Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for functional leads in the United States
Functional lead job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected functional lead job growth rate is 9% from 2018-2028.
About 56,000 new jobs for functional leads are projected over the next decade.
Functional lead salaries have increased 8% for functional leads in the last 5 years.
There are over 18,715 functional leads currently employed in the United States.
There are 33,917 active functional lead job openings in the US.
The average functional lead salary is $113,422.
Are functional lead jobs in demand?
Functional lead job and salary trends over time
Functional lead jobs over time
Functional lead job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18,715 | 0.01% |
| 2020 | 17,876 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 17,285 | 0.01% |
| 2018 | 23,636 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 23,394 | 0.01% |
Average functional lead salary over time
Functional lead salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $113,422 | $54.53 | +3.4% |
| 2025 | $109,684 | $52.73 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $107,201 | $51.54 | +0.5% |
| 2023 | $106,633 | $51.27 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $105,365 | $50.66 | +1.7% |
Functional lead jobs by state
Most common states for functional leads
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 184 | 27% |
| 2 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 199 | 19% |
| 3 | Alaska | 739,795 | 129 | 17% |
| 4 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 283 | 16% |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 287 | 15% |
| 6 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 130 | 15% |
| 7 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 412 | 14% |
| 8 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 393 | 13% |
| 9 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 270 | 13% |
| 10 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 369 | 12% |
| 11 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 131 | 12% |
| 12 | Oklahoma | 3,930,864 | 374 | 10% |
| 13 | Vermont | 623,657 | 54 | 9% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 256 | 8% |
| 15 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 97 | 7% |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 391 | 6% |
| 17 | New Jersey | 9,005,644 | 463 | 5% |
| 18 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 424 | 5% |
| 19 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 289 | 5% |
| 20 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 215 | 5% |
Most common cities for functional leads
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 3 | 8% | $105,574 |
| 2 | Lansing | 5 | 4% | $94,720 |
| 3 | Costa Mesa | 4 | 4% | $135,003 |
| 4 | Atlanta | 15 | 3% | $103,711 |
| 5 | Tallahassee | 5 | 3% | $100,392 |
| 6 | Boston | 11 | 2% | $114,471 |
| 7 | Tampa | 7 | 2% | $101,148 |
| 8 | Des Moines | 4 | 2% | $99,816 |
| 9 | Detroit | 9 | 1% | $95,242 |
| 10 | Indianapolis | 8 | 1% | $91,475 |
| 11 | Sacramento | 7 | 1% | $139,479 |
| 12 | Miami | 5 | 1% | $99,892 |
| 13 | Denver | 4 | 1% | $91,781 |
| 14 | Minneapolis | 4 | 1% | $100,822 |
| 15 | Chicago | 11 | 0% | $104,462 |
| 16 | Phoenix | 7 | 0% | $108,577 |
| 17 | Los Angeles | 5 | 0% | $136,223 |
| 18 | San Jose | 5 | 0% | $141,639 |
| 19 | San Diego | 4 | 0% | $132,062 |
Functional Lead job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of functional lead experts
What general advice would you give to a Functional Lead?
Dr. Neil Eldin PhD, PE: Things don’t just happen. You must develop a career plan to maximize your salary potential when starting your career. Find the right employer for yourself. For example, if you are mobile and willing to travel, target employers with international projects. After working for a few years, you can request a transfer to an overseas assignment, and this will instantaneously almost double your salary. If you are not mobile and your circumstances do not allow your travel, seek employment with major corporations and seek positions that are done at the home office (e.g., estimating, procurement, and contracting).