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The differences between software development engineers lead and staff software 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 staff software engineer. Additionally, a staff software engineer has an average salary of $136,653, which is higher than the $119,557 average annual salary of a software development engineer lead.
The top three skills for a software development engineer lead include java, API and python. The most important skills for a staff software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Staff Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,557 | $136,653 |
| Hourly rate | $57.48 | $65.70 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 371,213 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| 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 Staff Software Engineer is responsible for developing, maintaining, and repairing company software for maximum efficiency and usability. They instruct and mentor their team members in software development techniques and cloud development.
Software development engineers lead and staff software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Staff Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,557 | $136,653 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $155,000 | Between $100,000 And $186,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Alaska |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a software development engineer lead and a staff software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Staff Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between software development engineers lead' and staff software engineers' demographics:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Staff Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 83.0% Female, 17.0% |
| 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, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 33.5% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |