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The differences between software development engineers lead and software development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a software development engineer lead and a software development engineer. Additionally, a software development engineer lead has an average salary of $119,557, which is higher than the $109,147 average annual salary of a software development engineer.
The top three skills for a software development engineer lead include java, API and python. The most important skills for a software development engineer are java, software development, and AWS.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Software Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,557 | $109,147 |
| Hourly rate | $57.48 | $52.47 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 356,971 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Lead software development engineers take responsibility for providing technical mentorship and guidance to a team consisting of software engineers. The engineers implement codes with high quality in a test-driven and agile environment. They develop software development plans and assign related tasks to their team members. It is their job to lead different aspects regarding application development such as requirements application, and database design, implementation, and gathering. Also, they develop access/usage and sales analytic reports.
A software development engineer is responsible for designing and developing software systems and applications based on clients' specifications and business needs. Software development engineers manage operating systems and analyze network codes to maintain the compatibility of the software applications and control systems. They also run diagnostic tests for every software structure to ensure smooth navigations and perform immediate troubleshooting for inconsistencies. A software development engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, as well as technological processes and analytical skills.
Software development engineers lead and software development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,557 | $109,147 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $155,000 | Between $80,000 And $147,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software development engineer lead and a software development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Software Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software development engineers lead' and software development engineers' demographics:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Software Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 79.6% Female, 20.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 32.7% White, 49.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |