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Software engineer lead salary
Average software engineer lead salary
$125,565
Average Software Engineer Lead Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Software Engineer Lead in the United States stands at $125,565 annually. This figure can vary based on several factors including location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, software engineers in metropolitan areas may see higher compensation compared to those in rural locations.
Where Software Engineers Lead Earn More
States like California and New York often offer the highest salaries for software engineer leads, with averages exceeding $140,000. Industries such as technology and finance also tend to provide more competitive salaries.
Salary Estimates Across the Web
Salary aggregators provide valuable insights into compensation trends. According to various sources, software engineer leads can expect to earn between $115,000 to $150,000 annually based on their experience and skill level. Understanding these dynamics can assist candidates in making informed career choices.
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Where can a Software Engineer Lead earn more?
Software engineer lead salary estimates from across the web
Average software engineer lead salary by state
The highest-paying states for software engineers lead are Washington, California, and Hawaii. The lowest average software engineer lead salary states are Iowa, Tennessee, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software engineers lead
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $151,082 | $72.64 |
| 2 | Oregon | $140,305 | $67.45 |
| 3 | California | $144,131 | $69.29 |
| 4 | Alaska | $139,165 | $66.91 |
| 5 | Montana | $127,925 | $61.50 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $131,670 | $63.30 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $123,080 | $59.17 |
| 8 | Maine | $129,877 | $62.44 |
| 9 | Arizona | $119,342 | $57.38 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $120,980 | $58.16 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $113,056 | $54.35 |
| 12 | Hawaii | $143,728 | $69.10 |
| 13 | Texas | $116,867 | $56.19 |
| 14 | Utah | $112,578 | $54.12 |
| 15 | Delaware | $115,289 | $55.43 |
| 16 | Nevada | $114,342 | $54.97 |
| 17 | Idaho | $113,374 | $54.51 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $113,100 | $54.38 |
| 19 | District of Columbia | $121,291 | $58.31 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $119,898 | $57.64 |
| 21 | New York | $122,100 | $58.70 |
| 22 | Vermont | $112,495 | $54.08 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $109,809 | $52.79 |
| 24 | Virginia | $114,125 | $54.87 |
| 25 | North Carolina | $111,962 | $53.83 |
| 26 | Maryland | $112,894 | $54.28 |
| 27 | Oklahoma | $111,032 | $53.38 |
| 28 | Michigan | $108,669 | $52.24 |
| 29 | Ohio | $108,787 | $52.30 |
| 30 | Florida | $111,764 | $53.73 |
| 31 | Minnesota | $106,900 | $51.39 |
| 32 | Illinois | $107,983 | $51.91 |
| 33 | Georgia | $108,022 | $51.93 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $103,814 | $49.91 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $105,763 | $50.85 |
| 36 | Arkansas | $102,237 | $49.15 |
| 37 | Nebraska | $103,421 | $49.72 |
| 38 | West Virginia | $103,599 | $49.81 |
| 39 | New Jersey | $107,832 | $51.84 |
| 40 | Kentucky | $104,251 | $50.12 |
| 41 | Louisiana | $106,320 | $51.12 |
| 42 | Colorado | $101,838 | $48.96 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $103,344 | $49.68 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $105,077 | $50.52 |
| 45 | Kansas | $94,495 | $45.43 |
| 46 | Indiana | $98,029 | $47.13 |
| 47 | Iowa | $99,542 | $47.86 |
| 48 | Missouri | $101,613 | $48.85 |
| 49 | Tennessee | $98,508 | $47.36 |
| 50 | Alabama | $97,085 | $46.68 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $94,359 | $45.36 |
Highest paying cities for software engineers lead
The highest-paying cities for software engineers lead are Seattle, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Beaverton, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seattle, WA | $152,851 | $73.49 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $152,662 | $73.40 |
| 3 | Beaverton, OR | $140,393 | $67.50 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $122,230 | $58.76 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $121,344 | $58.34 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $121,005 | $58.18 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $119,605 | $57.50 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $117,567 | $56.52 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $115,275 | $55.42 |
| 10 | Raleigh, NC | $113,181 | $54.41 |
| 11 | Tampa, FL | $112,703 | $54.18 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $110,257 | $53.01 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $108,359 | $52.10 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $108,111 | $51.98 |
| 15 | Columbus, GA | $108,084 | $51.96 |
| 16 | Jersey City, NJ | $107,917 | $51.88 |
| 17 | Minneapolis, MN | $106,880 | $51.38 |
| 18 | Saint Louis, MO | $101,984 | $49.03 |
| 19 | Denver, CO | $101,665 | $48.88 |
| 20 | Columbus, IN | $97,454 | $46.85 |
Software Engineers Lead are the most in-demand in these five cities:
Software engineer lead salary details
A software engineer lead's salary ranges from $93,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $168,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software engineer lead's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $168,000 | $14,000 | $81 |
| 75th Percentile | $146,000 | $12,167 | $70 |
| Average | $125,565 | $10,464 | $60 |
| 25th Percentile | $107,000 | $8,917 | $51 |
| 10th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
Highest paying software engineer lead jobs
The highest paying types of software engineers lead are software engineering manager, staff software engineer, and principal software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer Lead Quality Assurance Lead | $110,007 | $9,167 | $52.89 | 278,178 |
| Lead Software Developer | $115,072 | $9,589 | $55.32 | 309,029 |
| Software Architect | $114,406 | $9,534 | $55.00 | 319,594 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
Top companies hiring software engineers lead now:
Which companies pay software engineers lead the most?
Software engineer lead salaries at Meta and BitGo are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software engineer lead salary at companies like Google and eBay are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $204,092 | $98.12 |
| 2 | BitGo | $195,299 | $93.89 |
| 3 | $185,299 | $89.09 | |
| 4 | eBay | $181,266 | $87.15 |
| 5 | Addepar | $180,566 | $86.81 |
| 6 | Levi Strauss & Co. | $178,261 | $85.70 |
| 7 | Grubhub | $176,226 | $84.72 |
| 8 | Stitch Fix | $174,038 | $83.67 |
| 9 | Move | $172,350 | $82.86 |
| 10 | The Walt Disney Company | $172,035 | $82.71 |
| 11 | Microsoft | $171,878 | $82.63 |
| 12 | Pixar Animation Studios | $170,081 | $81.77 |
| 13 | MongoDB | $169,904 | $81.68 |
| 14 | HealthTap | $169,292 | $81.39 |
| 15 | New Relic | $168,233 | $80.88 |
| 16 | Apple | $168,123 | $80.83 |
| 17 | Quantcast | $167,446 | $80.50 |
| 18 | Zulily | $167,026 | $80.30 |
| 19 | Roofstock | $166,614 | $80.10 |
| 20 | Square | $166,016 | $79.82 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Engineer Lead salary by industry
The average software engineer lead salary varies across industries:
- The average software engineer lead salary in the automotive industry is $125,218, the highest of any industry.
- The average software engineer lead salary in the finance industry is $117,446.
- Software engineers lead in the insurance industry earn an average salary of $99,258, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software engineers lead
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $125,218 | $60.20 |
| 2 | Finance | $117,446 | $56.46 |
| 3 | Technology | $112,597 | $54.13 |
| 4 | Insurance | $99,258 | $47.72 |
High paying software engineer lead jobs
Software engineer lead salary trends
The average software engineer lead salary has risen by $23,310 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software engineer lead earned $102,255 annually, but today, they earn $125,565 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software engineers lead over the last decade.
Compare software engineer lead salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software engineer lead salary over time
Compare software engineer lead salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software engineer lead salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $126,000 | $60.37 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $121,000 | $58.38 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $119,000 | $57.06 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $117,000 | $56.05 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $115,000 | $55.11 | +1.8% |
Recently added software engineer lead salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One | Lead Software Engineer (Profile, Mumps)(Remote-Eligible) | Wilmington, DE | 06/30/2025 | $175,800 |
| Capital One | Lead Software Engineer, Android (Android, Kotlin, Jetpack) (Enterprise Platforms Technology) | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $211,000 |
| Capital One | Lead Software Engineer, Full Stack-Capital ONE Software (Remote) | Richmond, VA | 06/30/2025 | $175,800 |
| Costar Group | Lender-Lead Software Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/30/2025 | $346,442 |
| Jeppesen | Devsecops Lead Software Engineer | El Segundo, CA | 06/30/2025 | $130,900 |
| Guardian Life | Lead Software Engineer-Full Stack | Holmdel, NJ | 06/30/2025 | $116,350 |
| Equitable | Lead Software Engineer | Syracuse, NY | 06/30/2025 | $110,000 |
| Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco | Frfs Lead Full Stack Software Engineer | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $159,900 |
| Software Engineer-Lead Build Engineer | Palo Alto, CA | 06/29/2025 | $127,000 | |
| Perspecta | Lead Software Engineer-Dodaf | Albuquerque, NM | 06/29/2025 | $135,000 |
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