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Lead developer salary
Average lead developer salary
$116,340
Average Lead Developer Salary
The lead developer salary can significantly vary depending on several factors. In October 2025, the average salary for a Lead Developer stands at $116,340 annually. This figure translates to about $56 per hour. Factors influencing salary include geographical location, with states like California and New York offering higher pay rates due to the increased cost of living and demand for tech talent.
Where Can a Lead Developer Earn More?
Lead Developers in high-paying industries such as finance and technology often report higher salaries. Additionally, those with specialized skills in emerging technologies may command even greater compensation. Opportunities for career advancement can also affect salary expectations; positions in cities with a strong tech presence provide more lucrative options.
Salary Estimates by State
In states like California, the average salary for Lead Developers can exceed $130,000, while regions with lower demand might offer lower compensation. Understanding the salary landscape across different states enables prospective Lead Developers to target their job search effectively.
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Where can a Lead Developer earn more?
Lead developer salary estimates from across the web
Average lead developer salary by state
The average lead developer salary in California, Washington, and Delaware are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average lead developer salary states are Louisiana, Hawaii, and Alabama.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for lead developers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nevada | $119,403 | $57.41 |
| 2 | Delaware | $124,034 | $59.63 |
| 3 | California | $131,948 | $63.44 |
| 4 | Washington | $129,013 | $62.03 |
| 5 | Oregon | $118,512 | $56.98 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $113,566 | $54.60 |
| 7 | Virginia | $116,873 | $56.19 |
| 8 | South Dakota | $111,318 | $53.52 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $120,880 | $58.12 |
| 10 | Utah | $108,379 | $52.11 |
| 11 | Maryland | $118,444 | $56.94 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $112,567 | $54.12 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $115,744 | $55.65 |
| 14 | New Jersey | $115,116 | $55.34 |
| 15 | Ohio | $109,602 | $52.69 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $114,745 | $55.17 |
| 17 | Rhode Island | $108,710 | $52.26 |
| 18 | Arizona | $113,904 | $54.76 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $115,359 | $55.46 |
| 20 | New Hampshire | $108,679 | $52.25 |
| 21 | North Carolina | $107,202 | $51.54 |
| 22 | Idaho | $105,229 | $50.59 |
| 23 | New York | $115,970 | $55.75 |
| 24 | Texas | $107,557 | $51.71 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $110,762 | $53.25 |
| 26 | Vermont | $107,352 | $51.61 |
| 27 | Montana | $103,271 | $49.65 |
| 28 | Georgia | $108,752 | $52.28 |
| 29 | Michigan | $106,748 | $51.32 |
| 30 | Nebraska | $101,353 | $48.73 |
| 31 | Tennessee | $105,216 | $50.58 |
| 32 | Arkansas | $98,369 | $47.29 |
| 33 | Indiana | $102,987 | $49.51 |
| 34 | Alaska | $102,110 | $49.09 |
| 35 | Kentucky | $102,021 | $49.05 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $105,235 | $50.59 |
| 37 | Florida | $102,785 | $49.42 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $99,356 | $47.77 |
| 39 | Illinois | $100,637 | $48.38 |
| 40 | Minnesota | $100,612 | $48.37 |
| 41 | Kansas | $93,313 | $44.86 |
| 42 | Colorado | $100,813 | $48.47 |
| 43 | Oklahoma | $94,740 | $45.55 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $99,211 | $47.70 |
| 45 | Maine | $99,049 | $47.62 |
| 46 | Iowa | $98,713 | $47.46 |
| 47 | Alabama | $98,062 | $47.15 |
| 48 | Missouri | $98,719 | $47.46 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $98,219 | $47.22 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $98,098 | $47.16 |
| 51 | Wyoming | $86,929 | $41.79 |
Highest paying cities for lead developers
The highest-paying cities for lead developers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $139,305 | $66.97 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $129,824 | $62.42 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $120,996 | $58.17 |
| 4 | Rockville, MD | $118,181 | $56.82 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $117,610 | $56.54 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $116,430 | $55.98 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $115,670 | $55.61 |
| 8 | Edison, NJ | $115,270 | $55.42 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $114,073 | $54.84 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $113,306 | $54.47 |
| 11 | Columbus, OH | $109,632 | $52.71 |
| 12 | Alpharetta, GA | $108,822 | $52.32 |
| 13 | Austin, TX | $108,240 | $52.04 |
| 14 | Raleigh, NC | $108,143 | $51.99 |
| 15 | Salt Lake City, UT | $107,826 | $51.84 |
| 16 | Jacksonville, FL | $105,097 | $50.53 |
| 17 | Columbus, IN | $103,274 | $49.65 |
| 18 | Denver, CO | $100,812 | $48.47 |
| 19 | Chicago, IL | $100,803 | $48.46 |
| 20 | Minneapolis, MN | $100,617 | $48.37 |
Lead Developers are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Lead developer salary details
A lead developer's salary ranges from $83,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $161,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lead developer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $161,000 | $13,417 | $77 |
| 75th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| Average | $116,340 | $9,695 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
| 10th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
Highest paying lead developer jobs
The highest paying types of lead developers are senior/lead developer, lead software developer, and architect and developer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Applications Developer | $99,257 | $8,271 | $47.72 | 252,254 |
| Data Warehouse Developer | $93,381 | $7,782 | $44.89 | 194,780 |
| Applications Developer | $89,205 | $7,434 | $42.89 | 279,877 |
| Architect And Developer | $110,970 | $9,248 | $53.35 | 316,181 |
| Mainframe Developer | $90,902 | $7,575 | $43.70 | 255,034 |
| Java/J2ee Developer | $90,995 | $7,583 | $43.75 | 237,912 |
Top companies hiring lead developers now:
Which companies pay lead developers the most?
Lead developer salaries at Mayo Clinic and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead developer salary at companies like Meta and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mayo Clinic | $167,859 | $80.70 |
| 2 | Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati | $166,130 | $79.87 |
| 3 | Meta | $164,980 | $79.32 |
| 4 | Apple | $158,129 | $76.02 |
| 5 | Pure Storage | $157,306 | $75.63 |
| 6 | Netflix | $156,306 | $75.15 |
| 7 | Pacific Investment Management Company LLC | $150,550 | $72.38 |
| 8 | Bloomberg | $148,451 | $71.37 |
| 9 | Fox Broadcasting Company | $147,536 | $70.93 |
| 10 | Intuitive Surgical | $147,390 | $70.86 |
| 11 | $146,310 | $70.34 | |
| 12 | Square | $145,674 | $70.04 |
| 13 | First Republic Bank | $143,914 | $69.19 |
| 14 | Neuberger Berman | $143,814 | $69.14 |
| 15 | Cisco | $143,365 | $68.93 |
| 16 | Levi Strauss & Co. | $143,346 | $68.92 |
| 17 | Boston Consulting Group | $143,343 | $68.91 |
| 18 | Forest City Realty Trust | $142,307 | $68.42 |
| 19 | MySpace NYC | $141,560 | $68.06 |
| 20 | ViacomCBS | $141,244 | $67.91 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lead Developer salary by industry
The average lead developer salary varies across industries:
- The average lead developer salary in the retail industry is $119,501, the highest of any industry.
- The average lead developer salary in the finance industry is $118,956.
- Lead developers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $109,814, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for lead developers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $119,501 | $57.45 |
| 2 | Finance | $118,956 | $57.19 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $115,629 | $55.59 |
| 4 | Telecommunication | $112,128 | $53.91 |
| 5 | Technology | $110,687 | $53.21 |
| 6 | Professional | $109,814 | $52.80 |
High paying lead developer jobs
Lead developer salary trends
The average lead developer salary has risen by $21,598 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead developer earned $94,742 annually, but today, they earn $116,340 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for lead developers over the last decade.
Compare lead developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lead developer salary over time
Compare lead developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Lead developer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $116,000 | $55.93 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $113,000 | $54.09 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $110,000 | $52.87 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $108,000 | $51.93 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $106,000 | $51.06 | +1.8% |
Recently added lead developer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMN Healthcare | Lead Development Director, Language Services | Dallas, TX | 06/30/2025 | $58,000 |
| Parsons | Lead Data User Case Developer | Hawaii | 06/30/2025 | $108,700 |
| Wework | Community Lead, 401 SAN Antonio RD | Mountain View, CA | 06/30/2025 | $60,000 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency-Michigan | Producer Development Leader Private Client Services | San Francisco, CA | 06/30/2025 | $126,600 |
| Marsh McLennan Agency-Michigan | Leader-Business Development | Phoenix, AZ | 06/30/2025 | $138,600 |
| Five9 | Lead Development REP (BAY Area) | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $37,200 |
| Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. | Producer Development Leader Private Client Services | Houston, TX | 06/29/2025 | $126,600 |
| Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. | Producer Development Leader Private Client Services | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $126,600 |
| Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. | Producer Development Leader Private Client Services | Irvine, CA | 06/29/2025 | $126,600 |
| Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. | Producer Development Leader Private Client Services | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $126,600 |
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