1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
What is a Lead Programmer?
The average lead programmer salary is $118,938. The most common degree is a bachelor's degree degree with an computer science major. It usually takes 6-8 years of experience to become a lead programmer. Lead programmers with a Programming in C# Certification certification earn more money. Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow -7% and produce -17,900 job opportunities across the U.S.
What Does a Lead Programmer Do
There are certain skills that many lead programmers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed troubleshooting skills, detail oriented and analytical skills.
How To Become a Lead Programmer
If you're interested in becoming a lead programmer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 69.1% of lead programmers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 13.1% of lead programmers have master's degrees. Even though most lead programmers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.
Lead Programmer Career Paths
In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of senior software engineer you might progress to a role such as manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title information technology operations manager.
Lead Programmer
Information Technology Operations Manager
9 Years
Director Of Software Development
12 Years
Senior Director Of Information & Technology
14 Years
Senior Development Manager
10 Years
Information Technology Infrastructure Manager
11 Years
Director, Technical Operations
10 Years
Show More
Average Salary for a Lead Programmer
Lead Programmers in America make an average salary of $118,938 per year or $57 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $161,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $87,000 per year.
Average Lead Programmer Salary
$118,938 Yearly$57.18 hourly
What Am I Worth?
Roles and Types of Lead Programmer
The role of a lead programmer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general lead programmer responsibilities:
- Program, extract, configure, balance and merge large datasets from various sources for the purpose of preparing a dataset to be used by actuarial service department. Product along with actuarial rates are jointly submitted as part of annual cms medicare bid. Extract, manipulate
- Acts as the lead programmer on multiple studies manages project timelines, budgets,
- Leading multiple studies across multiple therapeutic areas helps to manage project time-lines, budgets,
There are several types of lead programmer, including:
Programmer Analyst
Role:
Programmer analysts are everywhere. Nearly every industry hires programmer analysts, which means that the job opportunities associated with this career are never-ending. This is great for people who are interested in finding a job!
Programmer analysts spend their days coming up with new software applications and everything that comes along with creating a new application. From testing and analyzing the application to maintaining it, programmer analysts do everything they can to make sure the application was developed to help businesses achieve their goals.
The only thing that's stopping you from becoming a programmer analyst is a bachelor's degree. So once you've obtained that, you'll be on your way! If getting that education has you worried, don't worry. Many programmer analysts focus on vocational or technical training and are still able to get the job. So you definitely have some options.
- Average Salary: $71,563
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Project Leader
Role:
A project leader is the head of a team responsible for carrying out an enterprise. Projects vary, depending on the type of business or industry they are a part of, but project leaders have some essential common denominators across different disciplines.
They are professionals who stick around until the job is done. Their job is not only to make the team do what the project needs, but to make them want to do it. They meet with other leaders on a regular basis and monitor the progress of their projects.
Essentially project leaders are held accountable if the project fails. This is a complex and high-pressure role for people who know what they are doing. Or at least this is what we assume, based on their generous salary, which ranges somewhere between $93,000 and $140,000 annually.
- Average Salary: $98,559
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Software Consultant
Role:
Software consultants provide advice to clients on how to get and use customized software solutions to meet their business objectives. They may also work with the software professionals of an organization to create customized software solutions to the unique problems of an organization, test and deploy solutions to ensure they satisfy the client's needs.
Software consultants may also be hired to assist in the development of new software technology that will dominate a competitive market for a business. The responsibility of a software consultant may also include assisting in the training of a company's staff on the technical procedures and applications of a newly deployed software system.
To work as a software consultant, you are required to have a bachelor's degree in computer science or software engineering. You are also required to have strong communication skills, written or verbal, problem-solving skills, analytical skills, project management skills. The annual base salary of a software consultant is $84,983.
- Average Salary: $88,605
- Degree: Bachelor's Degree
States With The Most Lead Programmer Jobs
Mouse over a state to see the number of active lead programmer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where lead programmers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.
Average Salary: Job Openings:
Number Of Lead Programmer Jobs By State
| Rank | State | Number of Jobs | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 9,199 | $121,190 |
| 2 | Texas | 3,639 | $106,495 |
| 3 | Pennsylvania | 3,083 | $114,708 |
| 4 | Florida | 2,481 | $116,506 |
| 5 | Ohio | 2,416 | $112,476 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 2,391 | $126,451 |
| 7 | Washington | 2,382 | $139,890 |
| 8 | Virginia | 2,329 | $120,526 |
| 9 | Illinois | 2,302 | $108,829 |
| 10 | New York | 2,157 | $137,516 |
| 11 | Georgia | 1,818 | $108,725 |
| 12 | North Carolina | 1,722 | $122,641 |
| 13 | Maryland | 1,572 | $119,595 |
| 14 | New Jersey | 1,430 | $133,684 |
| 15 | Utah | 1,290 | $107,014 |
| 16 | Colorado | 1,275 | $100,621 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 1,213 | $113,463 |
| 18 | Michigan | 1,191 | $103,871 |
| 19 | Indiana | 1,188 | $112,798 |
| 20 | Oregon | 1,166 | $126,912 |
| 21 | Arizona | 1,094 | $103,235 |
| 22 | Missouri | 831 | $97,127 |
| 23 | Kansas | 798 | $98,871 |
| 24 | Wisconsin | 762 | $107,359 |
| 25 | Alabama | 650 | $92,354 |
| 26 | Arkansas | 648 | $94,504 |
| 27 | Connecticut | 610 | $111,668 |
| 28 | Tennessee | 607 | $106,834 |
| 29 | Iowa | 567 | $102,790 |
| 30 | Idaho | 529 | $114,228 |
| 31 | Nevada | 510 | $118,019 |
| 32 | Nebraska | 497 | $96,655 |
| 33 | Oklahoma | 485 | $98,819 |
| 34 | Kentucky | 454 | $107,075 |
| 35 | New Mexico | 395 | $93,304 |
| 36 | South Carolina | 367 | $116,327 |
| 37 | Louisiana | 349 | $101,576 |
| 38 | Montana | 341 | $94,291 |
| 39 | Rhode Island | 314 | $110,420 |
| 40 | Delaware | 305 | $126,030 |
| 41 | New Hampshire | 276 | $109,718 |
| 42 | Alaska | 224 | $111,348 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 223 | $102,925 |
| 44 | Maine | 202 | $116,130 |
| 45 | Vermont | 194 | $118,803 |
| 46 | Mississippi | 186 | $103,140 |
| 47 | West Virginia | 180 | $101,032 |
| 48 | North Dakota | 149 | $108,293 |
| 49 | Hawaii | 139 | $83,483 |
| 50 | Wyoming | 130 | $92,140 |
Top Colleges for Lead Programmers
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-State Tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
3. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
8. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,104
Enrollment
7,089
9. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,453
Enrollment
4,312
10. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-State Tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
Top Skills For a Lead Programmer
The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 11.5% of lead programmers listed java on their resume, but soft skills such as troubleshooting skills and detail oriented are important as well.
Choose From 10+ Customizable Lead Programmer Resume templates
Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Lead Programmer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Lead Programmer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Lead Programmer diversity
Lead Programmer Gender Distribution
Male
88%
Female
12%
After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
- Among lead programmers, 11.7% of them are women, while 88.3% are men.
- The most common race/ethnicity among lead programmers is White, which makes up 66.0% of all lead programmers.
- The most common foreign language among lead programmers is Spanish at 43.1%.
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Best States For a Lead Programmer
Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a lead programmer. The best states for people in this position are Washington, New York, New Jersey, and Oregon. Lead programmers make the most in Washington with an average salary of $139,890. Whereas in New York and New Jersey, they would average $137,516 and $133,684, respectively. While lead programmers would only make an average of $126,912 in Oregon, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.
1. Washington
Total Lead Programmer Jobs: 2,382
Highest 10% Earn:
$201,000
Location Quotient:
1.56
$139,890
Avg. Salary
2. Oregon
Total Lead Programmer Jobs: 1,166
Highest 10% Earn:
$185,000
Location Quotient:
1.34
$126,912
Avg. Salary
3. Massachusetts
Total Lead Programmer Jobs: 2,391
Highest 10% Earn:
$169,000
Location Quotient:
1.24
$126,451
Avg. Salary
How Do Lead Programmers Rate Their Jobs?
Lead Programmer Reviews
Pros
The opportunity to take lead and mentor junior programmers
Cons
Working with Junior programmers who won't take your advice/direction even if you have a sound argument
Top Lead Programmer Employers
Most Common Employers For Lead Programmer
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | $156,611 | $75.29 | 8 |
| 2 | Citi | $155,333 | $74.68 | 9 |
| 3 | Merrill Lynch | $139,878 | $67.25 | 13 |
| 4 | ArenaNet | $128,556 | $61.81 | 6 |
| 5 | Edwards Lifesciences | $125,784 | $60.47 | 8 |
| 6 | Incyte | $123,512 | $59.38 | 32 |
| 7 | American Express | $120,737 | $58.05 | 10 |
| 8 | Bayer | $119,101 | $57.26 | 6 |
| 9 | Vertex Pharmaceuticals | $117,383 | $56.43 | 5 |
| 10 | New York Power Authority | $116,761 | $56.14 | 6 |
Lead Programmer Videos
Scott Pitkethly, Lead Programmer at Creative Assembly talks to Game Careers at Develop in Brighton
Massive Knowledge // Lead Programmer Chad Dawson