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The average salary for a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt is approximately $88,305 annually, translating to about $42 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as experience, education, and industry. For instance, professionals with advanced certifications and extensive experience often command higher salaries, especially in sectors such as healthcare, manufacturing, and finance.
To maximize earning potential, consider relocating to states and cities with the highest demand for Lean Six Sigma professionals. Areas such as California and Texas offer competitive salaries, while cities like New York and San Francisco often feature the highest pay scales. Additionally, industries such as pharmaceuticals and aerospace typically offer better compensation for Black Belts due to their critical role in process optimization.
As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, there are numerous career paths available. Job titles may include Process Improvement Manager, Quality Assurance Director, or Operations Manager. Each position provides the opportunity to lead teams in implementing strategies that drive efficiency and reduce waste, ultimately enhancing company profitability.
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The highest-paying states for lean six sigma black belts are California, Massachusetts, and Colorado. The lowest average lean six sigma black belt salary states are North Dakota, Missouri, and South Dakota.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts | $108,940 | $52.38 |
| 2 | Arkansas | $95,641 | $45.98 |
| 3 | California | $109,578 | $52.68 |
| 4 | Alabama | $92,797 | $44.61 |
| 5 | Colorado | $108,483 | $52.16 |
| 6 | Illinois | $100,803 | $48.46 |
| 7 | Washington | $101,633 | $48.86 |
| 8 | Kentucky | $89,204 | $42.89 |
| 9 | Michigan | $89,907 | $43.22 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $104,043 | $50.02 |
| 11 | Texas | $96,358 | $46.33 |
| 12 | Idaho | $92,454 | $44.45 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $93,790 | $45.09 |
| 14 | Georgia | $90,708 | $43.61 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $99,727 | $47.95 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | $96,127 | $46.21 |
| 17 | Kansas | $89,602 | $43.08 |
| 18 | Virginia | $98,333 | $47.28 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $94,914 | $45.63 |
| 20 | Arizona | $90,335 | $43.43 |
| 21 | Ohio | $87,495 | $42.06 |
| 22 | Maryland | $97,082 | $46.67 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $87,231 | $41.94 |
| 24 | New York | $96,779 | $46.53 |
| 25 | Maine | $85,893 | $41.29 |
| 26 | Delaware | $86,607 | $41.64 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $88,703 | $42.65 |
| 28 | Minnesota | $88,544 | $42.57 |
| 29 | New Mexico | $87,559 | $42.10 |
| 30 | Florida | $89,846 | $43.20 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $83,008 | $39.91 |
| 32 | Alaska | $90,403 | $43.46 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | $80,170 | $38.54 |
| 34 | Pennsylvania | $83,534 | $40.16 |
| 35 | Montana | $88,408 | $42.50 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $80,685 | $38.79 |
| 37 | Oregon | $86,103 | $41.40 |
| 38 | Wisconsin | $81,309 | $39.09 |
| 39 | Indiana | $79,469 | $38.21 |
| 40 | Iowa | $80,579 | $38.74 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $81,315 | $39.09 |
| 42 | Utah | $81,155 | $39.02 |
| 43 | Nebraska | $76,487 | $36.77 |
| 44 | District of Columbia | $88,556 | $42.58 |
| 45 | Missouri | $77,187 | $37.11 |
| 46 | Hawaii | $84,428 | $40.59 |
| 47 | Nevada | $78,882 | $37.92 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $76,218 | $36.64 |
| 49 | North Dakota | $78,114 | $37.55 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $76,936 | $36.99 |
| 51 | Vermont | $73,274 | $35.23 |
The highest-paying cities for lean six sigma black belts are Broomfield, CO, San Diego, CA, and Wall, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broomfield, CO | $108,162 | $52.00 |
| 2 | San Diego, CA | $107,638 | $51.75 |
| 3 | Wall, NJ | $104,088 | $50.04 |
| 4 | Kent, WA | $101,908 | $48.99 |
| 5 | Chicago, IL | $100,962 | $48.54 |
| 6 | Southington, CT | $99,826 | $47.99 |
| 7 | Sugar Land, TX | $96,666 | $46.47 |
| 8 | Middletown, NY | $96,653 | $46.47 |
| 9 | Savannah, GA | $91,183 | $43.84 |
| 10 | Goodyear, AZ | $90,426 | $43.47 |
| 11 | Boca Raton, FL | $90,269 | $43.40 |
| 12 | Lenexa, KS | $89,296 | $42.93 |
| 13 | Fridley, MN | $88,638 | $42.61 |
| 14 | Cleveland, OH | $88,009 | $42.31 |
| 15 | Durham, NC | $87,476 | $42.06 |
| 16 | Waukesha, WI | $81,247 | $39.06 |
| 17 | Sparks, NV | $81,188 | $39.03 |
| 18 | Memphis, TN | $81,128 | $39.00 |
| 19 | Salt Lake City, UT | $81,061 | $38.97 |
| 20 | Columbus, IN | $79,439 | $38.19 |
A lean six sigma black belt's salary ranges from $70,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $111,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $111,000 | $9,250 | $53 |
| 75th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| Average | $88,305 | $7,359 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| 10th Percentile | $70,000 | $5,833 | $34 |
The highest paying types of lean six sigma black belts are senior staff engineer, manager, quality engineer, and project lead engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Control Engineer | $70,845 | $5,904 | $34.06 | 109,745 |
| Industrial Engineer | $76,501 | $6,375 | $36.78 | 46,756 |
| Quality Engineer | $79,672 | $6,639 | $38.30 | 96,838 |
| Reliability Engineer | $105,551 | $8,796 | $50.75 | 44,471 |
| Industrial Engineering Internship | $39,182 | $3,265 | $18.84 | 107,845 |
| Production Engineer | $89,727 | $7,477 | $43.14 | 94,789 |
Top companies hiring lean six sigma black belts now:
Lean six sigma black belt salaries at Amazon and Eli Lilly and Company are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lean six sigma black belt salary at companies like Novo Nordisk and Caterpillar are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon | $134,412 | $64.62 |
| 2 | Eli Lilly and Company | $116,223 | $55.88 |
| 3 | Novo Nordisk | $115,051 | $55.31 |
| 4 | Caterpillar | $104,023 | $50.01 |
| 5 | Sanofi Genzyme | $101,818 | $48.95 |
| 6 | Los Alamos National Laboratory | $101,412 | $48.76 |
| 7 | General Electric | $95,889 | $46.10 |
| 8 | Intel | $94,993 | $45.67 |
| 9 | ING USA Holding Corporation | $94,571 | $45.47 |
| 10 | Caterpillar Financial | $94,267 | $45.32 |
| 11 | Andersen | $93,288 | $44.85 |
| 12 | DXC Technology | $92,725 | $44.58 |
| 13 | Cintas | $91,925 | $44.19 |
| 14 | Ball | $91,830 | $44.15 |
| 15 | Dexcom | $91,368 | $43.93 |
| 16 | Benchmark Electronics | $89,757 | $43.15 |
| 17 | Solar.com | $89,736 | $43.14 |
| 18 | United | $89,627 | $43.09 |
| 19 | 3M Company | $89,151 | $42.86 |
| 20 | McLane | $88,834 | $42.71 |
The average lean six sigma black belt salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Education | $104,031 | $50.01 |
| 2 | Technology | $93,636 | $45.02 |
| 3 | Finance | $91,974 | $44.22 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $89,633 | $43.09 |
| 5 | Health Care | $85,392 | $41.05 |
| 6 | Automotive | $85,365 | $41.04 |
| 7 | Transportation | $84,840 | $40.79 |
The average lean six sigma black belt salary has risen by $11,625 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lean six sigma black belt earned $76,680 annually, but today, they earn $88,305 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for lean six sigma black belts over the last decade.
Compare lean six sigma black belt salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare lean six sigma black belt salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $88,300 | $42.45 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $87,400 | $42.01 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $86,400 | $41.54 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $85,300 | $40.99 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $83,700 | $40.24 | +1.0% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silfab Solar | Corporate Lean and SIX Sigma Black Belt | Fort Mill, SC | 06/14/2025 | $85,000 |
| S&C Minimal | SIX Sigma Black Belt | Chicago, IL | 06/10/2025 | $124,960 |
| Sapphire Recruitment | Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | Burlington, WA | 05/30/2025 | $85,000 |
| S&C Minimal | SIX Sigma Black Belt | Chicago, IL | 05/26/2025 | $124,960 |
| Caterpillar | Lean 6 Sigma Black Belt | Decatur, IL | 05/22/2025 | $110,520 |
| Medtronic | Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | Los Angeles, CA | 05/15/2025 | $137,400 |
| Caterpillar | Lean 6 Sigma Black Belt | Tucson, AZ | 04/25/2025 | $110,520 |
| Caterpillar | Lean 6 Sigma Black Belt | Decatur, IL | 04/25/2025 | $110,520 |
| Medtronic | Lean SIX Sigma Black Belt | Los Angeles, CA | 04/22/2025 | $137,400 |
| Caterpillar, Inc. | Lean 6 Sigma Black Belt | Brooklyn Park, MN | 04/16/2025 | $110,520 |
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