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The differences between senior java developers and lead developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a senior java developer and a lead developer. Additionally, a lead developer has an average salary of $116,340, which is higher than the $106,767 average annual salary of a senior java developer.
The top three skills for a senior java developer include java, spring boot and database. The most important skills for a lead developer are java, javascript, and architecture.
| Senior Java Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,767 | $116,340 |
| Hourly rate | $51.33 | $55.93 |
| Growth rate | 13% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 248,350 | 274,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A senior java developer's responsibilities will vary upon the industry or preference of a client. Aside from developing programs and applications, the tasks will also revolve around leading a team and overseeing the project's progress, coordinating with every workforce member, conducting extensive research, testing, and analysis, troubleshooting, and designing. It is also essential to detect and resolve issues as soon as possible, implement guidelines, keep detailed documentation about the project, and devise strategies to improve the workforce and workflow.
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 java developers and lead developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Java Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Average salary | $106,767 | $116,340 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $137,000 | Between $83,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Flexion Therapeutics | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior java developer and a lead developer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Java Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | - | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between senior java developers' and lead developers' demographics:
| Senior Java Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Average age | 37 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 74.6% Female, 25.4% | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 16.0% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | 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 | 9% | 8% |