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Process engineer lead salary

Quoted expert
Dr. Sanchari Chowdhury Ph.D.

Average process engineer lead salary

$110,175

$52.97 hourly rate

Entry-level process engineer lead salary
$84,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Understanding Process Engineer Lead Salaries

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.

Salary by State

Here’s a brief overview of average salaries by state for Process Engineer Leads:

  • California: $120,000
  • Texas: $115,000
  • New York: $118,000

With the right qualifications and experience, Process Engineer Leads can find lucrative opportunities tailored to their skills and career aspirations.

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Where can a Process Engineer Lead earn more?

Compare salary by location
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Columbus, OH$143,194
Neenah, WI$89,988
Compare salary by company
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First Republic Bank$135,905
Sargent & Lundy$111,329

Average process engineer lead salary by state

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.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for process engineers lead

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1California$134,877$64.84
2Massachusetts$127,880$61.48
3Nevada$118,107$56.78
4Kansas$117,572$56.52
5Arizona$121,016$58.18
6Alabama$125,329$60.25
7Virginia$125,025$60.11
8Oklahoma$115,982$55.76
9Texas$120,110$57.75
10Georgia$121,997$58.65
11Michigan$110,412$53.08
12New Mexico$112,798$54.23
13Washington$118,729$57.08
14Maryland$121,156$58.25
15Louisiana$117,450$56.47
16Colorado$114,353$54.98
17Montana$108,277$52.06
18Rhode Island$113,346$54.49
19Oregon$111,684$53.69
20Idaho$106,321$51.12
21Wyoming$114,072$54.84
22Florida$115,171$55.37
23Pennsylvania$110,937$53.34
24Arkansas$102,932$49.49
25Utah$108,384$52.11
26Ohio$108,430$52.13
27New York$115,815$55.68
28Mississippi$109,424$52.61
29Alaska$100,954$48.54
30Delaware$103,821$49.91
31Minnesota$103,184$49.61
32District of Columbia$105,892$50.91
33New Jersey$109,301$52.55
34Connecticut$105,321$50.64
35Maine$103,670$49.84
36North Carolina$98,282$47.25
37Missouri$102,202$49.14
38Tennessee$99,299$47.74
39New Hampshire$96,975$46.62
40South Dakota$92,916$44.67
41Illinois$100,870$48.50
42Nebraska$90,094$43.31
43Hawaii$108,338$52.09
44West Virginia$97,175$46.72
45Iowa$97,306$46.78
46South Carolina$96,919$46.60
47Kentucky$96,503$46.40
48Indiana$88,998$42.79
49Wisconsin$89,700$43.13
50North Dakota$93,289$44.85
51Vermont$88,920$42.75

Highest paying cities for process engineers lead

The highest-paying cities for process engineers lead are San Francisco, CA, Cambridge, MA, and Manassas, VA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$143,194$68.84
2Cambridge, MA$127,957$61.52
3Manassas, VA$124,826$60.01
4Bessemer, AL$124,165$59.69
5Baltimore, MD$121,338$58.34
6Phoenix, AZ$121,201$58.27
7San Antonio, TX$120,900$58.13
8New York, NY$115,926$55.73
9Centennial, CO$114,216$54.91
10Philadelphia, PA$111,385$53.55
11Troy, MI$110,563$53.16
12Deptford, NJ$108,791$52.30
13Salt Lake City, UT$107,535$51.70
14Lewiston, ID$107,147$51.51
15Saint Paul, MN$103,256$49.64
16Maryland Heights, MO$102,186$49.13
17Cedar Falls, IA$98,368$47.29
18Charlotte, NC$98,177$47.20
19Neenah, WI$89,988$43.26

Process engineer lead salary details

A process engineer lead's salary ranges from $84,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $143,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average process engineer lead salary graph
Average process engineer lead salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a process engineer lead's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly 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

Highest paying process engineer lead jobs

The highest paying types of process engineers lead are staff engineer, project lead engineer, and reliability engineer.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Quality Engineer$79,672$6,639$38.3096,838
Reliability Engineer$105,551$8,796$50.7544,471
Industrial Engineer$76,501$6,375$36.7846,756
Staff Engineer$107,530$8,961$51.70277,011
Chemical Engineer$89,449$7,454$43.0042,176
Planning Engineer$82,521$6,877$39.6756,792

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

Chemical Engineers are one of the highest-paid professionals out there. The median annual wage for chemical engineers is $108,770, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $66,810 and the highest 10 percent earning more than $176,090. The starting salary could be easily around 75k for a Chemical Engineering BS. See the following website Bls

Top companies hiring process engineers lead now:

  1. Chevron jobs (8)
  2. Texas Instruments jobs (7)
  3. Intel jobs (6)
  4. Goodwin Recruiting jobs (5)
  5. Micron Technology jobs (19)

Which companies pay process engineers lead the most?

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.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1First Republic Bank$135,905$65.34
2Chevron$126,867$60.99
3Phillips 66$122,287$58.79
4PBF Energy$122,145$58.72
5BNY Mellon$121,582$58.45
6Koch Industries$121,389$58.36
7Magic Leap$120,170$57.77
8JPMorgan Chase & Co.$118,417$56.93
9Entegris$116,632$56.07
10Burns & McDonnell$115,817$55.68
11Nikola Motor$115,139$55.36
12Tesla$114,720$55.15
13MiaSol$113,844$54.73
14Hargrove Engineers + Constructors$113,389$54.51
15Lantheus$112,975$54.31
16Goodwin Recruiting$112,902$54.28
17BD$112,546$54.11
18Micron Technology$112,515$54.09
19The Mosaic Company$112,507$54.09
20Sargent & Lundy$111,329$53.52

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$113,000$112,200$111,400$110,600$109,800$109,000
MaleFemale

Process Engineer Lead salary by industry

The average process engineer lead salary varies across industries:

  • The average process engineer lead salary in the energy industry is $116,254, the highest of any industry.
  • The average process engineer lead salary in the finance industry is $106,933.
  • Process engineers lead in the construction industry earn an average salary of $97,657, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for process engineers lead

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Energy$116,254$55.89
2Automotive$106,933$51.41
3Technology$105,030$50.50
4Manufacturing$104,312$50.15
5Construction$97,657$46.95

High paying process engineer lead jobs

Process engineer lead salary trends

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.

Average process engineer lead salary over time

Compare process engineer lead salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Process engineer lead salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly 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%

Recently added process engineer lead salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
JeppesenSoftware Process Lead EngineerEl Segundo, CA06/30/2025$136,850
PfizerProcess Engineering LeadSanford, NC06/26/2025$135,100
Morgan StanleyBusiness Process Reengineering LeadNew York, NY06/20/2025$139,000
Samsung Electronics AmericaEngineer, Software Process Engineering/Lead Devops EngineerMountain View, CA06/20/2025$226,158
Advansix Inc.Lead Process EngineerRichmond, VA06/16/2025$118,800
Keybank National AssociationLead Process Engineer or Process EngineerHomeworth, OH06/12/2025$80,000
BoeingSoftware Process Lead EngineerLos Angeles, CA06/12/2025$136,850
HD SupplyLead Process EngineerSacramento, CA06/11/2025$121,700
Anduril IndustriesLead Digital Signal Processing (DSP) Engineer, Electronic WarfareCosta Mesa, CA06/08/2025$180,000
Schweitzer Engineering LabsLead Process EngineerPullman, WA06/03/2025$79,400

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