Database Administrator labor category
Database Administrator is a government contracting labor category with levels I through IV. GSA ceiling rates run about $92–$234/hr depending on level. That's what the government pays the contractor, not your salary.
Updated Oct 21, 2026 · Data: GSA CALC+
What a Database Administrator does
DBAs manage the lifecycle of database software, from installation and configuration to backup, recovery, and performance tuning. On federal contracts, this position is often categorized by seniority levels that scale with your education and years of experience. Entry-level roles typically require a bachelor degree and basic technical proficiency, while higher-level roles demand deep expertise in high-availability clusters, data migration, and complex security compliance standards. Whether supporting civilian federal agencies or national security missions, you are responsible for maintaining the backbone of modern government technology infrastructure while strictly adhering to rigorous data governance and protection protocols.
Typical Database Administrator duties
- Install, configure, and maintain database management systems to ensure optimal performance and reliability.
- Develop and execute automated backup and disaster recovery plans to safeguard sensitive government data.
- Implement and enforce strict security protocols to control access and protect databases from unauthorized activity.
- Monitor system performance and troubleshoot complex issues to minimize downtime for mission-critical applications.
- Design and optimize data structures and schemas to improve query response times and system efficiency.
Database Administrator levels, requirements, and GSA CALC+ rates
Levels map to years of relevant experience. A degree can substitute for years (about 2 years per step).
| Level | Experience | Most common education | GSA ceiling rate, 25th–75th ($/hr) | GSA ceiling rate, median ($/hr) | Rough salary estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level I | 0–3 yrs | Bachelors | $92/hr – $135/hr | $111/hr | $96k–$129k |
| Level II | 4–7 yrs | Bachelors | $111/hr – $154/hr | $133/hr | $115k–$153k |
| Level III | 8–12 yrs | Bachelors | $135/hr – $184/hr | $157/hr | $136k–$182k |
| Level IV | 13+ yrs | Bachelors | $133/hr – $234/hr | $180/hr | $156k–$208k |
- Most common education
- Bachelors
- GSA ceiling, 25th–75th
- $92/hr – $135/hr
- GSA ceiling, median
- $111/hr
- Rough salary estimate
- $96k–$129k
- Most common education
- Bachelors
- GSA ceiling, 25th–75th
- $111/hr – $154/hr
- GSA ceiling, median
- $133/hr
- Rough salary estimate
- $115k–$153k
- Most common education
- Bachelors
- GSA ceiling, 25th–75th
- $135/hr – $184/hr
- GSA ceiling, median
- $157/hr
- Rough salary estimate
- $136k–$182k
- Most common education
- Bachelors
- GSA ceiling, 25th–75th
- $133/hr – $234/hr
- GSA ceiling, median
- $180/hr
- Rough salary estimate
- $156k–$208k
GSA ceiling rate: what the government pays the contractor, not your salary. It includes overhead, benefits, and profit. Source: GSA CALC+, current contract year, synced Oct 25, 2026, 3,212 rates.
Common certifications: CompTIA Security+, CompTIA Network+, CCNA, Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, ITIL Foundation
Clearance for this labor category
About 8% of Database Administrator GSA rates require a clearance. Put your clearance on the very first line of your resume, under your name and contact info. Level and status only. Never list program names, SCI caveats, or classified details. Use the free Clearance Formatter.
Military codes that map to Database Administrator
Sample Database Administrator resume bullets
Public-safe, quantified examples. Replace the numbers with your own.
- Managed 15 high-availability SQL database environments supporting 500+ daily users, maintaining 99.99 percent uptime across the fiscal year.
- Led a $2M database modernization initiative that improved query performance by 40 percent and reduced manual maintenance overhead by 15 hours per week.
- Authored and implemented comprehensive disaster recovery procedures for a multi-site system, reducing potential data loss recovery time from 8 hours to under 30 minutes.
What level Database Administrator are you?
Enter your years, education, certifications, and clearance. Get your likely level, the GSA rate range for that level, and what would move you up.
With 0 years of relevant experience and a no degree, your effective experience is about 0 years. Under the common GSA CALC+ rule that a degree step substitutes for roughly 2 years, that maps to Level I. Verify against the specific contract.
Move up · To reach Level II, add about 4 more years of relevant experience, or earn a certification the contract requires (e.g. Security+, PMP) that the contract requires.
GSA ceiling rate: what the government pays the contractor, not your salary. It includes overhead, benefits, and profit. Source: GSA CALC+, current contract year, synced Oct 25, 2026, 1,141 rates.
No account needed. Opens the free translator prefilled with Database Administrator. Share link encodes only your selections, no names.
Database Administrator labor category: quick answers
How does my military experience map to civilian DBA levels?
Junior database management duties in the military translate well to Level I or II roles, while experience overseeing enterprise-wide data systems or major upgrades typically qualifies you for Level III or IV positions.
Do I need a security clearance for this role?
Only a small fraction, approximately 7 percent, of public contract listings for Database Administrators require a security clearance. However, many roles require a basic background check or a Public Trust clearance for government systems access.
What is the typical salary range for this career path?
Based on GSA market data, hourly rates for government contract DBAs generally range from approximately $103 to $125 per hour depending on the complexity of the requirements and the seniority level required by the contract.
Is a college degree mandatory for these positions?
Most government contracts require a bachelor degree in a technical field, though significant hands-on experience and professional industry certifications can often be used to satisfy education requirements.
What are the most common database technologies used in government contracting?
Government agencies frequently utilize enterprise-grade systems such as Oracle, Microsoft SQL Server, and PostgreSQL, along with increasing adoption of cloud-based database services like AWS RDS or Azure SQL.
Reviewed by the Good to Go team · Last updated 2026-10-21 · Sources: GSA CALC+, O*NET
More about this roleShow
DBAs manage the lifecycle of database software, from installation and configuration to backup, recovery, and performance tuning. On federal contracts, this position is often categorized by seniority levels that scale with your education and years of experience. Entry-level roles typically require a bachelor degree and basic technical proficiency, while higher-level roles demand deep expertise in high-availability clusters, data migration, and complex security compliance standards. Whether supporting civilian federal agencies or national security missions, you are responsible for maintaining the backbone of modern government technology infrastructure while strictly adhering to rigorous data governance and protection protocols.
Each contract defines its own labor categories and levels, so confirm the fit against the posting. Pay figures here are estimates from GSA CALC+ ceiling rates, not a guarantee.
Find your Database Administrator level
Enter your years, education, certifications, and clearance. Get your likely level and the GSA rate range for it.
Open the Level Calculator