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Release manager salary
Average release manager salary
$109,886
Understanding Release Manager Salaries
A Release Manager plays a pivotal role in software development, overseeing release processes to ensure applications meet quality standards. As of October 2025, the average salary for this position is $109,886 per year. However, this figure can vary significantly based on factors such as industry, location, and years of experience.
Salary by State
States like California and New York offer some of the highest salaries for Release Managers, often exceeding the national average. In contrast, regions with a lower cost of living may offer reduced salaries but can provide a balanced lifestyle.
Industry Insights
Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare typically offer higher compensation for Release Managers due to the critical nature of their roles. Understanding these dynamics can help candidates negotiate better salaries and choose the right career paths.
Career Opportunities
For those looking to enter this field, exploring job postings on platforms like Zippia can provide valuable insights into current market trends and salary expectations. By tailoring resumes to highlight relevant skills and experiences, candidates can enhance their chances of securing high-paying roles in this essential area of software development.
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Where can a Release Manager earn more?
Release manager salary estimates from across the web
Average release manager salary by state
The highest-paying states for release managers are California, New York, and Massachusetts. The lowest average release manager salary states are Mississippi, Hawaii, and North Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for release managers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $134,897 | $64.85 |
| 2 | Washington | $112,268 | $53.98 |
| 3 | New York | $119,043 | $57.23 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $114,437 | $55.02 |
| 5 | Utah | $104,871 | $50.42 |
| 6 | Nevada | $108,889 | $52.35 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $111,280 | $53.50 |
| 8 | Pennsylvania | $106,667 | $51.28 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $112,936 | $54.30 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $107,802 | $51.83 |
| 11 | Delaware | $107,643 | $51.75 |
| 12 | Maryland | $109,065 | $52.44 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $103,886 | $49.95 |
| 14 | Virginia | $102,840 | $49.44 |
| 15 | Rhode Island | $100,610 | $48.37 |
| 16 | Michigan | $101,027 | $48.57 |
| 17 | Idaho | $101,664 | $48.88 |
| 18 | North Carolina | $99,082 | $47.64 |
| 19 | Oregon | $99,740 | $47.95 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $99,513 | $47.84 |
| 21 | Illinois | $98,517 | $47.36 |
| 22 | Vermont | $95,284 | $45.81 |
| 23 | Arizona | $97,742 | $46.99 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $99,186 | $47.69 |
| 25 | Ohio | $94,049 | $45.22 |
| 26 | Texas | $93,385 | $44.90 |
| 27 | Indiana | $93,441 | $44.92 |
| 28 | Florida | $93,635 | $45.02 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $94,116 | $45.25 |
| 30 | Georgia | $92,540 | $44.49 |
| 31 | Maine | $90,867 | $43.69 |
| 32 | New Mexico | $86,824 | $41.74 |
| 33 | Montana | $84,902 | $40.82 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $88,935 | $42.76 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $90,669 | $43.59 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $86,806 | $41.73 |
| 37 | Kentucky | $87,429 | $42.03 |
| 38 | Alabama | $87,540 | $42.09 |
| 39 | Alaska | $89,319 | $42.94 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $87,672 | $42.15 |
| 41 | Colorado | $86,263 | $41.47 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $84,538 | $40.64 |
| 43 | Kansas | $84,121 | $40.44 |
| 44 | Missouri | $85,580 | $41.14 |
| 45 | South Dakota | $84,354 | $40.55 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $82,311 | $39.57 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $82,312 | $39.57 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $78,307 | $37.65 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $82,371 | $39.60 |
| 50 | Iowa | $79,149 | $38.05 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $79,061 | $38.01 |
Highest paying cities for release managers
The highest-paying cities for release managers are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $144,908 | $69.67 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $119,364 | $57.39 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $114,314 | $54.96 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $113,062 | $54.36 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $112,949 | $54.30 |
| 6 | Stamford, CT | $108,023 | $51.93 |
| 7 | Dover, DE | $107,664 | $51.76 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $107,205 | $51.54 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $103,389 | $49.71 |
| 10 | Concord, NH | $103,251 | $49.64 |
| 11 | Detroit, MI | $101,595 | $48.84 |
| 12 | Raleigh, NC | $101,084 | $48.60 |
| 13 | Portland, OR | $99,887 | $48.02 |
| 14 | Brookfield, WI | $99,683 | $47.92 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $98,974 | $47.58 |
| 16 | Phoenix, AZ | $98,100 | $47.16 |
| 17 | Charleston, WV | $97,838 | $47.04 |
| 18 | Baton Rouge, LA | $94,488 | $45.43 |
| 19 | Austin, TX | $94,177 | $45.28 |
| 20 | Columbus, OH | $93,423 | $44.91 |
Release manager salary details
A release manager's salary ranges from $81,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $147,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a release manager's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $147,000 | $12,250 | $71 |
| 75th Percentile | $128,000 | $10,667 | $62 |
| Average | $109,886 | $9,157 | $53 |
| 25th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| 10th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
Highest paying release manager jobs
The highest paying types of release managers are software development manager, manager applications development, and senior analyst/project manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology Technical Lead | $110,879 | $9,240 | $53.31 | 156,246 |
| Information Technology Project Lead | $102,491 | $8,541 | $49.27 | 181,020 |
| Manager Applications Development | $123,527 | $10,294 | $59.39 | 181,768 |
| Project Team Lead | $105,306 | $8,775 | $50.63 | 125,539 |
| Technical Project Coordinator | $78,126 | $6,511 | $37.56 | 150,141 |
| Project Leader | $98,559 | $8,213 | $47.38 | 221,165 |
Top companies hiring release managers now:
Which companies pay release managers the most?
Release manager salaries at Meta and Waymo are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average release manager salary at companies like Apple and VMware are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $169,813 | $81.64 |
| 2 | Waymo | $161,791 | $77.78 |
| 3 | Apple | $155,810 | $74.91 |
| 4 | VMware | $151,677 | $72.92 |
| 5 | PayPal | $150,223 | $72.22 |
| 6 | First Republic Bank | $149,998 | $72.11 |
| 7 | Citi | $149,139 | $71.70 |
| 8 | CrowdStrike | $142,782 | $68.65 |
| 9 | ViacomCBS | $142,286 | $68.41 |
| 10 | SiFive | $142,242 | $68.39 |
| 11 | UiPath | $142,144 | $68.34 |
| 12 | Microsoft | $141,498 | $68.03 |
| 13 | Zoox | $141,013 | $67.79 |
| 14 | Starbucks | $140,896 | $67.74 |
| 15 | $140,273 | $67.44 | |
| 16 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $138,672 | $66.67 |
| 17 | Amazon | $136,948 | $65.84 |
| 18 | Okta | $136,671 | $65.71 |
| 19 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $136,559 | $65.65 |
| 20 | Macy's | $136,543 | $65.65 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Release Manager salary by industry
The average release manager salary varies across industries:
- The average release manager salary in the retail industry is $109,385, the highest of any industry.
- The average release manager salary in the finance industry is $107,554.
- Release managers in the government industry earn an average salary of $87,258, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for release managers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $109,385 | $52.59 |
| 2 | Technology | $107,554 | $51.71 |
| 3 | Professional | $106,837 | $51.36 |
| 4 | Finance | $106,722 | $51.31 |
| 5 | Insurance | $88,539 | $42.57 |
| 6 | Government | $87,258 | $41.95 |
High paying release manager jobs
Release manager salary trends
The average release manager salary has risen by $17,987 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average release manager earned $91,899 annually, but today, they earn $109,886 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for release managers over the last decade.
Compare release manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average release manager salary over time
Compare release manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Release manager salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $110,000 | $52.83 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $106,000 | $51.09 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $104,000 | $49.93 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $102,000 | $48.96 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $99,500 | $47.85 | +1.5% |
Recently added release manager salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allegis Group, Inc. | Release Manager | Maryland | 06/29/2025 | $100,200 |
| Allegis Group | Release Manager | Jacksonville, FL | 06/28/2025 | $100,200 |
| Industrial Light & Magic | Lead Release Manager | Orlando, FL | 06/28/2025 | $126,400 |
| T-Mobile Usa | Manager Cloud Release Management | Bellevue, WA | 06/27/2025 | $126,100 |
| CGI Group Inc. | Release Manager | Pittsburgh, PA | 06/27/2025 | $57,100 |
| Siemens Corporation | Devops Release Manager | Charlotte, NC | 06/27/2025 | $105,100 |
| The Walt Disney Company | Lead Release Manager | Orlando, FL | 06/26/2025 | $126,400 |
| Belay Technologies | Mid To SR. Release Manager | Annapolis, MD | 06/26/2025 | $105,000 |
| KBR | Release Manager | Washington, DC | 06/25/2025 | $165,000 |
| KBR | Release Manager | Fulton, MD | 06/25/2025 | $165,000 |
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