Updated February 6, 2023

Average Lead Software Developer Salary

$115,072yearly

$55.32 hourly

Entry level Salary
$87,000 yearly

How much does a Lead Software Developer make?

Lead software developers make $115,072 per year on average, or $55.32 per hour, in the United States. Lead software developers on the lower end of that spectrum, the bottom 10% to be exact, make roughly $87,000 a year, while the top 10% makes $151,000.

Location impacts how much a lead software developer can expect to make. Lead software developers make the most in California, Washington, New Hampshire, New York, and Massachusetts.

Highest Paying States For Lead Software Developers

If both location and money are important to you, then you might want to check out moving to California, Washington and New Hampshire, as these three states offer the highest salaries throughout the U.S. for lead software developers. Quite opposite of that list is the lowest paying states, which are Nebraska, North Dakota, and Hawaii.
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  • County View
Average Salary:

Lead Software Developer average salary by State

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1Washington$130,395$62.694,168
2New Hampshire$125,140$60.16655
3California$132,618$63.7613,741
4Pennsylvania$113,076$54.364,239
5Nevada$116,021$55.78738
6Massachusetts$121,318$58.332,891
7Oregon$116,473$56.001,604
8Virginia$115,690$55.623,890
9New York$121,995$58.653,710
10Utah$107,020$51.451,699
11Michigan$110,125$52.942,320
12District of Columbia$117,913$56.69921
13Maryland$118,811$57.122,210
14Rhode Island$107,130$51.50596
15Ohio$106,337$51.123,430
16West Virginia$111,391$53.55310
17Indiana$110,680$53.211,555
18Alaska$111,769$53.74256
19Connecticut$116,191$55.86832
20Texas$108,647$52.235,746
21Arkansas$105,182$50.57846
22Delaware$108,302$52.07461
23New Jersey$111,769$53.742,172
24Arizona$108,177$52.011,466
25Kentucky$107,134$51.51677
26Illinois$109,162$52.483,133
27Maine$105,137$50.55336
28South Carolina$106,077$51.00616
29Montana$101,608$48.85428
30Georgia$105,450$50.702,701
31Wisconsin$102,827$49.441,297
32Kansas$100,538$48.34911
33Louisiana$104,266$50.13497
34Tennessee$97,057$46.661,622
35Vermont$97,919$47.08290
36North Carolina$100,125$48.142,432
37Colorado$100,194$48.171,972
38Wyoming$97,057$46.66180
39Iowa$99,927$48.04733
40Minnesota$102,126$49.101,478
41Hawaii$94,868$45.61341
42Alabama$98,897$47.55886
43Idaho$92,343$44.40669
44New Mexico$95,651$45.99628
45Missouri$96,482$46.391,750
46Oklahoma$97,025$46.65697
47Florida$99,227$47.713,320
48North Dakota$95,016$45.68252
49Nebraska$95,124$45.73646
50South Dakota$89,044$42.81332
51Mississippi$90,676$43.59239

Highest Paying Cities For Lead Software Developers

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly RateJob Count
1San Francisco, CA$145,622$70.01
2Bothell, WA$132,120$63.52
3New York, NY$122,117$58.716
4Boston, MA$121,258$58.304
5Washington, DC$117,915$56.692
6Arlington, VA$116,856$56.181
7Philadelphia, PA$113,619$54.623
8Jersey City, NJ$111,934$53.813
9Farmington Hills, MI$110,334$53.05
10San Antonio, TX$109,678$52.732
11Chicago, IL$109,502$52.658
12Cleveland, OH$108,412$52.12
13Phoenix, AZ$108,242$52.043
14Columbus, GA$105,303$50.63
15Monroe, LA$102,589$49.32

Lead Software Developers Salary Details

Average Lead Software Developer Salary Graph
Average Lead Software Developer Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a Lead Software Developer's Salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$151,000$12,583$73
75th Percentile$132,000$11,000$63
Average$115,072$9,589$55
25th Percentile$99,000$8,250$48
10th Percentile$87,000$7,250$42

Highest Paying Types of Lead Software Developers

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Software Architect$114,406$9,534$55.00319,594
Architect And Developer$110,970$9,248$53.35316,181
Software Engineer Lead$125,565$10,464$60.37342,462
Web Application Developer$85,840$7,153$41.27229,802
NET Developer$88,984$7,415$42.78236,690
Developer$100,076$8,340$48.11262,570

Here are the five companies hiring the most now:

  1. Fortinet Jobs (22)
  2. Salesforce Jobs (46)
  3. Charles Schwab Jobs (26)
  4. Ansys Jobs (45)
  5. Amdocs Jobs (45)

Which Companies Pay Lead Software Developers The Most?

The highest paying companies for lead software developers are Microsoft and Pure Storage according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, companies like First Republic Bank and Shopify report highly competitive wages for lead software developers.
RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Microsoft$164,253$78.97127
2Pure Storage$163,685$78.694
3First Republic Bank$157,375$75.661
4Shopify$155,167$74.60
5Playphone$154,404$74.23
6Adobe$154,085$74.0832
7Bloomberg$151,362$72.7732
8The Walt Disney Company$151,262$72.72111
9ReSound$149,934$72.08
10Unity Technologies$147,869$71.091
11INRIX$147,188$70.76
12Citi$146,971$70.66148
13Barclays$142,722$68.6237
14ServiceNow$142,456$68.4944
15Fortinet$139,529$67.0812
16Thoughtworks$139,491$67.06
17PMC-Sierra$138,695$66.68
18Amazon$138,440$66.5673
192k$137,659$66.185
20Experian Data Quality$137,276$66.00

How Much Do Lead Software Developers Make In Different Industries?

Here are some examples of how much a lead software developer salaries can based on different industries:

  1. The manufacturing industry pays lead software developers an average salary of $115,917

  2. The hospitality industry pay $113,741

  3. The lowest paying industry for lead software developers is the finance industry. Lead software developers in this industry earn an average salary of $110,493

Highest Paying Industries For Lead Software Developers

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Manufacturing$115,917$55.73
2Hospitality$113,741$54.68
3Technology$113,540$54.59
4Professional$111,404$53.56
5Telecommunication$111,224$53.47
6Finance$110,493$53.12

High Paying Lead Software Developer Jobs

Lead Software Developer Pay Trends

Average Lead Software Developer Salary Over Time

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Lead Software Developer Salary By Year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2023$115,000$55.32+3.3%
    2022$111,000$53.50+2.3%
    2021$109,000$52.29+1.8%
    2020$107,000$51.37+1.7%
    2019$105,000$50.50+1.8%

    Recently Added Lead Software Developer Salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    McKessonLead Software Developer (Fully Remote)Lubbock, TX11/29/2022$130,000
    CybercodersLead Software Developer-Back End (Remote)San Francisco, CA11/29/2022$150,000
    CybercodersLead Software Developer-Back End (Remote)Austin, TX11/28/2022$150,000
    Blue OriginMission Control Lead Software Engineer-Advanced Development ProgramsSeattle, WA11/28/2022$150,000
    Itrust Wellness Group LLCLead Software DeveloperGreenville, SC11/27/2022$150,000
    LeidosLead Software DeveloperChantilly, VA11/26/2022$113,100
    CybercodersLead Software Developer-Back End (Remote)New York, NY11/24/2022$150,000
    Jpmorgan Chase Bank, N.A.Lead Software Developer In TestNew York, NY11/20/2022$137,750
    American Standard Companies Inc.Leader, Software DevelopmentNew York, NY11/18/2022$109,000
    Voya FinancialLead Software Engineer/DeveloperAtlanta, GA11/13/2022$115,380

    Lead Software Developer Salaries FAQs

    What State Pays Lead Software Developers The Most?

    California pays Lead Software Developers the most in the United States, with an average salary of $132,618 per year, or $63.76 per hour.

    How Do I Know If I'm Being Paid Fairly As A Lead Software Developer?

    You know if you are being paid fairly as a Lead Software Developer if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Washington you should be paid close to $130,395 per year.

    Search For Lead Software Developer Jobs