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The differences between lead programmers and senior software development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a lead programmer, becoming a senior software development engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a lead programmer has an average salary of $118,938, which is higher than the $116,926 average annual salary of a senior software development engineer.
The top three skills for a lead programmer include java, javascript and python. The most important skills for a senior software development engineer are java, software development, and python.
| Lead Programmer | Senior Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $118,938 | $116,926 |
| Hourly rate | $57.18 | $56.21 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 197,084 | 346,833 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
Lead programmers and senior software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Programmer | Senior Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $118,938 | $116,926 |
| Salary range | Between $87,000 And $161,000 | Between $87,000 And $156,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bellevue, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Merrill Lynch | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a lead programmer and a senior software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Lead Programmer | Senior Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between lead programmers' and senior software development engineers' demographics:
| Lead Programmer | Senior Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.3% Female, 11.7% | Male, 83.9% Female, 16.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 14.9% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.0% Asian, 30.6% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |