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The average salary for a Lead Architect/Developer is approximately $119,680 per year, equating to about $58 per hour. This compensation varies significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry.
Generally, entry-level positions start lower but can rise significantly with expertise. For instance, professionals with over ten years of experience often earn salaries exceeding $150,000. The demand for skilled architects and developers continues to grow, particularly in tech hubs like San Francisco and New York, where salaries tend to be higher.
States such as California and New York are among the highest-paying locations for this role. Additionally, industries like finance and technology are known for offering competitive salaries.
Understanding the salary trends for Lead Architects/Developers can help guide your career decisions. By staying informed about the factors that influence salaries, you can better position yourself for opportunities that align with your goals.
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The average lead architect/developer salary in California, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average lead architect/developer salary states are Louisiana, Mississippi, and Arkansas.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $133,167 | $64.02 |
| 2 | Washington | $143,469 | $68.98 |
| 3 | Montana | $120,429 | $57.90 |
| 4 | Oregon | $133,415 | $64.14 |
| 5 | California | $146,705 | $70.53 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $128,345 | $61.70 |
| 7 | Nebraska | $115,714 | $55.63 |
| 8 | Idaho | $117,545 | $56.51 |
| 9 | Michigan | $114,230 | $54.92 |
| 10 | New York | $131,771 | $63.35 |
| 11 | Texas | $114,381 | $54.99 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $122,625 | $58.95 |
| 13 | Maine | $121,826 | $58.57 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $124,156 | $59.69 |
| 15 | Arizona | $115,260 | $55.41 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $126,194 | $60.67 |
| 17 | District of Columbia | $121,510 | $58.42 |
| 18 | Delaware | $122,634 | $58.96 |
| 19 | Ohio | $111,861 | $53.78 |
| 20 | Georgia | $113,419 | $54.53 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $112,979 | $54.32 |
| 22 | West Virginia | $114,162 | $54.89 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $112,549 | $54.11 |
| 24 | Maryland | $118,245 | $56.85 |
| 25 | Vermont | $115,017 | $55.30 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $111,442 | $53.58 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $109,937 | $52.85 |
| 28 | Utah | $110,647 | $53.20 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $110,627 | $53.19 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $107,290 | $51.58 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $107,959 | $51.90 |
| 32 | Indiana | $109,718 | $52.75 |
| 33 | Virginia | $110,471 | $53.11 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $108,300 | $52.07 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $103,379 | $49.70 |
| 36 | Colorado | $108,951 | $52.38 |
| 37 | Missouri | $108,830 | $52.32 |
| 38 | Kentucky | $107,268 | $51.57 |
| 39 | Illinois | $106,571 | $51.24 |
| 40 | Florida | $110,613 | $53.18 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $99,031 | $47.61 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $106,500 | $51.20 |
| 43 | Alaska | $102,998 | $49.52 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $108,107 | $51.97 |
| 45 | Kansas | $95,862 | $46.09 |
| 46 | Alabama | $105,082 | $50.52 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $104,272 | $50.13 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $94,464 | $45.42 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $102,279 | $49.17 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $102,203 | $49.14 |
| 51 | Iowa | $95,213 | $45.78 |
The highest-paying cities for lead architects/developer are Menlo Park, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Menlo Park, CA | $154,799 | $74.42 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $144,569 | $69.50 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $131,844 | $63.39 |
| 4 | Jersey City, NJ | $128,404 | $61.73 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $126,199 | $60.67 |
| 6 | Washington, DC | $121,494 | $58.41 |
| 7 | Omaha, NE | $115,839 | $55.69 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $114,727 | $55.16 |
| 9 | Detroit, MI | $114,548 | $55.07 |
| 10 | Alpharetta, GA | $113,242 | $54.44 |
| 11 | Raleigh, NC | $111,906 | $53.80 |
| 12 | Jacksonville, FL | $111,121 | $53.42 |
| 13 | Cincinnati, OH | $110,814 | $53.28 |
| 14 | Saint Louis, MO | $109,512 | $52.65 |
| 15 | Denver, CO | $108,893 | $52.35 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $106,778 | $51.34 |
| 17 | New Berlin, WI | $106,640 | $51.27 |
| 18 | Overland Park, KS | $95,878 | $46.10 |
A lead architect/developer's salary ranges from $90,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $158,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $158,000 | $13,167 | $76 |
| 75th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| Average | $119,680 | $9,973 | $58 |
| 25th Percentile | $103,000 | $8,583 | $50 |
| 10th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
The highest paying types of lead architects/developer are senior/lead developer, lead developer, and lead software developer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Developer Analyst | $85,279 | $7,107 | $41.00 | 219,524 |
| Applications Developer | $89,205 | $7,434 | $42.89 | 279,877 |
| Software Architect | $114,406 | $9,534 | $55.00 | 319,594 |
| Software Developer | $87,521 | $7,293 | $42.08 | 294,329 |
| Systems Architect | $103,764 | $8,647 | $49.89 | 232,582 |
| Systems Developer | $97,230 | $8,102 | $46.75 | 322,419 |
Top companies hiring lead architects/developer now:
Lead architect/developer salaries at Intuitive Surgical and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead architect/developer salary at companies like Gillette and Indeed are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Intuitive Surgical | $156,543 | $75.26 |
| 2 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $141,504 | $68.03 |
| 3 | Gillette | $137,055 | $65.89 |
| 4 | Indeed | $136,105 | $65.44 |
| 5 | Saks | $134,420 | $64.63 |
| 6 | CyberCoders | $129,290 | $62.16 |
| 7 | Texas Windstorm Insurance Association | $128,655 | $61.85 |
| 8 | P&G | $127,136 | $61.12 |
| 9 | The-Panther-Group | $126,716 | $60.92 |
| 10 | Ample | $124,664 | $59.93 |
| 11 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $124,487 | $59.85 |
| 12 | General Electric | $124,323 | $59.77 |
| 13 | Something Digital | $124,289 | $59.75 |
| 14 | Black Knight | $124,170 | $59.70 |
| 15 | QuintilesIMS | $124,038 | $59.63 |
| 16 | McKesson | $123,941 | $59.59 |
| 17 | Personalis | $122,686 | $58.98 |
| 18 | Honda | $122,340 | $58.82 |
| 19 | BuySeasons | $120,994 | $58.17 |
| 20 | Altair | $118,730 | $57.08 |
The average lead architect/developer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $129,409 | $62.22 |
| 2 | Finance | $125,805 | $60.48 |
| 3 | Health Care | $125,290 | $60.24 |
| 4 | Technology | $115,538 | $55.55 |
The average lead architect/developer salary has risen by $22,218 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead architect/developer earned $97,462 annually, but today, they earn $119,680 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for lead architects/developer over the last decade.
Compare lead architect/developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare lead architect/developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $120,000 | $57.54 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $116,000 | $55.64 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $113,000 | $54.38 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $111,000 | $53.42 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $109,000 | $52.52 | +1.8% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synechron Inc. | Lead Pyspark Developer Architect | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $135,000 |
| Oracle | Lead Active Directory Architect/Developer | Nashville, TN | 06/10/2025 | $96,800 |
| Oracle | Lead Active Directory Architect/Developer | Nashville, TN | 05/03/2025 | $96,800 |
| Guidehouse | Microsoft Power Platform Architect/Lead Developer | McLean, VA | 02/27/2025 | $113,000 |
| Xtivia, Inc. | Boomi Architect and Lead Developer | New York, NY | 02/16/2025 | $120,000 |
| Deloitte | Development Lead/Architect-Federal Health | Miami, FL | 01/29/2025 | $113,325 |
| Deloitte | Development Lead/Architect-Federal Health | Dallas, TX | 01/29/2025 | $113,325 |
| Deloitte | Development Lead/Architect-Federal Health | Richmond, VA | 01/27/2025 | $113,325 |
| Guidehouse | Microsoft Power Platform Architect/Lead Developer | McLean, VA | 01/26/2025 | $149,000 |
| Rays Technical Solutions Inc. | SAP Tech Lead Developer and Architect | Collierville, TN | 01/14/2025 | $95,680 |
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