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Lead programmer salary
Average lead programmer salary
$118,938
Average Lead Programmer Salary
The average salary for a Lead Programmer in the United States is approximately $118,938 per year, or about $57 per hour. This figure varies based on factors such as location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, Lead Programmers in tech hubs like California and New York often earn higher salaries compared to those in other states.
Where Can a Lead Programmer Earn More?
States like Washington and Massachusetts consistently rank as top-paying regions for Lead Programmers. Industries such as software development, finance, and healthcare also offer competitive salaries. Understanding these factors can assist job seekers in targeting opportunities that align with their financial expectations.
Salary Estimates from Across the Web
When researching Lead Programmer salaries, it’s essential to consider various sources for a comprehensive view. Websites like Glassdoor and PayScale provide valuable insights into average salaries based on user-reported data. This collective information aids in benchmarking your salary against industry standards.
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Where can a Lead Programmer earn more?
Lead programmer salary estimates from across the web
Average lead programmer salary by state
The highest-paying states for lead programmers are Washington, New York, and New Jersey. The lowest average lead programmer salary states are Arkansas, Montana, and New Mexico.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for lead programmers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $139,890 | $67.25 |
| 2 | Oregon | $126,912 | $61.02 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $126,451 | $60.79 |
| 4 | Delaware | $126,030 | $60.59 |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | $114,708 | $55.15 |
| 6 | New York | $137,516 | $66.11 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $133,684 | $64.27 |
| 8 | Vermont | $118,803 | $57.12 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $122,641 | $58.96 |
| 10 | Nevada | $118,019 | $56.74 |
| 11 | Idaho | $114,228 | $54.92 |
| 12 | Virginia | $120,526 | $57.95 |
| 13 | Ohio | $112,476 | $54.08 |
| 14 | Indiana | $112,798 | $54.23 |
| 15 | California | $121,190 | $58.26 |
| 16 | District of Columbia | $118,615 | $57.03 |
| 17 | Maryland | $119,595 | $57.50 |
| 18 | Utah | $107,014 | $51.45 |
| 19 | Rhode Island | $110,420 | $53.09 |
| 20 | Alaska | $111,348 | $53.53 |
| 21 | Maine | $116,130 | $55.83 |
| 22 | South Carolina | $116,327 | $55.93 |
| 23 | Florida | $116,506 | $56.01 |
| 24 | Minnesota | $113,463 | $54.55 |
| 25 | North Dakota | $108,293 | $52.06 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $111,668 | $53.69 |
| 27 | Illinois | $108,829 | $52.32 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $109,718 | $52.75 |
| 29 | South Dakota | $102,925 | $49.48 |
| 30 | Georgia | $108,725 | $52.27 |
| 31 | Texas | $106,495 | $51.20 |
| 32 | Kentucky | $107,075 | $51.48 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $107,359 | $51.61 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $106,834 | $51.36 |
| 35 | Kansas | $98,871 | $47.53 |
| 36 | Arizona | $103,235 | $49.63 |
| 37 | Michigan | $103,871 | $49.94 |
| 38 | Iowa | $102,790 | $49.42 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $101,032 | $48.57 |
| 40 | Montana | $94,291 | $45.33 |
| 41 | Colorado | $100,621 | $48.38 |
| 42 | Arkansas | $94,504 | $45.43 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $103,140 | $49.59 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $101,576 | $48.83 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $96,655 | $46.47 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $98,819 | $47.51 |
| 47 | Wyoming | $92,140 | $44.30 |
| 48 | New Mexico | $93,304 | $44.86 |
| 49 | Missouri | $97,127 | $46.70 |
| 50 | Alabama | $92,354 | $44.40 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $83,483 | $40.14 |
Highest paying cities for lead programmers
The highest-paying cities for lead programmers are Bellevue, WA, White Plains, NY, and Jersey City, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bellevue, WA | $140,773 | $67.68 |
| 2 | White Plains, NY | $137,736 | $66.22 |
| 3 | Jersey City, NJ | $133,881 | $64.37 |
| 4 | San Francisco, CA | $132,349 | $63.63 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $126,469 | $60.80 |
| 6 | Wilmington, DE | $126,143 | $60.65 |
| 7 | Cary, NC | $123,832 | $59.53 |
| 8 | Jacksonville, FL | $121,577 | $58.45 |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | $119,787 | $57.59 |
| 10 | Washington, DC | $118,651 | $57.04 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $115,317 | $55.44 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $113,467 | $54.55 |
| 13 | Danbury, CT | $111,630 | $53.67 |
| 14 | Bloomington, IN | $111,320 | $53.52 |
| 15 | Cincinnati, OH | $110,110 | $52.94 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $109,394 | $52.59 |
| 17 | Johns Creek, GA | $109,015 | $52.41 |
| 18 | Frankfort, KY | $108,006 | $51.93 |
| 19 | Austin, TX | $107,460 | $51.66 |
| 20 | Draper, UT | $106,570 | $51.24 |
Lead programmer salary details
A lead programmer's salary ranges from $87,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $161,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a lead programmer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $161,000 | $13,417 | $77 |
| 75th Percentile | $139,000 | $11,583 | $67 |
| Average | $118,938 | $9,912 | $57 |
| 25th Percentile | $101,000 | $8,417 | $49 |
| 10th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
Highest paying lead programmer jobs
The highest paying types of lead programmers are software engineer lead, senior software development engineer, and lead software developer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Consultant | $88,605 | $7,384 | $42.60 | 275,746 |
| Software Engineer Lead | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60.37 | 342,462 |
| Project Leader | $98,559 | $8,213 | $47.38 | 221,165 |
| Lead Software Developer | $115,072 | $9,589 | $55.32 | 309,029 |
| Program Developer | $74,749 | $6,229 | $35.94 | 128,488 |
| Programmer Analyst | $71,563 | $5,964 | $34.41 | 248,781 |
Top companies hiring lead programmers now:
Which companies pay lead programmers the most?
Lead programmer salaries at Merrill Lynch and Bertch are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average lead programmer salary at companies like ZeniMax Media and Epic Games are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Merrill Lynch | $139,878 | $67.25 |
| 2 | Bertch | $130,660 | $62.82 |
| 3 | ZeniMax Media | $129,681 | $62.35 |
| 4 | Epic Games | $128,774 | $61.91 |
| 5 | ArenaNet | $128,556 | $61.81 |
| 6 | Qualys | $128,543 | $61.80 |
| 7 | Clario | $126,688 | $60.91 |
| 8 | Albertsons | $126,280 | $60.71 |
| 9 | Edwards Lifesciences | $125,784 | $60.47 |
| 10 | Tiffany & Co. | $125,460 | $60.32 |
| 11 | Incyte | $123,512 | $59.38 |
| 12 | Clean Harbors | $121,855 | $58.58 |
| 13 | Acceleron Pharma | $121,534 | $58.43 |
| 14 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $121,473 | $58.40 |
| 15 | AstraZeneca | $121,326 | $58.33 |
| 16 | Sony Electronics | $119,360 | $57.38 |
| 17 | PEAK Technical Staffing USA | $119,244 | $57.33 |
| 18 | Bayer | $119,101 | $57.26 |
| 19 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $118,931 | $57.18 |
| 20 | o2ideas | $117,494 | $56.49 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Lead Programmer salary by industry
The average lead programmer salary varies across industries:
- The average lead programmer salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $116,947, the highest of any industry.
- The average lead programmer salary in the finance industry is $115,001.
- Lead programmers in the utilities industry earn an average salary of $96,464, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for lead programmers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $116,947 | $56.22 |
| 2 | Retail | $115,001 | $55.29 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $112,807 | $54.23 |
| 4 | Technology | $111,800 | $53.75 |
| 5 | Finance | $111,720 | $53.71 |
| 6 | Professional | $108,763 | $52.29 |
| 7 | Automotive | $105,266 | $50.61 |
| 8 | Utilities | $96,464 | $46.38 |
High paying lead programmer jobs
Lead programmer salary trends
The average lead programmer salary has risen by $22,062 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average lead programmer earned $96,876 annually, but today, they earn $118,938 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for lead programmers over the last decade.
Compare lead programmer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average lead programmer salary over time
Compare lead programmer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Lead programmer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $119,000 | $57.18 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $115,000 | $55.30 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $112,000 | $54.05 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $110,000 | $52.74 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $106,000 | $51.20 | +0.4% |
Recently added lead programmer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayo Clinic | Lead Analyst Programmer-WFM Integration | Rochester, MN | 06/15/2025 | $110,614 |
| Advastar | Lead Programmer | Conroe, TX | 06/11/2025 | $75,132 |
| Global Channel Management | Lead Programmer | Las Vegas, NV | 06/10/2025 | $156,525 |
| Iberdrola | Lead Programmer-Networks | Hope, ME | 04/29/2025 | $92,100 |
| Playstation | Lead Audio Programmer | Los Angeles, CA | 04/28/2025 | $186,700 |
| Global Channel Management | Lead Programmer | Las Vegas, NV | 04/28/2025 | $156,525 |
| Lam Research | SAP Programmer Lead | Fremont, CA | 04/19/2025 | $89,000 |
| Global Channel Management | Lead Programmer | Las Vegas, NV | 03/27/2025 | $156,525 |
| GE Vernova | Lead Robotics Programmer | Greenville, SC | 03/27/2025 | $90,400 |
| Sonyinteractiveentertainmentglobal | Lead Audio Programmer | Los Angeles, CA | 03/26/2025 | $186,700 |
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