Microsoft SQL Server developers
Contract rates, popularity and trend data for Microsoft SQL Server, plus how it compares with other relational databases.
Overview
Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database, ranked #3 of 431 on DB-Engines with a popularity score of 702.1.
Microsoft SQL Server is declining, down 10.6% year over year on DB-Engines. The installed base is still large, so maintenance, tuning and migration work continues.
Contract Microsoft SQL Server specialists typically bill $77–94/hr, against a W-2 equivalent salary of about $122,800.
Relational databases by popularity Trends →
DB-Engines popularity score for the 12 highest-ranked relational databases. Updated monthly.
What Microsoft SQL Server developers cost
Contract and salary benchmarks for the US.
Contract rate
C2C or 1099, from W-2 hourly × 1.3–1.6 for tax, benefits and overhead.
W-2 equivalent
BLS median for US software developers ($135,980), adjusted -10% for Microsoft SQL Server using Stack Overflow 2025 pay data (1,157 US respondents who use it).
Full-time contractor cost
Per year at 40 hours a week.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025) for Software Developers. Rates vary with seniority and how deep the Microsoft SQL Server work goes. Compare W-2, 1099 and C2C, use the rate calculator, or see rates by state.
Competing databases
How Microsoft SQL Server compares with its nearest rivals.
| Database | Model | DB-Engines rank | Score | YoY | Contract rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MySQL | Relational, Multi-model | #2 | 857.7 | -13.1% | $82–101 |
| PostgreSQL | Relational, Multi-model | #4 | 681.4 | +2.1% | $92–113 |
| Oracle | Relational, Multi-model | #1 | 1,157.9 | -5.9% | $79–97 |
| Snowflake | Relational | #6 | 217.4 | +29.3% | $104–128 |
| IBM Db2 | Relational, Multi-model | #9 | 113.2 | -10.1% | – |
| SQLite | Relational | #12 | 95.9 | -15.9% | $84–104 |
Relational databases closest to Microsoft SQL Server in the DB-Engines ranking. Contract rates shown where Stack Overflow 2025 has enough US respondents to estimate one.
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Questions
How much does a Microsoft SQL Server developer cost?
Contract Microsoft SQL Server developers typically bill $77–94 an hour (C2C or 1099), with a W-2 equivalent salary of about $122,800. Agencies usually charge 2–3× W-2 pay.
Is Microsoft SQL Server growing or declining?
Microsoft SQL Server ranks #3 on DB-Engines. Its popularity score changed by -10.6% over the past year and it is among the databases losing the most ground.