Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Software project leader salary
Average software project leader salary
$109,474
Understanding the Salary of a Software Project Leader
The salary for a Software Project Leader averages $109,474 per year, or $53 per hour. This figure may fluctuate based on various factors including geographic location, experience, and the industry. For instance, professionals in technology hubs like Silicon Valley often earn higher salaries compared to other regions. Moreover, those with significant experience or advanced certifications may command even higher compensation.
In addition, the demand for Software Project Leaders continues to rise as organizations prioritize efficient project management in software development. Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare frequently offer the best opportunities and salaries in this role. Understanding these salary dynamics can help candidates position themselves effectively in the job market.
Salary Estimates by State
State averages reveal significant disparities; for example, Software Project Leaders in California and New York typically enjoy higher salaries than those in other states. Analyzing regional differences can guide job seekers in their search for competitive positions. As the job market evolves, staying informed about these trends is essential for maximizing career potential.
Let Zippia find your next software project leader job
Let Zippia find your next software project leader job
Where can a Software Project Leader earn more?
Software project leader salary estimates from across the web
Average software project leader salary by state
The average software project leader salary in California, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average software project leader salary states are North Dakota, Alabama, and Ohio.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for software project leaders
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $124,381 | $59.80 |
| 2 | California | $142,848 | $68.68 |
| 3 | Vermont | $112,367 | $54.02 |
| 4 | Oregon | $118,810 | $57.12 |
| 5 | Rhode Island | $108,550 | $52.19 |
| 6 | Pennsylvania | $106,130 | $51.02 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $104,727 | $50.35 |
| 8 | Virginia | $110,739 | $53.24 |
| 9 | Montana | $101,190 | $48.65 |
| 10 | Nevada | $106,047 | $50.98 |
| 11 | North Carolina | $103,644 | $49.83 |
| 12 | Arizona | $109,313 | $52.55 |
| 13 | Alaska | $106,691 | $51.29 |
| 14 | Delaware | $104,237 | $50.11 |
| 15 | Texas | $100,113 | $48.13 |
| 16 | New York | $105,640 | $50.79 |
| 17 | Michigan | $102,388 | $49.23 |
| 18 | South Dakota | $98,007 | $47.12 |
| 19 | Maine | $98,981 | $47.59 |
| 20 | Connecticut | $108,971 | $52.39 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $100,786 | $48.45 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $95,211 | $45.77 |
| 23 | Idaho | $99,372 | $47.77 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $101,287 | $48.70 |
| 25 | Massachusetts | $99,109 | $47.65 |
| 26 | West Virginia | $97,754 | $47.00 |
| 27 | South Carolina | $101,163 | $48.64 |
| 28 | Hawaii | $99,711 | $47.94 |
| 29 | Utah | $93,414 | $44.91 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $94,613 | $45.49 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $92,167 | $44.31 |
| 32 | Minnesota | $95,262 | $45.80 |
| 33 | Kentucky | $94,333 | $45.35 |
| 34 | Indiana | $92,959 | $44.69 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $86,438 | $41.56 |
| 36 | New Jersey | $92,366 | $44.41 |
| 37 | Colorado | $94,270 | $45.32 |
| 38 | Maryland | $94,814 | $45.58 |
| 39 | Oklahoma | $93,526 | $44.96 |
| 40 | Kansas | $90,499 | $43.51 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $93,180 | $44.80 |
| 42 | Wisconsin | $87,785 | $42.20 |
| 43 | Iowa | $88,582 | $42.59 |
| 44 | Illinois | $93,136 | $44.78 |
| 45 | Ohio | $84,928 | $40.83 |
| 46 | Alabama | $85,623 | $41.16 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $82,205 | $39.52 |
| 48 | Georgia | $88,746 | $42.67 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $86,502 | $41.59 |
| 50 | Florida | $83,599 | $40.19 |
| 51 | Missouri | $80,152 | $38.53 |
Highest paying cities for software project leaders
The highest-paying cities for software project leaders are Cupertino, CA, Bothell, WA, and Reston, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino, CA | $152,704 | $73.42 |
| 2 | Bothell, WA | $125,139 | $60.16 |
| 3 | Reston, VA | $111,029 | $53.38 |
| 4 | Philadelphia, PA | $106,783 | $51.34 |
| 5 | Buffalo, NY | $103,259 | $49.64 |
| 6 | Warren, MI | $102,940 | $49.49 |
| 7 | Columbia, SC | $101,251 | $48.68 |
| 8 | San Antonio, TX | $101,245 | $48.68 |
| 9 | Boston, MA | $99,140 | $47.66 |
| 10 | Towson, MD | $94,976 | $45.66 |
| 11 | Boulder, CO | $94,313 | $45.34 |
| 12 | Memphis, TN | $94,078 | $45.23 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $93,389 | $44.90 |
| 14 | Tulsa, OK | $92,244 | $44.35 |
| 15 | Clearfield, UT | $92,161 | $44.31 |
| 16 | Parsippany-Troy Hills, NJ | $92,121 | $44.29 |
| 17 | Alpharetta, GA | $88,602 | $42.60 |
| 18 | Waukesha, WI | $87,814 | $42.22 |
| 19 | Birmingham, AL | $84,953 | $40.84 |
| 20 | Mason, OH | $83,360 | $40.08 |
Software project leader salary details
A software project leader's salary ranges from $84,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $142,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software project leader's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $142,000 | $11,833 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $125,000 | $10,417 | $60 |
| Average | $109,474 | $9,123 | $53 |
| 25th Percentile | $95,000 | $7,917 | $46 |
| 10th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
Highest paying software project leader jobs
The highest paying types of software project leaders are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and software engineer lead.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leader | $86,964 | $7,247 | $41.81 | 172,293 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
| Software Analyst | $78,400 | $6,533 | $37.69 | 274,053 |
| Lead Software Developer | $115,072 | $9,589 | $55.32 | 309,029 |
| Staff Software Engineer | $136,653 | $11,388 | $65.70 | 371,213 |
| Software Consultant | $88,605 | $7,384 | $42.60 | 275,746 |
Top companies hiring software project leaders now:
Which companies pay software project leaders the most?
Software project leader salaries at Boston Consulting Group and Sandia National Labs are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software project leader salary at companies like Thales and Populus Group are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston Consulting Group | $127,100 | $61.11 |
| 2 | Sandia National Labs | $122,814 | $59.05 |
| 3 | Thales | $119,786 | $57.59 |
| 4 | Populus Group | $116,031 | $55.78 |
| 5 | AT&T | $115,516 | $55.54 |
| 6 | TRW Automotive Holdings | $114,920 | $55.25 |
| 7 | Bosch USA | $113,652 | $54.64 |
| 8 | DIRECTV Puerto Rico | $112,061 | $53.88 |
| 9 | Visteon | $111,147 | $53.44 |
| 10 | Jabra | $109,604 | $52.69 |
| 11 | Stanley Black & Decker | $108,265 | $52.05 |
| 12 | McKesson | $107,883 | $51.87 |
| 13 | GE Healthcare Holdings Inc. | $106,796 | $51.34 |
| 14 | Booz Allen Hamilton | $106,326 | $51.12 |
| 15 | Satyam | $105,661 | $50.80 |
| 16 | Aptiv | $105,661 | $50.80 |
| 17 | Dst Inc | $105,661 | $50.80 |
| 18 | DST Health Solutions LLC | $105,661 | $50.80 |
| 19 | Kion Group | $105,661 | $50.80 |
| 20 | Gn Us Holdings Inc | $105,637 | $50.79 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Project Leader salary by industry
The average software project leader salary varies across industries:
- The average software project leader salary in the manufacturing industry is $108,115, the highest of any industry.
- The average software project leader salary in the finance industry is $108,004.
- Software project leaders in the finance industry earn an average salary of $97,777, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software project leaders
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $108,115 | $51.98 |
| 2 | Health Care | $108,004 | $51.92 |
| 3 | Automotive | $106,209 | $51.06 |
| 4 | Technology | $105,314 | $50.63 |
| 5 | Finance | $97,777 | $47.01 |
High paying software project leader jobs
Software project leader salary trends
The average software project leader salary has risen by $20,323 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software project leader earned $89,151 annually, but today, they earn $109,474 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software project leaders over the last decade.
Compare software project leader salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software project leader salary over time
Compare software project leader salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Software project leader salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $109,000 | $52.63 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $106,000 | $50.90 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $103,000 | $49.75 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $102,000 | $48.87 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $99,900 | $48.05 | +1.8% |
Recently added software project leader salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Us01 | Software Integration and Release Project Lead | San Diego, CA | 06/09/2025 | $133,500 |
| Caci International | Nasa Software Project Lead Engineer: Space Vehicle Simulation + Software Development | Houston, TX | 05/27/2025 | $82,100 |
| Us01 | Software Integration and Release Project Lead | San Diego, CA | 05/13/2025 | $133,500 |
| ASML N.V | Software Integration and Release Project Lead | San Diego, CA | 05/10/2025 | $133,500 |
| Caci International | Software Project Lead Engineer Space Vehicle Embedded Software Development | Houston, TX | 04/28/2025 | $82,100 |
| Standout | Global Project Lead-Clinical On-Premise Enterprise Software Deployment, USA Based | San Jose, CA | 04/25/2025 | $250,000 |
| Amazon | Software DEV Fellowship HOH, Project Kuiper | Redmond, WA | 04/23/2025 | $129,300 |
| Us01 | Software Project Lead | San Diego, CA | 03/28/2025 | $131,625 |
| Visteon Corporation | Senior SW Project Development Lead 1 | Van Buren, MI | 03/21/2025 | $163,647 |
| Magna Electronics, Inc. | Project Engineering Lead-Algorithm & Software | Auburn Hills, MI | 03/06/2025 | $108,846 |
Software project leader salary FAQs
Search for software project leader jobs