Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Software leader salary
Average software leader salary
$124,694
Average Software Leader Salary
The average salary for a Software Leader is currently $124,694 per year. This figure varies significantly based on several factors, including geographic location and years of experience. For instance, software leaders in tech hubs such as Silicon Valley and New York City typically earn higher salaries due to the demand for skilled professionals in those areas.
Salary Breakdown by State
States like California and Washington offer some of the highest salaries for software leaders, often exceeding the national average. Understanding these regional differences can aid in career planning and salary negotiations.
Industries with Highest Paying Opportunities
Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare frequently provide competitive salaries for software leaders. These sectors value leadership skills and technical expertise, which can lead to lucrative job offers. As companies continue to invest in technology, the demand for experienced software leaders is expected to grow, making this a promising career path.
Let Zippi find your next software leader job
Let Zippi find your next software leader job
Where can a Software Leader earn more?
Average software leader salary by state
The highest-paying states for software leaders are California, Washington, and Nevada. The lowest average software leader salary states are Louisiana, Florida, and Mississippi.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software leaders
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $160,088 | $76.97 |
| 2 | Oregon | $145,009 | $69.72 |
| 3 | California | $160,383 | $77.11 |
| 4 | Montana | $127,061 | $61.09 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $130,146 | $62.57 |
| 6 | Nevada | $145,852 | $70.12 |
| 7 | Idaho | $128,196 | $61.63 |
| 8 | Delaware | $123,104 | $59.18 |
| 9 | Maryland | $129,033 | $62.04 |
| 10 | Utah | $116,824 | $56.17 |
| 11 | Arizona | $125,986 | $60.57 |
| 12 | Alaska | $120,983 | $58.16 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $117,831 | $56.65 |
| 14 | Maine | $117,686 | $56.58 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $115,234 | $55.40 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $111,332 | $53.52 |
| 17 | Arkansas | $114,958 | $55.27 |
| 18 | New York | $120,050 | $57.72 |
| 19 | Michigan | $115,302 | $55.43 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $109,919 | $52.85 |
| 21 | Vermont | $111,079 | $53.40 |
| 22 | Georgia | $113,913 | $54.77 |
| 23 | New Jersey | $114,405 | $55.00 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $107,725 | $51.79 |
| 25 | Texas | $109,253 | $52.53 |
| 26 | Wisconsin | $111,485 | $53.60 |
| 27 | Virginia | $109,326 | $52.56 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $110,886 | $53.31 |
| 29 | Hawaii | $120,677 | $58.02 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $108,649 | $52.24 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $101,826 | $48.95 |
| 32 | Illinois | $107,726 | $51.79 |
| 33 | District of Columbia | $104,414 | $50.20 |
| 34 | Indiana | $104,381 | $50.18 |
| 35 | Colorado | $104,977 | $50.47 |
| 36 | Ohio | $102,397 | $49.23 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $101,117 | $48.61 |
| 38 | Connecticut | $105,359 | $50.65 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $98,907 | $47.55 |
| 40 | Kansas | $100,384 | $48.26 |
| 41 | Alabama | $101,038 | $48.58 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $100,656 | $48.39 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $92,386 | $44.42 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $100,779 | $48.45 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $100,427 | $48.28 |
| 46 | Missouri | $99,930 | $48.04 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $98,369 | $47.29 |
| 48 | Florida | $96,392 | $46.34 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $96,159 | $46.23 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $91,320 | $43.90 |
| 51 | Iowa | $90,603 | $43.56 |
Highest paying cities for software leaders
The highest-paying cities for software leaders are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Las Vegas, NV.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $171,424 | $82.42 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $161,827 | $77.80 |
| 3 | Las Vegas, NV | $145,198 | $69.81 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $130,095 | $62.55 |
| 5 | New York, NY | $120,165 | $57.77 |
| 6 | Warren, MI | $115,682 | $55.62 |
| 7 | Edison, NJ | $114,445 | $55.02 |
| 8 | Alpharetta, GA | $113,794 | $54.71 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh, PA | $112,896 | $54.28 |
| 10 | McLean, VA | $110,432 | $53.09 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $110,266 | $53.01 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $108,060 | $51.95 |
| 13 | Denver, CO | $104,905 | $50.44 |
| 14 | Washington, DC | $104,396 | $50.19 |
| 15 | Columbus, IN | $103,510 | $49.76 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $101,991 | $49.03 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $100,726 | $48.43 |
| 18 | Charlotte, NC | $99,814 | $47.99 |
| 19 | Tampa, FL | $97,620 | $46.93 |
| 20 | La Vergne, TN | $91,486 | $43.98 |
Software leader salary details
A software leader's salary ranges from $93,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $166,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software leader's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $166,000 | $13,833 | $80 |
| 75th Percentile | $145,000 | $12,083 | $70 |
| Average | $124,694 | $10,391 | $60 |
| 25th Percentile | $107,000 | $8,917 | $51 |
| 10th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
Highest paying software leader jobs
The highest paying types of software leaders are software engineering manager, software development manager, and principal software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Software Engineering Manager | $140,929 | $11,744 | $67.75 | 262,296 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Software Consultant | $88,605 | $7,384 | $42.60 | 275,746 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Quality Engineer | $99,902 | $8,325 | $48.03 | 279,437 |
Top companies hiring software leaders now:
Which companies pay software leaders the most?
Software leader salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software leader salary at companies like Microsoft and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $211,278 | $101.58 |
| 2 | $203,221 | $97.70 | |
| 3 | Microsoft | $180,231 | $86.65 |
| 4 | Apple | $173,966 | $83.64 |
| 5 | Hulu | $171,543 | $82.47 |
| 6 | Brocade Services Corporation | $166,338 | $79.97 |
| 7 | VMware | $165,470 | $79.55 |
| 8 | Zoom Video Communications | $163,563 | $78.64 |
| 9 | Cardinal Intellectual Property | $157,967 | $75.95 |
| 10 | Volvo Trucks | $152,359 | $73.25 |
| 11 | Logitech | $152,111 | $73.13 |
| 12 | Cisco | $152,057 | $73.10 |
| 13 | BrightEdge | $151,449 | $72.81 |
| 14 | Amd | $151,289 | $72.74 |
| 15 | Fisher Investments | $151,014 | $72.60 |
| 16 | Citi | $150,480 | $72.35 |
| 17 | Securonix | $150,026 | $72.13 |
| 18 | Tesla | $148,787 | $71.53 |
| 19 | BorgWarner | $148,763 | $71.52 |
| 20 | CyberCoders | $147,529 | $70.93 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Leader salary by industry
The average software leader salary varies across industries:
- The average software leader salary in the finance industry is $138,104, the highest of any industry.
- The average software leader salary in the finance industry is $125,958.
- Software leaders in the transportation industry earn an average salary of $106,891, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software leaders
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $138,104 | $66.40 |
| 2 | Automotive | $125,958 | $60.56 |
| 3 | Health Care | $108,108 | $51.98 |
| 4 | Technology | $107,505 | $51.69 |
| 5 | Transportation | $106,891 | $51.39 |
High paying software leader jobs
Software leader salary trends
The average software leader salary has risen by $23,149 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software leader earned $101,545 annually, but today, they earn $124,694 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software leaders over the last decade.
Compare software leader salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software leader salary over time
Compare software leader salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software leader salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $125,000 | $59.95 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $121,000 | $57.97 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $118,000 | $56.66 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $116,000 | $55.66 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $114,000 | $54.73 | +1.8% |
Recently added software leader salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Satellite Payload Testbed Software Lead | El Segundo, CA | 06/30/2025 | $141,000 |
| Blue Origin | Hardware-Software Integration Lead-Lunar Permanence | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $140,959 |
| Anduril Industries | Mission Systems Software Lead, Surface Maritime | Costa Mesa, CA | 06/29/2025 | $168,000 |
| Sierra Nevada | Missile Software and Performance IPT Lead | Lone Tree, CO | 06/25/2025 | $165,010 |
| Northrop Grumman | SR. Principal Software IPT Lead | Los Angeles, CA | 06/24/2025 | $137,400 |
| Boeing | Satellite Payload Testbed Software Lead | Los Angeles, CA | 06/24/2025 | $141,000 |
| Inceed | Software Delivery Lead | Overland Park, KS | 06/24/2025 | $130,000 |
| at&T | Lead Software Configuration, Workday | Dallas, TX | 06/20/2025 | $118,800 |
| at&T | Lead Software Configuration, Workday | Atlanta, GA | 06/20/2025 | $118,800 |
| BNL Technical Services | Controls Software Technical Lead | Fine, NY | 06/20/2025 | $120,000 |
Software leader salary FAQs
Search for software leader jobs