I think it gets skewed by the business / data population, which is a bunch of “engineers” wrapping simple Java and Python to massage data fro multiple databases

I think it gets skewed by the business / data population, which is a bunch of “engineers” wrapping simple Java and Python to massage data fro multiple databases into some common form for a data lake or whatever. This sub field hires like mad and is filled with relatively niche and mid to low skilled roles - but lots and lots and lots of them, most medium to large companies hire these roles. Higher end engineering is fairly rarified and under represented. I also looked at the salaries and was baffled - I’ve not worked in companies with those sort of bands since 1995. At most FAANG and big tech orgs that are serious those averages are under entry level and have been for decades. At one bank I worked at new hires were being offered $250k out of college - 15 years ago. So these numbers represent the iceberg roles - not visible if you’re in high end jobs and companies, likely even startups, but where most engineers are actually working.