Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between senior/lead 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/lead developer and a lead developer. Additionally, a senior/lead developer has an average salary of $127,208, which is higher than the $116,340 average annual salary of a lead developer.
The top three skills for a senior/lead developer include java, C++ and javascript. The most important skills for a lead developer are java, javascript, and architecture.
| Senior/Lead Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $127,208 | $116,340 |
| Hourly rate | $61.16 | $55.93 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 265,829 | 274,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A lead developer typically works for a software company. They are responsible for designing, developing, and debugging code. They lead a software team and communicate all team activities to their management. They must have creative expertise, great communication skills, and an aptitude for teamwork.
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/lead developers and lead developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior/Lead Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Average salary | $127,208 | $116,340 |
| Salary range | Between $90,000 And $177,000 | Between $83,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Atlassian | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior/lead developer and a lead developer in terms of educational background:
| Senior/Lead Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | 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/lead developers' and lead developers' demographics:
| Senior/Lead Developer | Lead Developer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 80.2% Female, 19.8% | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.3% Asian, 31.8% White, 50.4% 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% |