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The differences between contract software developers and lead software developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a contract software developer and a lead software developer. Additionally, a lead software developer has an average salary of $115,072, which is higher than the $97,254 average annual salary of a contract software developer.
The top three skills for a contract software developer include web application, database and sql server. The most important skills for a lead software developer are java, architecture, and application development.
| Contract Software Developer | Lead Software Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $97,254 | $115,072 |
| Hourly rate | $46.76 | $55.32 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 303,433 | 309,029 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Contract software developers and lead software developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Contract Software Developer | Lead Software Developer | |
| Average salary | $97,254 | $115,072 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $131,000 | Between $87,000 And $151,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | - | California |
| Best paying company | - | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | - | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a contract software developer and a lead software developer in terms of educational background:
| Contract Software Developer | Lead Software Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between contract software developers' and lead software developers' demographics:
| Contract Software Developer | Lead Software Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.9% Female, 14.1% | Male, 86.5% Female, 13.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |