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Lead information technology engineer salary
Average lead information technology engineer salary
$120,816
Understanding Lead Information Technology Engineer Salaries
A Lead Information Technology Engineer plays a pivotal role in managing technological projects and leading engineering teams. As of October 2025, the average annual salary for this position stands at $120,816. This figure can vary based on factors such as experience, industry, and geographic location. For instance, engineers with several years of experience can command salaries significantly higher than entry-level counterparts.
In addition to salary, the demand for skilled IT engineers continues to grow, leading to numerous job opportunities across various sectors. States like California, New York, and Texas frequently report the highest salaries in this field. Moreover, cities such as San Francisco and New York City offer some of the most lucrative positions, reflecting the high cost of living and competitive job market.
For those considering a career as a Lead Information Technology Engineer, it’s essential to stay updated on industry trends and advancements. Pursuing certifications and further education can enhance job prospects and salary potential. Joining online communities or attending industry conferences can also provide valuable networking opportunities, helping you connect with potential employers and colleagues.
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Where can a Lead Information Technology Engineer earn more?
Average lead information technology engineer salary by state
The average lead information technology engineer salary in Idaho, California, and Rhode Island are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average lead information technology engineer salary states are Maine, North Dakota, and Montana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for lead information technology engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Idaho | $141,774 | $68.16 |
| 2 | Oregon | $134,461 | $64.64 |
| 3 | Washington | $133,121 | $64.00 |
| 4 | Rhode Island | $136,007 | $65.39 |
| 5 | Nevada | $120,128 | $57.75 |
| 6 | California | $138,287 | $66.48 |
| 7 | Connecticut | $135,488 | $65.14 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $127,397 | $61.25 |
| 9 | Arizona | $121,002 | $58.17 |
| 10 | West Virginia | $128,535 | $61.80 |
| 11 | Missouri | $126,074 | $60.61 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $113,900 | $54.76 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $117,852 | $56.66 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $114,257 | $54.93 |
| 15 | Virginia | $115,236 | $55.40 |
| 16 | Texas | $116,300 | $55.91 |
| 17 | North Carolina | $114,020 | $54.82 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $121,828 | $58.57 |
| 19 | Utah | $111,809 | $53.75 |
| 20 | Delaware | $115,432 | $55.50 |
| 21 | Hawaii | $121,490 | $58.41 |
| 22 | New York | $117,366 | $56.43 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $112,156 | $53.92 |
| 24 | Maryland | $113,165 | $54.41 |
| 25 | Alaska | $106,996 | $51.44 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $105,579 | $50.76 |
| 27 | Ohio | $109,424 | $52.61 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $110,925 | $53.33 |
| 29 | Indiana | $110,220 | $52.99 |
| 30 | Georgia | $110,639 | $53.19 |
| 31 | Arkansas | $103,710 | $49.86 |
| 32 | Iowa | $108,405 | $52.12 |
| 33 | Michigan | $107,955 | $51.90 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $109,875 | $52.82 |
| 35 | Kansas | $102,265 | $49.17 |
| 36 | Vermont | $107,332 | $51.60 |
| 37 | Montana | $98,903 | $47.55 |
| 38 | Colorado | $101,990 | $49.03 |
| 39 | Mississippi | $106,835 | $51.36 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $106,708 | $51.30 |
| 41 | North Dakota | $99,051 | $47.62 |
| 42 | District of Columbia | $97,265 | $46.76 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $104,148 | $50.07 |
| 44 | Nebraska | $95,492 | $45.91 |
| 45 | Minnesota | $101,265 | $48.69 |
| 46 | Illinois | $100,632 | $48.38 |
| 47 | Alabama | $99,861 | $48.01 |
| 48 | Oklahoma | $94,580 | $45.47 |
| 49 | Florida | $99,723 | $47.94 |
| 50 | Maine | $99,493 | $47.83 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $97,549 | $46.90 |
Highest paying cities for lead information technology engineers
The highest-paying cities for lead information technology engineers are San Francisco, CA, Hartford, CT, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $146,054 | $70.22 |
| 2 | Hartford, CT | $135,673 | $65.23 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $127,516 | $61.31 |
| 4 | Saint Louis, MO | $125,979 | $60.57 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $116,827 | $56.17 |
| 6 | McLean, VA | $115,952 | $55.75 |
| 7 | Charlotte, NC | $113,485 | $54.56 |
| 8 | Cleveland, OH | $110,644 | $53.19 |
| 9 | Atlanta, GA | $110,602 | $53.17 |
| 10 | Indianapolis, IN | $110,036 | $52.90 |
| 11 | Iowa City, IA | $108,412 | $52.12 |
| 12 | Detroit, MI | $108,191 | $52.01 |
| 13 | Overland Park, KS | $102,121 | $49.10 |
| 14 | Colorado Springs, CO | $102,107 | $49.09 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $100,776 | $48.45 |
| 16 | Tampa, FL | $100,773 | $48.45 |
| 17 | Brentwood, TN | $97,455 | $46.85 |
Lead information technology engineer salary details
A lead information technology engineer's salary ranges from $92,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $157,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lead information technology engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $157,000 | $13,083 | $75 |
| 75th Percentile | $138,000 | $11,500 | $66 |
| Average | $120,816 | $10,068 | $58 |
| 25th Percentile | $105,000 | $8,750 | $50 |
| 10th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
Highest paying lead information technology engineer jobs
The highest paying types of lead information technology engineers are information technology director, senior information technology manager, and information technology systems manager.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Information Technology Supervisor, Information Technology | $111,282 | $9,274 | $53.50 | 75,914 |
| Lead Systems Engineer | $119,705 | $9,975 | $57.55 | 186,392 |
| Information Technology Operations Manager | $114,752 | $9,563 | $55.17 | 160,088 |
| Information Technology Technical Lead | $110,879 | $9,240 | $53.31 | 156,246 |
| Information Engineer | $105,003 | $8,750 | $50.48 | 151,357 |
| Information Technology Administrator | $73,195 | $6,100 | $35.19 | 159,499 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for lead information technology engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring lead information technology engineers now:
Which companies pay lead information technology engineers the most?
Lead information technology engineer salaries at Levi Strauss & Co. and Reddit are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead information technology engineer salary at companies like Thumbtack and Sarepta Therapeutics are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Levi Strauss & Co. | $148,410 | $71.35 |
| 2 | $144,599 | $69.52 | |
| 3 | Thumbtack | $139,865 | $67.24 |
| 4 | Sarepta Therapeutics | $137,859 | $66.28 |
| 5 | Boston Consulting Group | $129,105 | $62.07 |
| 6 | Shipt | $126,442 | $60.79 |
| 7 | P&G | $125,645 | $60.41 |
| 8 | Gillette | $123,453 | $59.35 |
| 9 | American Axle & Manufacturing | $122,687 | $58.98 |
| 10 | Motion Recruitment | $121,774 | $58.55 |
| 11 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $121,100 | $58.22 |
| 12 | Accident Fund Insurance | $120,860 | $58.11 |
| 13 | SRS Consulting | $120,763 | $58.06 |
| 14 | Savvis | $120,211 | $57.79 |
| 15 | Crossfire | $120,196 | $57.79 |
| 16 | Teachers Insurance & Annuity Association of America | $120,180 | $57.78 |
| 17 | Keysight Technologies | $119,728 | $57.56 |
| 18 | Intercontinental Exchange Holdings Inc | $119,713 | $57.55 |
| 19 | Mainsail Group | $119,703 | $57.55 |
| 20 | Level 3 Audiovisual | $119,351 | $57.38 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lead Information Technology Engineer salary by industry
The average lead information technology engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average lead information technology engineer salary in the retail industry is $133,085, the highest of any industry.
- The average lead information technology engineer salary in the finance industry is $122,901.
- Lead information technology engineers in the telecommunication industry earn an average salary of $111,111, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for lead information technology engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $133,085 | $63.98 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $122,901 | $59.09 |
| 3 | Energy | $118,364 | $56.91 |
| 4 | Health Care | $115,246 | $55.41 |
| 5 | Insurance | $114,953 | $55.27 |
| 6 | Technology | $113,576 | $54.60 |
| 7 | Telecommunication | $111,111 | $53.42 |
High paying lead information technology engineer jobs
Lead information technology engineer salary trends
The average lead information technology engineer salary has risen by $22,046 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead information technology engineer earned $98,770 annually, but today, they earn $120,816 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for lead information technology engineers over the last decade.
Compare lead information technology engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lead information technology engineer salary over time
Compare lead information technology engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Lead information technology engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $121,000 | $58.08 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | $117,000 | $56.17 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $114,000 | $54.90 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $113,000 | $54.26 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $111,000 | $53.33 | +2.4% |
Recently added lead information technology engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lumen Technologies | Lead IT Systems Engineer-Federal | Herndon, VA | 06/26/2025 | $114,082 |
| Ulta Beauty, Inc. | Lead IT Engineer-Store Systems | Bolingbrook, IL | 06/25/2025 | $102,900 |
| Wells Fargo | Lead Ai-Driven IT Service Management (Itsm) Engineer | Iselin, NJ | 06/25/2025 | $126,400 |
| Wells Fargo | Lead Ai-Driven IT Service Management (Itsm) Engineer | Charlotte, NC | 06/25/2025 | $126,400 |
| Spacex | Lead IT Systems Engineer-Top Secret Clearance | Hawthorne, CA | 06/21/2025 | $135,000 |
| Xaira Therapeutics | Lead IT System Engineer | South San Francisco, CA | 06/09/2025 | $140,000 |
| Centurylink | Lead IT Systems Engineer-Federal | Noank, CT | 06/07/2025 | $114,082 |
| Lumen | Lead IT Systems Engineer-Federal | Pierre, SD | 06/03/2025 | $114,082 |
| Lumen | Lead IT Systems Engineer-Federal | Carson City, NV | 06/03/2025 | $114,082 |
| Lumen | Lead IT Systems Engineer-Federal | Providence, RI | 06/03/2025 | $114,082 |
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