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The differences between senior programmers and lead developers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a senior programmer, 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 $105,509 average annual salary of a senior programmer.
The top three skills for a senior programmer include macro, SAS and database. The most important skills for a lead developer are java, javascript, and architecture.
| Senior Programmer | Lead Developer | |
| Yearly salary | $105,509 | $116,340 |
| Hourly rate | $50.73 | $55.93 |
| Growth rate | -7% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 209,882 | 274,208 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 4 |
A Senior Programmer develops operations solutions through guiding the development of program specifications and leading programmers. They develop, test, and implement IT solutions.
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 programmers and lead developers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Programmer | Lead Developer | |
| Average salary | $105,509 | $116,340 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $141,000 | Between $83,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Cornerstone Research | Mayo Clinic |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Retail |
There are a few differences between a senior programmer and a lead developer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Programmer | 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 programmers' and lead developers' demographics:
| Senior Programmer | Lead Developer | |
| Average age | 47 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 81.0% Female, 19.0% | Male, 76.4% Female, 23.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 19.2% White, 62.8% 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 | 11% | 8% |