Cognizant Data Engineer salary

Based on 169 H-1B filings by Cognizant, fiscal years 2025–2026. Base salary only.

Also listed as: Database Architect, Data Architect

Median salary$140,712
Middle 50%$132.1k–$151.2k
vs. all employers+1%comparison median $140,000
Filings169FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $91,329 and $191,584.
PercentileSalary
10th$119,255
25th$132,101
50th (median)$140,712
75th$151,154
90th$170,893

Salary by year

Median salary

$70k $115k $160k FY2020: median $85,467 (86 filings) FY2021: median $93,912 (31 filings) FY2022: median $95,472 (11 filings) FY2023: median $140,000 (27 filings) FY2024: median $140,566 (38 filings) FY2025: median $143,208 (98 filings) FY2026: median $140,629 (71 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 86 filings FY20 FY2021: 31 filings FY21 FY2022: 11 filings FY22 FY2023: 27 filings FY23 FY2024: 38 filings FY24 FY2025: 98 filings FY25 FY2026: 71 filings FY26 98
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$85,467$73,835$96,47086
FY2021$93,912$89,835$110,00031
FY2022$95,472$92,030$122,67811
FY2023$140,000$112,632$154,78627
FY2024$140,566$123,000$147,47238
FY2025$143,208$131,015$152,40298
FY2026$140,629$135,423$149,61071

By state

Texas
$144,042
North Carolina
$130,586
California
$180,328
Georgia
$144,780
New Jersey
$140,850

Bar length: number of filings (Texas 30). Figure: average salary in that state.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Level I · Entry – 0
Level II · Qualified $122,366 23
Level III · Experienced $141,835 108
Level IV · Fully competent $151,768 38

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Questions

How much does a data engineer make at Cognizant?

In H-1B filings, Cognizant's median base salary for Data Engineer is $140,712; half of filings fall between $132,101 and $151,154. Bonus and stock are not included.

Does Cognizant sponsor H-1B visas for data engineers?

Yes. Cognizant filed 169 certified Labor Condition Applications for this role in FY2025–FY2026. A filing is a step before the visa petition, not an approval.

Which job titles are included?

Filings are grouped by occupation code 15-1243 (Database Architects), so this page covers every job title Cognizant filed under that code.

Where does this data come from?

The U.S. Department of Labor's public LCA disclosure files, updated every quarter. Methodology