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The role of a Process Engineer Lead is critical in various industries, focusing on optimizing processes and improving efficiency. As of October 2025, the national average salary stands at $110,175, with top earners significantly exceeding this figure. Experience plays a pivotal role in determining salary; those in senior positions or specialized industries typically earn more.
Geographic location also affects compensation. For instance, states like California and Texas often offer higher salaries due to their robust job markets. Cities such as San Francisco and Houston are known for competitive pay scales, reflecting the demand for skilled engineers. To maximize earnings, professionals should consider opportunities in high-paying industries like technology and manufacturing.
Here’s a brief overview of average salaries by state for Process Engineer Leads:
With the right qualifications and experience, Process Engineer Leads can find lucrative opportunities tailored to their skills and career aspirations.
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The highest-paying states for process engineers lead are California, Massachusetts, and Alabama. The lowest average process engineer lead salary states are North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $134,877 | $64.84 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $127,880 | $61.48 |
| 3 | Nevada | $118,107 | $56.78 |
| 4 | Kansas | $117,572 | $56.52 |
| 5 | Arizona | $121,016 | $58.18 |
| 6 | Alabama | $125,329 | $60.25 |
| 7 | Virginia | $125,025 | $60.11 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | $115,982 | $55.76 |
| 9 | Texas | $120,110 | $57.75 |
| 10 | Georgia | $121,997 | $58.65 |
| 11 | Michigan | $110,412 | $53.08 |
| 12 | New Mexico | $112,798 | $54.23 |
| 13 | Washington | $118,729 | $57.08 |
| 14 | Maryland | $121,156 | $58.25 |
| 15 | Louisiana | $117,450 | $56.47 |
| 16 | Colorado | $114,353 | $54.98 |
| 17 | Montana | $108,277 | $52.06 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $113,346 | $54.49 |
| 19 | Oregon | $111,684 | $53.69 |
| 20 | Idaho | $106,321 | $51.12 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $114,072 | $54.84 |
| 22 | Florida | $115,171 | $55.37 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $110,937 | $53.34 |
| 24 | Arkansas | $102,932 | $49.49 |
| 25 | Utah | $108,384 | $52.11 |
| 26 | Ohio | $108,430 | $52.13 |
| 27 | New York | $115,815 | $55.68 |
| 28 | Mississippi | $109,424 | $52.61 |
| 29 | Alaska | $100,954 | $48.54 |
| 30 | Delaware | $103,821 | $49.91 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $103,184 | $49.61 |
| 32 | District of Columbia | $105,892 | $50.91 |
| 33 | New Jersey | $109,301 | $52.55 |
| 34 | Connecticut | $105,321 | $50.64 |
| 35 | Maine | $103,670 | $49.84 |
| 36 | North Carolina | $98,282 | $47.25 |
| 37 | Missouri | $102,202 | $49.14 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $99,299 | $47.74 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | $96,975 | $46.62 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $92,916 | $44.67 |
| 41 | Illinois | $100,870 | $48.50 |
| 42 | Nebraska | $90,094 | $43.31 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $108,338 | $52.09 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $97,175 | $46.72 |
| 45 | Iowa | $97,306 | $46.78 |
| 46 | South Carolina | $96,919 | $46.60 |
| 47 | Kentucky | $96,503 | $46.40 |
| 48 | Indiana | $88,998 | $42.79 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $89,700 | $43.13 |
| 50 | North Dakota | $93,289 | $44.85 |
| 51 | Vermont | $88,920 | $42.75 |
The highest-paying cities for process engineers lead are San Francisco, CA, Cambridge, MA, and Manassas, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $143,194 | $68.84 |
| 2 | Cambridge, MA | $127,957 | $61.52 |
| 3 | Manassas, VA | $124,826 | $60.01 |
| 4 | Bessemer, AL | $124,165 | $59.69 |
| 5 | Baltimore, MD | $121,338 | $58.34 |
| 6 | Phoenix, AZ | $121,201 | $58.27 |
| 7 | San Antonio, TX | $120,900 | $58.13 |
| 8 | New York, NY | $115,926 | $55.73 |
| 9 | Centennial, CO | $114,216 | $54.91 |
| 10 | Philadelphia, PA | $111,385 | $53.55 |
| 11 | Troy, MI | $110,563 | $53.16 |
| 12 | Deptford, NJ | $108,791 | $52.30 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City, UT | $107,535 | $51.70 |
| 14 | Lewiston, ID | $107,147 | $51.51 |
| 15 | Saint Paul, MN | $103,256 | $49.64 |
| 16 | Maryland Heights, MO | $102,186 | $49.13 |
| 17 | Cedar Falls, IA | $98,368 | $47.29 |
| 18 | Charlotte, NC | $98,177 | $47.20 |
| 19 | Neenah, WI | $89,988 | $43.26 |
A process engineer lead's salary ranges from $84,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $143,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $143,000 | $11,917 | $69 |
| 75th Percentile | $126,000 | $10,500 | $61 |
| Average | $110,175 | $9,181 | $53 |
| 25th Percentile | $95,000 | $7,917 | $46 |
| 10th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
The highest paying types of process engineers lead are staff engineer, project lead engineer, and reliability engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Engineer | $79,672 | $6,639 | $38.30 | 96,838 |
| Reliability Engineer | $105,551 | $8,796 | $50.75 | 44,471 |
| Industrial Engineer | $76,501 | $6,375 | $36.78 | 46,756 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Chemical Engineer | $89,449 | $7,454 | $43.00 | 42,176 |
| Planning Engineer | $82,521 | $6,877 | $39.67 | 56,792 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for process engineer leads, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Dr. Sanchari Chowdhury Ph.D.
Assistant Professor, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology
Top companies hiring process engineers lead now:
Process engineer lead salaries at First Republic Bank and Chevron are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average process engineer lead salary at companies like Phillips 66 and PBF Energy are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | First Republic Bank | $135,905 | $65.34 |
| 2 | Chevron | $126,867 | $60.99 |
| 3 | Phillips 66 | $122,287 | $58.79 |
| 4 | PBF Energy | $122,145 | $58.72 |
| 5 | BNY Mellon | $121,582 | $58.45 |
| 6 | Koch Industries | $121,389 | $58.36 |
| 7 | Magic Leap | $120,170 | $57.77 |
| 8 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $118,417 | $56.93 |
| 9 | Entegris | $116,632 | $56.07 |
| 10 | Burns & McDonnell | $115,817 | $55.68 |
| 11 | Nikola Motor | $115,139 | $55.36 |
| 12 | Tesla | $114,720 | $55.15 |
| 13 | MiaSol | $113,844 | $54.73 |
| 14 | Hargrove Engineers + Constructors | $113,389 | $54.51 |
| 15 | Lantheus | $112,975 | $54.31 |
| 16 | Goodwin Recruiting | $112,902 | $54.28 |
| 17 | BD | $112,546 | $54.11 |
| 18 | Micron Technology | $112,515 | $54.09 |
| 19 | The Mosaic Company | $112,507 | $54.09 |
| 20 | Sargent & Lundy | $111,329 | $53.52 |
The average process engineer lead salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Energy | $116,254 | $55.89 |
| 2 | Automotive | $106,933 | $51.41 |
| 3 | Technology | $105,030 | $50.50 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $104,312 | $50.15 |
| 5 | Construction | $97,657 | $46.95 |
The average process engineer lead salary has risen by $14,504 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average process engineer lead earned $95,671 annually, but today, they earn $110,175 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for process engineers lead over the last decade.
Compare process engineer lead salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare process engineer lead salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $110,000 | $52.97 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $109,000 | $52.42 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $108,000 | $51.83 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $106,000 | $51.14 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $104,000 | $50.21 | +1.0% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Software Process Lead Engineer | El Segundo, CA | 06/30/2025 | $136,850 |
| Pfizer | Process Engineering Lead | Sanford, NC | 06/26/2025 | $135,100 |
| Morgan Stanley | Business Process Reengineering Lead | New York, NY | 06/20/2025 | $139,000 |
| Samsung Electronics America | Engineer, Software Process Engineering/Lead Devops Engineer | Mountain View, CA | 06/20/2025 | $226,158 |
| Advansix Inc. | Lead Process Engineer | Richmond, VA | 06/16/2025 | $118,800 |
| Keybank National Association | Lead Process Engineer or Process Engineer | Homeworth, OH | 06/12/2025 | $80,000 |
| Boeing | Software Process Lead Engineer | Los Angeles, CA | 06/12/2025 | $136,850 |
| HD Supply | Lead Process Engineer | Sacramento, CA | 06/11/2025 | $121,700 |
| Anduril Industries | Lead Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Engineer, Electronic Warfare | Costa Mesa, CA | 06/08/2025 | $180,000 |
| Schweitzer Engineering Labs | Lead Process Engineer | Pullman, WA | 06/03/2025 | $79,400 |
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