AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate

data-analytics Associate Updated: 2026-04-15 Methodology

The AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate (DEA-C01) validates expertise in designing, building, securing, and maintaining data pipelines on AWS. It covers data ingestion, transformation, orchestration, and governance using services like AWS Glue, Redshift, Kinesis, Lake Formation, and Athena. This certification targets professionals building scalable, cost-effective data solutions in the AWS cloud.

$130K
Avg Salary
62%
Pass Rate
22.0K
Job Listings
150h
Study Time
$150
Exam Cost

Is the AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate Worth It?

Strengths

  • Strong earning potential with an average salary of $130,000
  • High employer demand with 22.0K active job listings

Considerations

  • Moderate difficulty (7/10) — plan for focused study time
  • Has prerequisites — not suitable for complete beginners

Bottom line: At $150 exam cost with an average salary of $130,000, the AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate offers a strong return on investment for data-analytics professionals. Not sure if this is the right choice? See how it stacks up in our AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate vs GCP Professional Data Engineer comparison.

Who Should Get the AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate?

This certification is a good fit if you are:

  • Professionals with 1-3 years of data-analytics experience looking to advance
  • IT practitioners seeking vendor-specific validation of their skills
  • Anyone targeting roles that list AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate as preferred or required

This certification is a key step on the Data Engineer career path and 1 other career roadmap.

Exam Details

Exam CodeDEA-C01
Exam Cost$150 USD
Duration170 minutes
Questions65
Passing Score720/1000
ProviderAmazon Web Services
Difficulty7/10

Salary Data

Professionals holding the AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate certification earn between $95,000 and $165,000 annually, with an average of $130,000. For context, the Google Cloud Professional Machine Learning Engineer averages $150,000.

Job market demand trend: High Growth (+22% YoY)

Disclaimer: Salary figures are US-median estimates compiled from BLS wage statistics, Glassdoor, and job-posting aggregates. They are estimates only, not financial advice or a guarantee of earnings. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, employer, and negotiation.

Prerequisites

  • 2-3 years of experience with data engineering on AWS recommended
  • Familiarity with data pipeline design and ETL processes
  • AWS Cloud Practitioner or Solutions Architect Associate recommended but not required

Skills Covered

Data IngestionData TransformationData PipelineAWS GlueRedshiftKinesisLake FormationAthena

Best Study Resources

Comparisons Featuring AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is the AWS Data Engineer Associate certification worth it in 2026?
Absolutely. Data engineering is one of the fastest-growing specializations in cloud, and AWS dominates market share. With an average salary of $130,000 and 22,000+ job listings, this certification provides a strong competitive advantage for professionals building data pipelines and analytics platforms on AWS.
How hard is the DEA-C01 exam?
The exam is rated 7/10 in difficulty. It requires deep knowledge of AWS data services, pipeline orchestration, and data governance. The 170-minute exam with 65 questions leaves little room for guesswork. Candidates with real-world AWS data pipeline experience and 150 hours of preparation typically pass.
AWS Data Engineer vs AWS Solutions Architect — which is better for data roles?
The Data Engineer Associate is specifically designed for data-focused roles and covers Glue, Redshift, Kinesis, and Lake Formation in depth. The Solutions Architect is broader and covers general infrastructure. For data analytics and engineering careers, the DEA-C01 is the more relevant and targeted certification.

Sources for every data point

Each quantitative claim on this page is mapped to a verifiable source. Official vendor pages and government datasets are preferred; community estimates and editorial extrapolations are flagged explicitly.

Data point Source Tier Last checked
Exam duration Amazon Web Services — official exam guide
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Exam code Amazon Web Services — official certification page
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Passing score Amazon Web Services — official exam guide
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Exam price Amazon Web Services — official certification page
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Question count Amazon Web Services — official exam guide
Pattern-generated from vendor URL convention. Pending manual verification against the current exam guide PDF.
Official verified 29d ago
Job listings LinkedIn — active US postings mentioning "AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate"
Count sampled quarterly; fluctuates daily.
Aggregate verified 29d ago
Average salary Glassdoor — AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate role salary (US)
Aggregate from public salary postings. Cross-checked against BLS OEWS for the closest SOC category.
Aggregate verified 29d ago
Salary range Glassdoor + Payscale — AWS Certified Data Engineer — Associate salary distribution
10th–90th percentile derived from public salary aggregators.
Aggregate verified 29d ago
Pass rate Community consensus — Amazon Web Services pass-rate discussions
Most vendors do not publish pass rates. Community data is self-reported with survivor bias.
Community verified 29d ago
Study hours Community consensus — certification subreddits and TechExams threads
Typical range for candidates with modest prior experience in the domain.
Community verified 29d ago
Demand trend LinkedIn + Indeed — multi-quarter listing comparison
Editorial summary of YoY listing change.
Editorial estimate verified 29d ago

Data Sources & Transparency

  • Salary data — Bureau of Labor Statistics, Glassdoor, and job posting aggregates (US median)
  • Job listings — LinkedIn, Indeed, and Dice active postings (sampled quarterly)
  • Pass rates — Community-reported estimates from Reddit, TechExams, and certification forums
  • Exam details — Amazon Web Services official certification documentation