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Lead development engineer salary
Average lead development engineer salary
$114,658
Average Lead Development Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Lead Development Engineer in the United States is approximately $114,658 per year, equating to about $55 per hour. Salaries can vary widely based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and specific industry sectors. For instance, engineers in areas with a high cost of living may earn significantly more.
Highest Paying States
States like California, New York, and Washington consistently offer some of the highest salaries for this role, often exceeding the national average. California, for example, leads with salaries averaging around $130,000. In contrast, less populated states may offer lower salaries due to a reduced demand for engineers.
Career Advancement
As a Lead Development Engineer, there are numerous pathways for salary increases, particularly through gaining experience or specializing in high-demand areas such as software engineering or systems architecture. Accessing additional certifications or advanced degrees can also enhance earning potential. With continued growth in technology sectors, the opportunities for lead engineers remain promising, making this a lucrative career choice.
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Where can a Lead Development Engineer earn more?
Lead development engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average lead development engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for lead development engineers are California, Washington, and New York. The lowest average lead development engineer salary states are Connecticut, North Dakota, and Hawaii.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for lead development engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $149,366 | $71.81 |
| 2 | Washington | $133,339 | $64.11 |
| 3 | Vermont | $120,405 | $57.89 |
| 4 | Utah | $112,747 | $54.21 |
| 5 | Idaho | $113,010 | $54.33 |
| 6 | Arizona | $113,521 | $54.58 |
| 7 | Nevada | $110,517 | $53.13 |
| 8 | Oregon | $114,043 | $54.83 |
| 9 | Massachusetts | $115,588 | $55.57 |
| 10 | Virginia | $114,616 | $55.10 |
| 11 | New York | $122,655 | $58.97 |
| 12 | Montana | $109,664 | $52.72 |
| 13 | Delaware | $113,727 | $54.68 |
| 14 | Indiana | $112,499 | $54.09 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $111,895 | $53.80 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $112,380 | $54.03 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $113,554 | $54.59 |
| 18 | Kentucky | $113,365 | $54.50 |
| 19 | South Dakota | $108,871 | $52.34 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $111,405 | $53.56 |
| 21 | Alaska | $110,064 | $52.92 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $110,869 | $53.30 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $107,697 | $51.78 |
| 24 | Kansas | $104,795 | $50.38 |
| 25 | Georgia | $107,425 | $51.65 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $102,794 | $49.42 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $104,763 | $50.37 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $109,293 | $52.54 |
| 29 | Michigan | $104,530 | $50.25 |
| 30 | Wyoming | $104,367 | $50.18 |
| 31 | Ohio | $103,955 | $49.98 |
| 32 | Maine | $106,095 | $51.01 |
| 33 | Colorado | $104,286 | $50.14 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $102,770 | $49.41 |
| 35 | New Mexico | $99,799 | $47.98 |
| 36 | Texas | $101,631 | $48.86 |
| 37 | Florida | $104,640 | $50.31 |
| 38 | Maryland | $101,839 | $48.96 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $102,191 | $49.13 |
| 40 | District of Columbia | $94,969 | $45.66 |
| 41 | Iowa | $100,634 | $48.38 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $100,351 | $48.25 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $95,133 | $45.74 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $88,908 | $42.74 |
| 45 | Hawaii | $93,166 | $44.79 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $100,055 | $48.10 |
| 47 | Illinois | $101,042 | $48.58 |
| 48 | Missouri | $99,121 | $47.65 |
| 49 | Connecticut | $97,943 | $47.09 |
| 50 | Alabama | $90,183 | $43.36 |
| 51 | Louisiana | $91,005 | $43.75 |
Highest paying cities for lead development engineers
The highest-paying cities for lead development engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $161,477 | $77.63 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $134,006 | $64.43 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $122,735 | $59.01 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $115,623 | $55.59 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $115,024 | $55.30 |
| 6 | Midvale, UT | $112,401 | $54.04 |
| 7 | Florence, SC | $111,290 | $53.50 |
| 8 | Juneau, AK | $110,941 | $53.34 |
| 9 | Newark, NJ | $109,392 | $52.59 |
| 10 | Charlotte, NC | $107,530 | $51.70 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $107,409 | $51.64 |
| 12 | Shakopee, MN | $104,808 | $50.39 |
| 13 | Novi, MI | $104,528 | $50.25 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $103,625 | $49.82 |
| 15 | Fort Lauderdale, FL | $103,481 | $49.75 |
| 16 | Austin, TX | $101,460 | $48.78 |
| 17 | Schaumburg, IL | $101,147 | $48.63 |
| 18 | Washington, DC | $95,077 | $45.71 |
Lead development engineer salary details
A lead development engineer's salary ranges from $88,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $148,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lead development engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $148,000 | $12,333 | $71 |
| 75th Percentile | $131,000 | $10,917 | $63 |
| Average | $114,658 | $9,555 | $55 |
| 25th Percentile | $100,000 | $8,333 | $48 |
| 10th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
Highest paying lead development engineer jobs
The highest paying types of lead development engineers are software development manager, principal engineer, and senior/lead developer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Lead | $110,007 | $9,167 | $52.89 | 278,178 |
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
| Software Engineer | $100,260 | $8,355 | $48.20 | 339,938 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Team Lead And Developer | $85,824 | $7,152 | $41.26 | 350,426 |
Top companies hiring lead development engineers now:
Which companies pay lead development engineers the most?
Lead development engineer salaries at Netflix and Rivian are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead development engineer salary at companies like En Masse Entertainment and MUFG EMEA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Netflix | $150,207 | $72.21 |
| 2 | Rivian | $142,168 | $68.35 |
| 3 | En Masse Entertainment | $140,957 | $67.77 |
| 4 | MUFG EMEA | $138,768 | $66.72 |
| 5 | Infinera | $137,862 | $66.28 |
| 6 | Deutsche Bank | $135,962 | $65.37 |
| 7 | Bed Bath & Beyond | $135,826 | $65.30 |
| 8 | Amazon | $134,428 | $64.63 |
| 9 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $130,633 | $62.80 |
| 10 | Best Buy | $130,473 | $62.73 |
| 11 | CyberCoders | $128,059 | $61.57 |
| 12 | Target | $128,050 | $61.56 |
| 13 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $128,004 | $61.54 |
| 14 | Robert Half | $127,296 | $61.20 |
| 15 | AFGlobal | $124,497 | $59.85 |
| 16 | Thomson Reuters | $124,467 | $59.84 |
| 17 | PNC | $123,392 | $59.32 |
| 18 | The Prudential Insurance Company of America, Inc. | $122,991 | $59.13 |
| 19 | Glidewell | $121,897 | $58.60 |
| 20 | Microsemi | $121,631 | $58.48 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lead development engineer salary trends
The average lead development engineer salary has risen by $21,286 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead development engineer earned $93,372 annually, but today, they earn $114,658 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for lead development engineers over the last decade.
Compare lead development engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lead development engineer salary over time
Compare lead development engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Lead development engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $115,000 | $55.12 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $111,000 | $53.31 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $108,000 | $52.10 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $106,000 | $51.18 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $105,000 | $50.32 | +1.8% |
Recently added lead development engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Get It-Professional Services | Development Lead Engineer-In The US-Remote | WFH | Concord, CA | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Pentair | Lead Firmware Development Engineer In Test | Apex, NC | 06/27/2025 | $95,500 |
| Saragossa | Lead Full-Stack Engineer, Growth-AI Tooling for Developers | San Jose, CA | 06/27/2025 | $220,000 |
| Signify Holdings | Lead Development Engineer-App | Menlo Park, CA | 06/21/2025 | $179,503 |
| Signify | Lead Development Engineer-App | Menlo Park, CA | 06/18/2025 | $179,503 |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Lead Secondary Packaging Development Engineer | Indianapolis, IN | 06/13/2025 | $64,500 |
| Lilly | Lead Secondary Packaging Development Engineer | Indianapolis, IN | 06/13/2025 | $64,500 |
| Clear Street | Lead Engineer, Developer Experience | New York, NY | 06/11/2025 | $180,000 |
| GTN Technical Staffing | Lead Engineer, UAV/UAS Development | Fort Worth, TX | 06/09/2025 | $150,000 |
| GE Vernova | Lead Thermal Spray Coating Development Engineer | Schenectady, NY | 06/08/2025 | $88,600 |
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