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The differences between senior developer analysts and lead developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a senior developer analyst, becoming a lead developer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a lead developer has an average salary of $116,340, which is higher than the $96,151 average annual salary of a senior developer analyst.
The top three skills for a senior developer analyst include java, C++ and C #. The most important skills for a lead developer are java, javascript, and architecture.
| Senior Developer Analyst | Lead Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $96,151 | $116,340 |
| Hourly rate | $46.23 | $55.93 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 156,482 | 274,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A senior developer analyst specializes in software development and analysis. It is their duty to design and develop systems and applications according to the company's needs, perform research and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of current systems, come up with solutions in problem areas, and perform risk assessments. They may also perform installations and modifications, review data, and conduct regular maintenance checks, execute repairs as needed. Furthermore, as a senior developer analyst, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while enforcing the company's security protocols and regulations.
A lead developer is responsible for creating software programs and applications, following the client and the business's software quality standards and design specifications. Lead developers assist a team of developers in implementing strategic procedures, managing system codes, debugging applications, running diagnostic tests, and troubleshooting defects to ensure its smooth performance. They also respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, performing feature adjustments as needed. A lead developer must have strong knowledge of the technology industry and command on programming languages and software design processes.
Senior developer analysts and lead developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Developer Analyst | Lead Developer | |
| Average salary | $96,151 | $116,340 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $126,000 | Between $83,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Baker McKenzie | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior developer analyst and a lead developer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Developer Analyst | Lead Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior developer analysts' and lead developers' demographics:
| Senior Developer Analyst | Lead Developer | |
| Average age | 43 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.1% Female, 24.9% | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 21.4% White, 53.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |