SQL BETWEEN Operator

Last Updated : 31 Aug, 2026

The SQL BETWEEN operator is used to retrieve values that fall within a specified range. It works with numbers, dates and text and makes range-based filtering simple and readable.

  • Filters results between two values, including both boundaries.
  • Works on numeric, date and string columns.
  • Useful for filtering data within defined ranges.

Example: First, we create a demo SQL database and table, on which we will use the BETWEEN Operator command.

SQL_Output

Query:

SELECT * FROM employees
WHERE age BETWEEN 26 AND 35;

Output:

sql_output

Syntax

SELECT column_name(s)
FROM table_name
WHERE column_name BETWEEN value1 AND value2;

Examples

To understand the SQL BETWEEN Operator we use the below employees table with the various examples and their output.
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Example 1: NOT BETWEEN Text Values

Find employees whose last names are not alphabetically between 'B' and 'S'.

Query:

SELECT first_name, last_name 
FROM employees 
WHERE last_name NOT BETWEEN 'B' AND 'S';

Output:

4
  • The query selects employees whose last names are lexicographically outside the range 'B' to 'S', based on full string comparison.
  • Smith and Wilson are greater than 'S' in string order, so Jane Smith and Sue Wilson appear in the result.

Example 2: BETWEEN Dates

Find employees hired between January 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

Query:

SELECT first_name, last_name, HireDate 
FROM employees 
WHERE hire_date BETWEEN '2020-01-01' AND '2021-12-31';

Output:

5
  • This query returns employees who were hired during the years 2020 and 2021.
  • The BETWEEN operator is used to filter the hire_date field, returning records within the specified date range.

Example 3: NOT BETWEEN

Find employees whose age is not between 30 and 40.

Query:

SELECT first_name, last_name, age 
FROM employees 
WHERE age NOT BETWEEN 30 AND 40;

Output:

7
  • This query retrieves employees whose age does not fall between 30 and 40.
  • The NOT BETWEEN operator is used here to exclude employees within that age range.
  • John, Sam and Sue meet this condition, as their ages are outside the 30-40 range.

Example 4: BETWEEN with IN

Find employees whose salaries are between 50,000 and 70,000 and whose first names are either 'John', 'Sue' or 'Tom'.

Query:

SELECT first_name, last_name, salary 
FROM employees 
WHERE salary BETWEEN 50000 AND 70000 
  AND first_name IN ('John', 'Sue', 'Tom');

Output:

8
  • Filters employees whose salary is between 50,000 and 70,000.
  • Checks whether the first name is John, Sue or Tom.
  • Only John or Tom satisfy both conditions and appear in the result
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