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Senior/lead developer salary
Average senior/lead developer salary
$127,208
Understanding Senior/Lead Developer Salaries
As of October 2025, a Senior/Lead Developer earns an average salary of $127,208 per year. This figure can vary based on experience, geographical location, and the specific industry in which one works. Senior/Lead Developers typically supervise teams, define project scopes, and ensure high-quality software delivery, which justifies their competitive compensation.
Average Salary by State
Some states offer higher salaries due to demand for tech talent. For instance, developers in California and New York often command higher salaries compared to their counterparts in other states. Additionally, cities like San Francisco and Seattle provide some of the most lucrative opportunities.
Job Opportunities
Job seekers can explore various industries, from finance to healthcare, where Senior/Lead Developers are in demand. By focusing on specific skill sets and obtaining relevant certifications, candidates can improve their marketability and salary potential.
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Where can a Senior/Lead Developer earn more?
Average senior/lead developer salary by state
The average senior/lead developer salary in Alaska, New York, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior/lead developer salary states are Arkansas, Kansas, and South Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior/lead developers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $167,412 | $80.49 |
| 2 | Pennsylvania | $132,098 | $63.51 |
| 3 | Delaware | $145,946 | $70.17 |
| 4 | New York | $150,260 | $72.24 |
| 5 | California | $147,741 | $71.03 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $144,817 | $69.62 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $136,968 | $65.85 |
| 8 | Washington | $135,274 | $65.04 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $140,581 | $67.59 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $142,708 | $68.61 |
| 11 | Vermont | $127,640 | $61.37 |
| 12 | Utah | $120,293 | $57.83 |
| 13 | Maine | $128,286 | $61.68 |
| 14 | Virginia | $124,935 | $60.06 |
| 15 | Wyoming | $122,469 | $58.88 |
| 16 | North Carolina | $128,654 | $61.85 |
| 17 | Maryland | $130,733 | $62.85 |
| 18 | Nevada | $117,517 | $56.50 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $124,282 | $59.75 |
| 20 | Illinois | $124,278 | $59.75 |
| 21 | Oregon | $121,630 | $58.48 |
| 22 | Rhode Island | $115,304 | $55.43 |
| 23 | Texas | $114,893 | $55.24 |
| 24 | Michigan | $115,819 | $55.68 |
| 25 | Idaho | $109,854 | $52.81 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $118,292 | $56.87 |
| 27 | Arizona | $112,852 | $54.26 |
| 28 | Ohio | $110,721 | $53.23 |
| 29 | Georgia | $112,185 | $53.94 |
| 30 | Colorado | $112,147 | $53.92 |
| 31 | West Virginia | $108,944 | $52.38 |
| 32 | Indiana | $105,551 | $50.75 |
| 33 | Iowa | $108,301 | $52.07 |
| 34 | Montana | $104,210 | $50.10 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $101,418 | $48.76 |
| 36 | Florida | $111,835 | $53.77 |
| 37 | Kansas | $101,275 | $48.69 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $104,036 | $50.02 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $100,765 | $48.44 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $106,172 | $51.04 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $105,187 | $50.57 |
| 42 | New Mexico | $101,613 | $48.85 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $104,488 | $50.23 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $106,836 | $51.36 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $98,912 | $47.55 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $103,371 | $49.70 |
| 47 | Missouri | $103,232 | $49.63 |
| 48 | Alabama | $101,904 | $48.99 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $102,152 | $49.11 |
| 50 | Hawaii | $81,667 | $39.26 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $100,306 | $48.22 |
Highest paying cities for senior/lead developers
The highest-paying cities for senior/lead developers are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Jersey City, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $160,500 | $77.16 |
| 2 | New York, NY | $150,970 | $72.58 |
| 3 | Jersey City, NJ | $145,449 | $69.93 |
| 4 | Hartford, CT | $143,258 | $68.87 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $140,888 | $67.73 |
| 6 | Natick, MA | $137,168 | $65.95 |
| 7 | Seattle, WA | $136,706 | $65.72 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $132,561 | $63.73 |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | $131,057 | $63.01 |
| 10 | Durham, NC | $130,009 | $62.50 |
| 11 | Arlington, VA | $126,556 | $60.84 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $124,769 | $59.99 |
| 13 | Minneapolis, MN | $124,295 | $59.76 |
| 14 | Portland, OR | $121,853 | $58.58 |
| 15 | Salt Lake City, UT | $120,086 | $57.73 |
| 16 | Jacksonville, FL | $119,001 | $57.21 |
| 17 | Detroit, MI | $116,296 | $55.91 |
| 18 | Dallas, TX | $116,140 | $55.84 |
| 19 | Phoenix, AZ | $113,228 | $54.44 |
| 20 | Cleveland, OH | $112,548 | $54.11 |
Senior/lead developer salary details
A senior/lead developer's salary ranges from $90,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $177,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior/lead developer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $177,000 | $14,750 | $85 |
| 75th Percentile | $151,000 | $12,583 | $73 |
| Average | $127,208 | $10,601 | $61 |
| 25th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| 10th Percentile | $90,000 | $7,500 | $43 |
Highest paying senior/lead developer jobs
The highest paying types of senior/lead developers are lead developer, lead software developer, and architect and developer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications Developer | $89,205 | $7,434 | $42.89 | 279,877 |
| Database Developer | $90,837 | $7,570 | $43.67 | 91,069 |
| NET Developer | $88,984 | $7,415 | $42.78 | 236,690 |
| Architect And Developer | $110,970 | $9,248 | $53.35 | 316,181 |
| Developer | $100,076 | $8,340 | $48.11 | 262,570 |
| BI Developer | $92,647 | $7,721 | $44.54 | 80,610 |
Top companies hiring senior/lead developers now:
Which companies pay senior/lead developers the most?
Senior/lead developer salaries at Atlassian and Barclays are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior/lead developer salary at companies like Citi and Bloomberg are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlassian | $171,876 | $82.63 |
| 2 | Barclays | $166,885 | $80.23 |
| 3 | Citi | $160,463 | $77.15 |
| 4 | Bloomberg | $159,845 | $76.85 |
| 5 | HarbourVest | $154,125 | $74.10 |
| 6 | Stitch Fix | $151,680 | $72.92 |
| 7 | UBS | $146,212 | $70.29 |
| 8 | Nuveen Investments | $141,472 | $68.02 |
| 9 | POLITICO | $141,132 | $67.85 |
| 10 | HSBC Bank | $139,553 | $67.09 |
| 11 | Astellas Pharma | $137,988 | $66.34 |
| 12 | Autodesk | $137,821 | $66.26 |
| 13 | American Life Insurance Company | $137,792 | $66.25 |
| 14 | Corning Incorporated | $137,716 | $66.21 |
| 15 | Morgan Stanley | $137,096 | $65.91 |
| 16 | National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care | $136,520 | $65.63 |
| 17 | Asset Management Specialist | $135,223 | $65.01 |
| 18 | Rbc Holding Co Ltd | $134,895 | $64.85 |
| 19 | JPMorgan Chase & Co. | $133,946 | $64.40 |
| 20 | AbbVie | $133,918 | $64.38 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior/Lead Developer salary by industry
The average senior/lead developer salary varies across industries:
- The average senior/lead developer salary in the finance industry is $136,565, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior/lead developer salary in the finance industry is $136,327.
- Senior/lead developers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $117,343, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior/lead developers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $136,565 | $65.66 |
| 2 | Media | $136,327 | $65.54 |
| 3 | Automotive | $129,767 | $62.39 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $124,760 | $59.98 |
| 5 | Hospitality | $123,298 | $59.28 |
| 6 | Insurance | $120,986 | $58.17 |
| 7 | Technology | $119,344 | $57.38 |
| 8 | Professional | $117,343 | $56.41 |
High paying senior/lead developer jobs
Senior/lead developer salary trends
The average senior/lead developer salary has risen by $23,615 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior/lead developer earned $103,593 annually, but today, they earn $127,208 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for senior/lead developers over the last decade.
Compare senior/lead developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior/lead developer salary over time
Compare senior/lead developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior/lead developer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $127,000 | $61.16 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $123,000 | $59.14 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $120,000 | $57.80 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $118,000 | $56.78 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $116,000 | $55.83 | +1.8% |
Recently added senior/lead developer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Senior Capture Team Lead-Business Development | El Segundo, CA | 06/30/2025 | $153,000 |
| Ntrs | SR Lead Developer | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $114,500 |
| Bass Pro Shops | Senior Developer-Chatbot Development Lead | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $109,820 |
| Ual-Pro | Senior Developer-Chatbot Development Lead | Chicago, IL | 06/29/2025 | $109,820 |
| Salesforce | Senior/Lead Developer Advocate | Chicago, IL | 06/28/2025 | $157,600 |
| Salesforce.com, Inc. | Senior/Lead Developer Advocate | Seattle, WA | 06/27/2025 | $157,600 |
| Senior Software Engineer-Seattle | Senior Lead, M&A Corporate Development | New York, NY | 06/27/2025 | $170,000 |
| Compass | Senior Lead, M&A Corporate Development | New York, NY | 06/26/2025 | $170,000 |
| Synechron | SR. Genai Developer/Lead_Tx | Dallas, TX | 06/25/2025 | $110,000 |
| Synechron | SR. Angular Developer/Lead_Nj | Jersey City, NJ | 06/25/2025 | $120,000 |
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