in short
According to Apec, Big Data executives, a family that groups data engineers, data scientists and data analysts, earn a median of €54,000 gross a year, and 80% of them between €40,000 and €98,000. Managing a team drives this figure the most: €75,000 with a team, €51,000 without.
what is the median salary for a data engineer in France?
Apec places the data engineer in Big Data roles, alongside the Big Data architect, data scientist, data analyst, chief data officer, geomatics specialist and computer science researcher. It publishes figures for the whole family, not for data engineers alone: the €54,000 gross median mixes junior profiles and heads of data.
€54,000
median gross annual pay (base and bonus) for Big Data executives; 80% earn between €40,000 and €98,000
46%
have a bonus, with a median of €4,000 a year
does pay rise with experience?
Yes, clearly: from a €48,000 median under 35 to €70,000 over 45, a €22,000 gap.
| age | 1st decile | median | 9th decile |
|---|---|---|---|
| under 35 | €37,000 | €48,000 | €66,000 |
| 35 to 45 | €42,000 | €58,000 | €86,000 |
| over 45 | €46,000 | €70,000 | €116,000 |
does managing a team change the salary?
It is the widest gap in the family: €24,000 of median pay between an executive who manages a team and one who manages nobody. An individual-contributor data engineer is therefore better compared with the no-management median, €51,000, than with the family median.
| responsibility | with | without |
|---|---|---|
| managing a team | €75,000 | €51,000 |
| managing a budget | €63,000 | €52,000 |
does the sector change a data engineer's salary?
Yes, a lot. According to Apec, banking and insurance pay Big Data roles well above the rest of the market, at a €73,000 median, against €49,000 in IT services and software and €48,000 in engineering and R&D.
| sector | median |
|---|---|
| banking and insurance | €73,000 |
| telecommunications | €58,000 |
| manufacturing | €56,000 |
| retail and trade | €55,000 |
| services | €53,000 |
| IT services and software | €49,000 |
| engineering and R&D | €48,000 |
do location and company size change the salary?
Region matters more than company size: a €10,000 gap between the Paris region and the rest of France, €7,000 between an SME and a large company.
| category | median |
|---|---|
| Paris region (Île-de-France) | €58,000 |
| rest of France | €48,000 |
| under 250 staff | €49,000 |
| 250 staff or more | €56,000 |
what does a data engineer do, and what profile is expected?
A data engineer builds and maintains the pipelines that feed databases, data warehouses and decision-support or machine learning tools. They ensure the quality and availability of data for the teams that use it downstream.
- command of data processing languages and tools, and of pipeline orchestration tools
- rigour on data quality and governance, often underestimated when hiring
- working closely with data science and business intelligence teams, who depend on these pipelines
- depending on the role, a cloud specialisation or expertise in a particular data warehouse
what drives a data engineer's salary the most?
- Managing a team: a €75,000 median with line-management responsibility, against €51,000 without.
- Sector: €73,000 in banking and insurance, against €49,000 in IT services and software.
- Experience: from €48,000 under 35 to €70,000 over 45.
- Region: €58,000 in the Paris region, against €48,000 in the rest of France.
- Company size: the smallest gap, €56,000 at 250 staff or more, against €49,000 below.
Data engineer and data scientist are often confused: the first builds the pipelines, the second puts them to use. Our page data engineer recruitment sets out this distinction to help frame your brief.
frequently asked questions
Does Apec publish a salary for data engineers specifically?
No. Apec lists the data engineer among Big Data roles, alongside the data scientist, data analyst and chief data officer, but publishes figures for the whole family: a €54,000 median (2025 edition).
What salary for a data engineer under 35?
According to Apec, Big Data executives under 35 earn a median of €48,000 gross a year, and 80% of them between €37,000 and €66,000 (2025 edition).
Does a data engineer earn more in Paris?
Yes. According to Apec, the Big Data median is €58,000 in the Paris region, against €48,000 in the rest of France (2025 edition).
Which sector pays data engineers best?
Banking and insurance, according to Apec: a €73,000 median for Big Data executives, against €49,000 in IT services and software (2025 edition).
How much does hiring a data engineer with Muzzo cost?
You set the fee yourself, between 5 and 30% of annual pay, paid only when you hire. The detail is in our guide [how much does a recruitment agency cost](/guides/combien-coute-un-cabinet-de-recrutement).