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As of October 2025, the average salary for an Automation Lead in the United States is $106,261 per year. This figure reflects a competitive compensation package for professionals in this role. Factors influencing salary include experience level, geographical location, and the specific industry in which one is employed.
The salary for an Automation Lead can vary significantly depending on these factors. For instance, entry-level positions may start at lower salary ranges, while experienced professionals can command higher salaries due to their expertise and contributions to automation projects.
Automation Leads can often find higher salaries in industries such as technology, manufacturing, and finance. States like California, New York, and Texas are known for offering some of the best compensation packages for Automation Leads, reflecting the high demand for their skills in these regions.
Various salary estimates can be found on job boards and career websites, providing insights into how salaries compare across different platforms. This information is valuable for job seekers aiming to negotiate their compensation effectively.
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The highest-paying states for automation leads are California, Arizona, and Oregon. The lowest average automation lead salary states are Indiana, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $125,407 | $60.29 |
| 2 | Arizona | $115,853 | $55.70 |
| 3 | Nevada | $106,725 | $51.31 |
| 4 | Oregon | $114,198 | $54.90 |
| 5 | Washington | $112,752 | $54.21 |
| 6 | Alaska | $108,720 | $52.27 |
| 7 | Idaho | $102,575 | $49.31 |
| 8 | Utah | $101,133 | $48.62 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $105,356 | $50.65 |
| 10 | Michigan | $105,405 | $50.68 |
| 11 | Montana | $102,024 | $49.05 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $103,476 | $49.75 |
| 13 | Kentucky | $105,993 | $50.96 |
| 14 | New York | $112,953 | $54.30 |
| 15 | New Hampshire | $103,408 | $49.72 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $110,793 | $53.27 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $97,264 | $46.76 |
| 18 | Virginia | $103,992 | $50.00 |
| 19 | Delaware | $104,226 | $50.11 |
| 20 | Illinois | $105,139 | $50.55 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $100,313 | $48.23 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $103,792 | $49.90 |
| 23 | Ohio | $96,940 | $46.61 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $103,642 | $49.83 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $93,225 | $44.82 |
| 26 | Kansas | $93,743 | $45.07 |
| 27 | Connecticut | $101,079 | $48.60 |
| 28 | Maine | $99,704 | $47.93 |
| 29 | Nebraska | $93,625 | $45.01 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $94,065 | $45.22 |
| 31 | Texas | $96,720 | $46.50 |
| 32 | Colorado | $96,852 | $46.56 |
| 33 | Maryland | $96,744 | $46.51 |
| 34 | Iowa | $94,733 | $45.54 |
| 35 | Massachusetts | $94,370 | $45.37 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $93,892 | $45.14 |
| 37 | New Mexico | $87,495 | $42.06 |
| 38 | Missouri | $94,990 | $45.67 |
| 39 | Georgia | $93,905 | $45.15 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $91,153 | $43.82 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $84,744 | $40.74 |
| 42 | Louisiana | $93,853 | $45.12 |
| 43 | Vermont | $88,001 | $42.31 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $95,019 | $45.68 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $89,212 | $42.89 |
| 46 | Indiana | $85,139 | $40.93 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $84,881 | $40.81 |
| 48 | Alabama | $82,792 | $39.80 |
| 49 | Florida | $84,639 | $40.69 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $83,470 | $40.13 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $85,715 | $41.21 |
The highest-paying cities for automation leads are San Francisco, CA, Glendale, AZ, and Hillsboro, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $139,333 | $66.99 |
| 2 | Glendale, AZ | $116,064 | $55.80 |
| 3 | Hillsboro, OR | $113,982 | $54.80 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $113,514 | $54.57 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $113,037 | $54.34 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $110,876 | $53.31 |
| 7 | Detroit, MI | $105,661 | $50.80 |
| 8 | Chicago, IL | $105,361 | $50.65 |
| 9 | Minneapolis, MN | $103,812 | $49.91 |
| 10 | Newark, NJ | $103,755 | $49.88 |
| 11 | Charlotte, NC | $99,762 | $47.96 |
| 12 | Austin, TX | $97,149 | $46.71 |
| 13 | Boulder, CO | $96,948 | $46.61 |
| 14 | Bethesda, MD | $96,509 | $46.40 |
| 15 | Columbus, OH | $96,287 | $46.29 |
| 16 | Quincy, MA | $94,409 | $45.39 |
| 17 | Philadelphia, PA | $94,205 | $45.29 |
| 18 | Alpharetta, GA | $93,948 | $45.17 |
| 19 | Baton Rouge, LA | $93,905 | $45.15 |
| 20 | Sunrise, FL | $82,919 | $39.86 |
An automation lead's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $137,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $137,000 | $11,417 | $66 |
| 75th Percentile | $121,000 | $10,083 | $58 |
| Average | $106,261 | $8,855 | $51 |
| 25th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
The highest paying types of automation leads are engineer lead quality assurance lead, senior quality assurance analyst/lead, and senior quality assurance engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test Analyst | $70,997 | $5,916 | $34.13 | 91,308 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $73,532 | $6,128 | $35.35 | 108,078 |
| Lead Test Technician | $81,566 | $6,797 | $39.21 | 51,060 |
| Software Quality Engineer | $99,902 | $8,325 | $48.03 | 279,437 |
| Software Tester | $78,580 | $6,548 | $37.78 | 208,853 |
| Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Lead | $110,007 | $9,167 | $52.89 | 278,178 |
Top companies hiring automation leads now:
Automation lead salaries at Google and California Resources are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average automation lead salary at companies like Chewy and Varian Medical Systems are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $153,176 | $73.64 | |
| 2 | California Resources | $146,068 | $70.22 |
| 3 | Chewy | $135,137 | $64.97 |
| 4 | Varian Medical Systems | $133,924 | $64.39 |
| 5 | Neuberger Berman | $132,243 | $63.58 |
| 6 | Amazon | $132,160 | $63.54 |
| 7 | SiFive | $131,010 | $62.99 |
| 8 | Cisco | $126,496 | $60.82 |
| 9 | Citi | $126,041 | $60.60 |
| 10 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $122,129 | $58.72 |
| 11 | Micron Technology | $121,306 | $58.32 |
| 12 | HIMSS | $121,015 | $58.18 |
| 13 | Koch Industries | $118,090 | $56.77 |
| 14 | Flight Centre | $117,992 | $56.73 |
| 15 | Autodesk | $117,642 | $56.56 |
| 16 | Columbia Sportswear | $117,632 | $56.55 |
| 17 | The Coca-Cola Company | $117,568 | $56.52 |
| 18 | Kroger | $117,272 | $56.38 |
| 19 | Salesforce | $116,300 | $55.91 |
| 20 | Nike | $115,671 | $55.61 |
The average automation lead salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $110,654 | $53.20 |
| 2 | Insurance | $106,544 | $51.22 |
| 3 | Automotive | $99,957 | $48.06 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $97,700 | $46.97 |
| 5 | Technology | $93,500 | $44.95 |
| 6 | Finance | $92,083 | $44.27 |
The average automation lead salary has risen by $17,395 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average automation lead earned $88,866 annually, but today, they earn $106,261 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for automation leads over the last decade.
Compare automation lead salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare automation lead salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $106,000 | $51.09 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $103,000 | $49.40 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $100,000 | $48.28 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $98,500 | $47.34 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $96,200 | $46.27 | +1.5% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mdlz | Automation Lead | Portland, OR | 06/30/2025 | $95,100 |
| Mdlz | Automation Lead_Manufacturing | Naperville, IL | 06/30/2025 | $95,100 |
| Akkodis | Automation Lead | Charlotte, NC | 06/27/2025 | $114,785 |
| Caterpillar | Global Manufacturing Automation Lead | Peoria, IL | 06/26/2025 | $126,000 |
| Meta | Integration & Automation Lead | Pierre, SD | 06/25/2025 | $283,800 |
| Meta | Integration & Automation Lead | Austin, TX | 06/25/2025 | $283,800 |
| Meta | Integration & Automation Lead | Helena, MT | 06/25/2025 | $283,800 |
| Meta | Integration & Automation Lead | Juneau, AK | 06/25/2025 | $283,800 |
| Meta | Integration & Automation Lead | Little Rock, AR | 06/25/2025 | $283,800 |
| Meta | Integration & Automation Lead | Jackson, MS | 06/25/2025 | $283,800 |
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