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The differences between developers and lead 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 developer and a lead developer. Additionally, a lead developer has an average salary of $116,340, which is higher than the $100,076 average annual salary of a developer.
The top three skills for a developer include javascript, python and java. The most important skills for a lead developer are java, javascript, and architecture.
| Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $100,076 | $116,340 |
| Hourly rate | $48.11 | $55.93 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 262,570 | 274,208 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Developers are usually system or application developers in a company who work on specific projects related to networks or applications from conception to implementation. They attend planning sessions to ensure that the program is feasible. They are responsible for designing the system through coding and basic user interface design. They also work on troubleshooting any challenges that may be met at the testing stage of the program's development. They solve challenges and ensure that minimal problems will arise upon publishing the system or application. They also manage the evaluation to ensure that the program's goals are accomplished and that the end-users are satisfied with the results.
A lead developer is responsible for creating software programs and applications, following the client and the business's software quality standards and design specifications. Lead developers assist a team of developers in implementing strategic procedures, managing system codes, debugging applications, running diagnostic tests, and troubleshooting defects to ensure its smooth performance. They also respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, performing feature adjustments as needed. A lead developer must have strong knowledge of the technology industry and command on programming languages and software design processes.
Developers and lead developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Average salary | $100,076 | $116,340 |
| Salary range | Between $76,000 And $131,000 | Between $83,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | - | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a developer and a lead developer in terms of educational background:
| Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between developers' and lead developers' demographics:
| Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.9% Female, 25.1% | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |