $142,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Proficiency with modern data stack tools like Spark, Kafka, dbt, and Snowflake separates top earners from the pack. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Data Engineer in Fargo, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. BLS does not publish this occupation for this metro area, so the national published benchmark is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $139,500 for Database Architects (SOC 15-1243) across the United States, based on 67,140 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$86,240
25th percentile
$109,370
Median
$139,500
75th percentile
$169,290
90th percentile
$204,000
Workers surveyed
67,140
What BLS published in each release
May 2024 release
$135,980
May 2025 release
$139,500
These are two separate published estimates, not a time series. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not encourage the use of OEWS data for time-series analysis. Differences between releases reflect changes in occupational classification, survey methodology, and the three-year pooled sample as well as any change in pay, so the two figures should not be read as a rate of wage growth.
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Database Architects (SOC 15-1243) rather than Data Engineer specifically. The national range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 15-1243Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $103,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$74,000
to $91,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$97,000
to $120,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$125,000
to $148,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$143,000
to $177,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $31,000 to the total package.
Base
$114,000
Equity
$18,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $145,000
Data Engineer salary by company.
Total compensation estimates include base, equity, bonus, and signing. Ranges reflect mid to senior level. Derived from public H-1B LCA filings (DOL).
How Fargo compares.
Fargo, ND
$114,000
Cost of living: 15% below average
National Average
$136,000
Fargo is $22,000 below
Data Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Fargo.
What you should know.
Here is what the Data Engineer market actually looks like in Fargo. Fargo has a surprisingly strong technology sector, home to companies like Microsoft's campus and a growing startup ecosystem tied to North Dakota State University. The city's extremely low cost of living and emerging tech scene make it an increasingly attractive option for professionals seeking affordability. Proficiency with modern data stack tools like Spark, Kafka, dbt, and Snowflake separates top earners from the pack. Engineers who build real-time streaming pipelines or manage petabyte-scale warehouses earn 15 to 25% more. Startups with heavy ML infrastructure needs often pay premiums to attract pipeline specialists.
Junior data engineers start at $85,000 to $105,000, progressing to mid-level at $115,000 to $155,000 within three years. Senior data engineers earn $160,000 to $195,000, while staff-level or principal roles reach $210,000 to $270,000 at top-tier companies. In Fargo, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 15% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity grants at data-intensive startups can represent 15 to 30% of total compensation. Annual bonuses range from 10 to 15%, and many firms provide $3,000 to $8,000 yearly learning stipends for cloud platform training. And on the tax side: north Dakota has a very low income tax with a top rate of just 2.5%. Fargo has no city income tax. The minimal tax burden combined with low living costs creates excellent take home pay. When someone quotes you $114,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight willingness to work on site. Fargo tech employers struggle to recruit talent to the region and reward candidates who commit to living locally. The range for Data Engineers in Fargo runs from $91,000 to $142,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An ML Engineer in Fargo earns $115,000 (1% more)
- The highest-paying role in Fargo is CTO at $258,000
Common questions.
Data Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Fargo.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Data Engineers in Fargo.
Related tools.
Do you work as a data engineer in Fargo?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Data Engineer Salary in Fargo, ND." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/data-engineer/fargo
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools