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Lead contractor salary
Average lead contractor salary
$97,028
Understanding the Lead Contractor Salary
The average salary for a lead contractor stands at approximately $97,028 per year, translating to about $47 per hour. This figure can fluctuate based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry in which one works.
Salary Variations by State
Lead contractors in states like California and New York often see higher salaries due to the demand for skilled labor and higher costs of living. In contrast, states with lower living costs may offer competitive salaries that reflect local market conditions.
Career Opportunities
Opportunities for lead contractors span a range of sectors, including construction, project management, and consulting. Positions in major urban areas tend to command higher wages, making it essential for professionals to consider relocation for increased earning potential.
Conclusion
Whether you’re just starting or looking to advance your career, understanding the salary dynamics for lead contractors can empower you to make informed decisions. Researching specific industries and locations will provide you with a clearer picture of what to expect in terms of compensation.
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Where can a Lead Contractor earn more?
Average lead contractor salary by state
The highest-paying states for lead contractors are California, Michigan, and New York. The lowest average lead contractor salary states are New Hampshire, Montana, and South Carolina.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for lead contractors
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas | $107,553 | $51.71 |
| 2 | Nevada | $102,267 | $49.17 |
| 3 | Missouri | $109,124 | $52.46 |
| 4 | California | $113,127 | $54.39 |
| 5 | Michigan | $112,362 | $54.02 |
| 6 | New York | $111,316 | $53.52 |
| 7 | Maryland | $105,884 | $50.91 |
| 8 | District of Columbia | $108,127 | $51.98 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $107,510 | $51.69 |
| 10 | Oregon | $104,721 | $50.35 |
| 11 | Alaska | $98,595 | $47.40 |
| 12 | South Dakota | $91,265 | $43.88 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $101,576 | $48.83 |
| 14 | Illinois | $101,355 | $48.73 |
| 15 | Idaho | $92,783 | $44.61 |
| 16 | Washington | $101,272 | $48.69 |
| 17 | Iowa | $101,570 | $48.83 |
| 18 | Wisconsin | $102,187 | $49.13 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $93,103 | $44.76 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $93,253 | $44.83 |
| 21 | Oklahoma | $89,688 | $43.12 |
| 22 | Ohio | $97,411 | $46.83 |
| 23 | Delaware | $100,877 | $48.50 |
| 24 | Virginia | $95,975 | $46.14 |
| 25 | New Jersey | $103,203 | $49.62 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $86,455 | $41.56 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $88,406 | $42.50 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $86,687 | $41.68 |
| 29 | Arizona | $93,284 | $44.85 |
| 30 | Massachusetts | $97,340 | $46.80 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $88,496 | $42.55 |
| 32 | Tennessee | $89,687 | $43.12 |
| 33 | Texas | $90,900 | $43.70 |
| 34 | Utah | $83,477 | $40.13 |
| 35 | Colorado | $91,196 | $43.84 |
| 36 | Kentucky | $89,697 | $43.12 |
| 37 | Montana | $80,761 | $38.83 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $82,722 | $39.77 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $85,191 | $40.96 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $91,403 | $43.94 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $81,788 | $39.32 |
| 42 | Maine | $82,198 | $39.52 |
| 43 | New Hampshire | $80,951 | $38.92 |
| 44 | Indiana | $86,532 | $41.60 |
| 45 | Alabama | $75,501 | $36.30 |
| 46 | Vermont | $81,060 | $38.97 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $81,385 | $39.13 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $62,824 | $30.20 |
| 49 | Georgia | $81,368 | $39.12 |
| 50 | Florida | $67,785 | $32.59 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $76,109 | $36.59 |
Highest paying cities for lead contractors
The highest-paying cities for lead contractors are Livermore, CA, New York, NY, and Kansas City, MO.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Livermore, CA | $117,994 | $56.73 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $112,144 | $53.92 |
| 3 | Kansas City, MO | $109,778 | $52.78 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $108,570 | $52.20 |
| 5 | Columbia, MD | $106,265 | $51.09 |
| 6 | Seattle, WA | $101,776 | $48.93 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $101,514 | $48.80 |
| 8 | Anchorage, AK | $99,678 | $47.92 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $97,554 | $46.90 |
| 10 | Boston, MA | $97,480 | $46.87 |
| 11 | Columbus, OH | $96,946 | $46.61 |
| 12 | Plano, TX | $94,105 | $45.24 |
| 13 | Phoenix, AZ | $93,756 | $45.08 |
| 14 | Bloomington, MN | $91,622 | $44.05 |
| 15 | Colorado Springs, CO | $91,248 | $43.87 |
| 16 | Oklahoma City, OK | $89,761 | $43.15 |
| 17 | Erie, PA | $86,814 | $41.74 |
| 18 | Indianapolis, IN | $86,286 | $41.48 |
| 19 | Atlanta, GA | $82,057 | $39.45 |
| 20 | Raleigh, NC | $81,887 | $39.37 |
Lead contractor salary details
A lead contractor's salary ranges from $61,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $151,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lead contractor's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $151,000 | $12,583 | $73 |
| 75th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| Average | $97,028 | $8,086 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $76,000 | $6,333 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $61,000 | $5,083 | $29 |
Highest paying lead contractor jobs
The highest paying types of lead contractors are senior advisor, principal consultant, and business developer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Developer | $101,635 | $8,470 | $48.86 | 193,469 |
| Business Internship | $35,282 | $2,940 | $16.96 | 97,196 |
| Operations Internship | $33,357 | $2,780 | $16.04 | 111,994 |
| Subcontract Administrator | $65,686 | $5,474 | $31.58 | 51,285 |
| Principal Consultant | $116,478 | $9,706 | $56.00 | 143,753 |
| Contractor-Business Analyst | $87,402 | $7,283 | $42.02 | 147,698 |
Top companies hiring lead contractors now:
Which companies pay lead contractors the most?
Lead contractor salaries at Parker Drilling Co and Apache are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead contractor salary at companies like MITRE and Rocky Mountain Institute are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parker Drilling Co | $121,762 | $58.54 |
| 2 | Apache | $120,838 | $58.10 |
| 3 | MITRE | $114,393 | $55.00 |
| 4 | Rocky Mountain Institute | $113,695 | $54.66 |
| 5 | Wood Group PSN | $109,997 | $52.88 |
| 6 | Ball | $109,669 | $52.73 |
| 7 | SoftwareONE | $108,950 | $52.38 |
| 8 | Bayer | $105,583 | $50.76 |
| 9 | Comau LLC | $105,456 | $50.70 |
| 10 | Citi | $104,241 | $50.12 |
| 11 | Dow Jones | $102,053 | $49.06 |
| 12 | General Electric | $101,233 | $48.67 |
| 13 | Moderna | $100,219 | $48.18 |
| 14 | Franklin Covey Co | $99,494 | $47.83 |
| 15 | Oracle | $98,769 | $47.49 |
| 16 | CVS Health | $97,662 | $46.95 |
| 17 | Springfield Clinic | $97,421 | $46.84 |
| 18 | United States Army Corps of Engineers | $96,860 | $46.57 |
| 19 | CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield | $96,277 | $46.29 |
| 20 | Comerica | $93,832 | $45.11 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lead Contractor salary by industry
The average lead contractor salary varies across industries:
- The average lead contractor salary in the technology industry is $106,154, the highest of any industry.
- The average lead contractor salary in the finance industry is $105,366.
- Lead contractors in the professional industry earn an average salary of $82,919, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for lead contractors
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $106,154 | $51.04 |
| 2 | Energy | $105,366 | $50.66 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $92,702 | $44.57 |
| 4 | Health Care | $86,589 | $41.63 |
| 5 | Government | $84,513 | $40.63 |
| 6 | Professional | $82,919 | $39.86 |
High paying lead contractor jobs
Lead contractor salary trends
The average lead contractor salary has risen by $14,280 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead contractor earned $82,748 annually, but today, they earn $97,028 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for lead contractors over the last decade.
Compare lead contractor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lead contractor salary over time
Compare lead contractor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Lead contractor salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $97,000 | $46.65 | +3.8% |
| 2024 | $93,300 | $44.87 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $91,100 | $43.82 | +0.7% |
| 2022 | $90,500 | $43.50 | +1.4% |
| 2021 | $89,200 | $42.90 | +1.3% |
Recently added lead contractor salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vizient | Lead Analyst, Pharmacy Contracting & Distribution | Irving, TX | 06/30/2025 | $77,400 |
| Virtru | Federal Contracts Lead | Washington, DC | 06/29/2025 | $140,000 |
| Professional Search of The Carolinas | Lead Support-Contract-Hybrid | Raleigh, NC | 06/29/2025 | $73,045 |
| Veritas Legal Recruiting & Advising | (In-House) Lead Contracts Counsel | Los Angeles, CA | 06/28/2025 | $150,000 |
| Pfizer | MEG Operations Contracting Solutions Lead | Fine, NY | 06/27/2025 | $156,600 |
| Lululemon Athletica Inc. | Guest Experience Lead | Chestnut Hill Contract | Boston, MA | 06/27/2025 | $50,088 |
| Oracle | Lead Contract Negotiator | Austin, TX | 06/26/2025 | $87,000 |
| Oracle | Lead Contract Negotiator | Rocklin, CA | 06/24/2025 | $87,000 |
| 1 Vizient | Lead Analyst, Pharmacy Contracting & Distribution | Irving, TX | 06/20/2025 | $77,400 |
| Vizient | Lead Analyst, Pharmacy Contracting & Distribution | Chicago, IL | 06/19/2025 | $77,400 |
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