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The differences between development team members 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 development team member and a lead developer. Additionally, a lead developer has an average salary of $116,340, which is higher than the $27,071 average annual salary of a development team member.
The top three skills for a development team member include PET, customer service and wine. The most important skills for a lead developer are java, javascript, and architecture.
| Development Team Member | Lead Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $27,071 | $116,340 |
| Hourly rate | $13.01 | $55.93 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 389,951 | 274,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A development team member performs various support tasks to help complete projects according to client specifications and requirements. In the information technology industry, a development team member writes codes, creates programs, implements test systems, troubleshoots issues, performs repairs and upgrades, maintains records, and presents reports to managers. In some establishments, they may also have clerical duties such as handling calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documentation, organizing files, arranging schedules, and maintaining a transparent and open communication line with staff for an efficient workflow.
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.
Development team members and lead developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Development Team Member | Lead Developer | |
| Average salary | $27,071 | $116,340 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $39,000 | Between $83,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | Tata Group | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a development team member and a lead developer in terms of educational background:
| Development Team Member | Lead Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between development team members' and lead developers' demographics:
| Development Team Member | Lead Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 57.1% Female, 42.9% | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.3% 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% |