What are the main factors that influence a Lead Developer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Lead Developer's salary?

A Lead Developer's salary grows with experience: a UI Designer/Developer II (2-4 years)earns $88,570, a UI Designer/Developer III (4-7 years)earns $113,823, an UI Designer/Developer IV (7+ years)earns $137,689, a UI Designer/Developer V (7-10 years)earns $156,910, an Lead Developer (10+ years)earns $152,535,

What are the highest paying states for a Lead Developer?

Lead Developer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Lead Developer roles are District of Columbia $169,766, California $169,122, Massachusetts $166,868. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Lead Developer roles make?

Salaries for Lead Developer level roles vary by specialization: Lead PHP Developer: $170,643; Lead Applications Developer: $158,556; Lead Application Developer: $157,707; Lead Python Developer: $142,004; Lead Software Developer: $139,762.

How do different companies affect a Lead Developer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Lead Developer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Lead Developer Salary in the United States

How much does a Lead Developer make in the United States?

As of March 01, 2026, the average salary for a Lead Developer in the United States is $153,329 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $74.

However, a Lead Developer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

Top Earners (90th percentile): $173,958
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $140,200 to $164,127
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $128,247

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Lead Developer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$164,127	$13,677	$3,156	$79
Average	$153,329	$12,777	$2,949	$74
25th Percentile	$140,200	$11,683	$2,696	$67

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Key Factors That Influence Lead Developer Salaries

A Lead Developer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Lead Developer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Lead Developer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $88,570
Early Career (1-2 years): $113,823
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $137,689
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $156,910
Expert (over 8 years): $152,535

Levels	Salary
UI Design... Level Lead Developer	$88,570
UI Design... Level Lead Developer	$113,823
UI Design... Level Lead Developer	$137,689
UI Design... Level Lead Developer	$156,910
Lead Deve... Level Lead Developer	$152,535

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What Am I Worth?

How Do Lead Developer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Lead Developers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $169,766.
California: $169,122.
Massachusetts: $166,868.

District of Columbia $169,766 California $169,122 Massachusetts $166,868 Washington $166,255 New Jersey $166,193 Alaska $165,979 Connecticut $163,863 New York $163,004

Hawaii $160,259 Rhode Island $158,972 Maryland $158,098 Minnesota $156,902 Colorado $156,442 Illinois $156,288 Oregon $155,706 Delaware $155,276

New Hampshire $155,006 Virginia $154,402 Pennsylvania $152,639 Nevada $151,750 North Dakota $151,458 Michigan $150,998 Wisconsin $150,830 Vermont $150,492

Texas $149,557 Maine $149,496 Arizona $149,404 Ohio $149,296 Georgia $147,886 Indiana $147,181 Wyoming $147,043 Utah $146,828

Iowa $146,736 Kansas $146,000 Louisiana $145,785 North Carolina $145,709 Missouri $145,678 Florida $145,080 Montana $144,758 Nebraska $144,451

Kentucky $144,283 South Carolina $143,669 Tennessee $143,286 Idaho $143,133 New Mexico $142,013 Oklahoma $141,768 Alabama $140,863 South Dakota $139,345

Arkansas $138,517 West Virginia $138,073 Mississippi $136,739

Top Paying Cities for Lead Developers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

San Jose: $193,394
San Francisco: $191,493
Oakland: $187,245

San Jose, CA $193,394

San Francisco, CA $191,493

Oakland, CA $187,245

New York, NY $177,693

Queens Village, NY $176,543

Paramus, NJ $175,316

Passaic, NJ $175,163

Bergenfield, NJ $175,010

Stamford, CT $174,780

Huntington, NY $174,626

Newark, NJ $173,630

Bridgeport, CT $173,323

New Brunswick, NJ $172,817

Vallejo, CA $172,495

Middlesex, NJ $172,403

Somerset, NJ $172,265

Petaluma, CA $171,912

Santa Cruz, CA $171,314

Boston, MA $171,008

Monterey, CA $170,241

Fairbanks, AK $170,134

Los Angeles, CA $169,843

Washington, DC $169,766

Seattle, WA $169,490

Santa Rosa, CA $169,459

Juneau, AK $169,015

Orange, CA $168,509

Anchorage, AK $168,233

Anaheim, CA $168,125

Santa Ana, CA $167,895

Nassau, NY $167,803

Long Beach, CA $167,742

Danbury, CT $167,696

Santa Maria, CA $167,175

Everett, WA $167,144

Bremerton, WA $166,393

Trenton, NJ $166,101

Sacramento, CA $166,040

San Diego, CA $165,963

Brockton, MA $165,902

Tacoma, WA $165,841

Santa Barbara, CA $165,626

Lowell, MA $165,013

New Suffolk, NY $164,951

Nashua, NH $164,767

Lompoc, CA $164,522

Ventura, CA $164,369

Stockton, CA $164,323

New Haven, CT $164,016

Atlantic City, NJ $163,617

Hartford, CT $163,280

Modesto, CA $163,203

Poughkeepsie, NY $162,866

New Britain, CT $162,789

Olympia, WA $162,575

Kennewick, WA $162,575

New London, CT $162,544

Norwich, CT $162,498

Lawrence, MA $162,421

Bakersfield, CA $161,992

Riverside, CA $161,777

New Bedford, MA $161,777

Richland, WA $161,624

Portsmouth, NH $161,501

Vineland, NJ $161,471

San Bernardino, CA $161,348

Boulder, CO $160,919

Worcester, MA $160,796

Portland, OR $160,658

Saint Paul, MN $160,474

Minneapolis, MN $160,474

Philadelphia, PA $160,259

Honolulu, HI $159,447

Springfield, MA $158,910

Providence, RI $158,895

Chicago, IL $158,450

Bellingham, WA $158,266

Baltimore, MD $158,098

Chico, CA $157,714

Wilmington, DE $157,454

Pittsfield, MA $157,300

Manchester, NH $157,009

Spokane, WA $156,334

Denver, CO $156,319

Albany, NY $155,598

Troy, NY $155,537

Schenectady, NY $155,215

Burlington, VT $154,878

Portland, ME $154,341

Salem, OR $154,218

Yakima, WA $154,188

Ann Arbor, MI $154,142

Rochester, MN $153,712

Fresno, CA $153,636

Reno, NV $153,636

Milwaukee, WI $153,498

Detroit, MI $153,344

Allentown, PA $153,298

Carson City, NV $153,283

Houston, TX $153,053

Colorado Springs, CO $153,038

Syracuse, NY $152,961

Eugene, OR $152,670

Bismarck, ND $152,486

Gary, IN $152,486

Galveston, TX $152,486

Springfield, OR $152,363

Medford, OR $151,995

Fort Collins, CO $151,934

Austin, TX $151,811

Mesa, AZ $151,489

Phoenix, AZ $151,458

Dallas, TX $151,412

Reading, PA $151,320

Saint Cloud, MN $151,259

Concord, NH $151,121

Madison, WI $151,060

Utica, NY $150,646

Raleigh, NC $150,523

Las Vegas, NV $150,508

Rochester, NY $150,400

Des Moines, IA $150,385

Atlanta, GA $150,140

Battle Creek, MI $150,094

Salt Lake City, UT $150,048

Lancaster, PA $149,818

Champaign, IL $149,787

Harrisburg, PA $149,603

Durham, NC $149,465

Kansas City, MO $149,450

Kansas City, KS $149,419

Fort Worth, TX $149,404

Boca Raton, FL $149,342

Cleveland, OH $149,327

Columbus, OH $149,296

Pittsburgh, PA $149,281

Richmond, VA $149,220

Indianapolis, IN $149,189

Cincinnati, OH $148,990

Petersburg, VA $148,760

Billings, MT $148,422

Lansing, MI $148,422

Huntsville, AL $148,422

Lebanon, PA $148,407

Dayton, OH $148,392

Pueblo, CO $148,392

Appleton, WI $148,346

Buffalo, NY $148,284

Racine, WI $148,208

Charlotte, NC $148,192

Saint Louis, MO $148,146

Springfield, IL $148,085

Elkhart, IN $148,054

York, PA $148,054

Gastonia, NC $148,039

Benton Harbor, MI $148,039

Beaumont, TX $147,947

Lorain, OH $147,916

Toledo, OH $147,855

Binghamton, NY $147,778

Rock Hill, SC $147,763

Rockford, IL $147,686

Fargo, ND $147,610

Elyria, OH $147,610

Flagstaff, AZ $147,502

Fort Lauderdale, FL $147,411

Miami, FL $147,319

Duluth, MN $147,073

Bangor, ME $146,874

Cedar Rapids, IA $146,705

Louisville, KY $146,629

Grand Rapids, MI $146,598

Hialeah, FL $146,583

Casper, WY $146,368

Scranton, PA $146,184

New Orleans, LA $146,138

Virginia Beach, VA $146,123

Akron, OH $146,046

Peoria, IL $145,847

Sarasota, FL $145,816

Green Bay, WI $145,709

Baton Rouge, LA $145,632

Charleston, SC $145,601

Nashville, TN $145,555

Jamestown, NY $145,525

Davenport, IA $145,525

Tucson, AZ $145,448

Cheyenne, WY $145,402

Saint Petersburg, FL $145,356

Tampa, FL $145,325

Omaha, NE $145,295

Port Arthur, TX $145,233

Evansville, IN $145,233

Bradenton, FL $145,172

Santa Fe, NM $144,896

Orlando, FL $144,743

Clearwater, FL $144,574

Canton, OH $144,252

La Crosse, WI $144,252

Grand Forks, ND $144,206

Albuquerque, NM $144,160

Tulsa, OK $144,160

Newport News, VA $144,145

High Point, NC $144,099

Ogden, UT $144,037

Corpus Christi, TX $143,915

Laramie, WY $143,823

Norfolk, VA $143,823

Rock Island, IL $143,731

Saginaw, MI $143,700

Jacksonville, FL $143,685

Salisbury, NC $143,654

Memphis, TN $143,623

Moline, IL $143,547

Fort Myers, FL $143,501

Waterloo, IA $143,301

Spartanburg, SC $143,148

Lincoln, NE $143,071

Fort Wayne, IN $143,041

Birmingham, AL $142,872

Cedar Falls, IA $142,841

Provo, UT $142,826

Springfield, OH $142,811

San Antonio, TX $142,780

Greensboro, NC $142,719

South Bend, IN $142,703

Winston Salem, NC $142,688

Boise, ID $142,642

Savannah, GA $142,535

Muskegon, MI $142,259

Lima, OH $142,075

Lake Charles, LA $142,013

Anderson, IN $141,983

Lexington, KY $141,937

Augusta, GA $141,891

Greenville, SC $141,891

Wichita, KS $141,753

Tuscaloosa, AL $141,753

Columbia, SC $141,615

Bloomington, IN $141,231

Roanoke, VA $141,139

Asheville, NC $140,940

Knoxville, TN $140,679

Shreveport, LA $140,664

Wilmington, NC $140,465

Frankfort, KY $140,173

Oklahoma City, OK $140,066

Chillicothe, OH $140,005

Longview, TX $139,989

Topeka, KS $139,943

Mobile, AL $139,713

Terre Haute, IN $139,652

Erie, PA $139,637

Altoona, PA $139,560

Melbourne, FL $139,514

Amarillo, TX $139,453

Killeen, TX $139,407

Fayetteville, AR $139,284

Sioux Falls, SD $139,177

Chattanooga, TN $139,085

Idaho Falls, ID $139,069

Gainesville, FL $138,747

Portsmouth, OH $138,671

Little Rock, AR $138,640

Lynchburg, VA $138,640

Lafayette, LA $138,579

Youngstown, OH $138,579

Temple, TX $138,517

Daytona Beach, FL $138,487

Clarksville, TN $138,471

Pensacola, FL $138,456

Hopkinsville, KY $137,996

Charleston, WV $137,981

Florence, SC $137,904

Sioux City, IA $137,812

Macon, GA $137,367

Tallahassee, FL $137,352

Fayetteville, NC $137,321

Waco, TX $137,291

Wichita Falls, TX $137,291

Pine Bluff, AR $137,229

Vincennes, IN $136,938

Lubbock, TX $136,877

Great Falls, MT $136,785

Alamogordo, NM $136,769

Abilene, TX $136,647

Rapid City, SD $136,447

Monroe, LA $136,447

Albany, GA $136,355

Huntington, WV $136,340

Jackson, MS $136,325

Greenville, MS $136,309

Parkersburg, WV $136,156

Montgomery, AL $136,125

Johnstown, PA $136,095

Springfield, MO $135,972

Biloxi, MS $135,895

Sumter, SC $135,574

Columbus, GA $135,558

Twin Falls, ID $135,466

Pascagoula, MS $135,267

Kingsport, TN $134,868

Gulfport, MS $134,822

Alexandria, LA $134,316

Fort Smith, AR $133,933

El Paso, TX $133,519

Helena, MT $133,320

Las Cruces, NM $132,829

Harlingen, TX $132,400

Pocatello, ID $132,262

Florence, AL $132,216

Brownsville, TX $132,185

Dothan, AL $131,940

Mcallen, TX $131,863

Columbus, MS $130,728

Altus, OK $130,023

Lawton, OK $129,732

Pierre, SD $129,180

What Skills Can Increase a Lead Developer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Leadership (Mentioned in 6.58% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Adobe (Mentioned in 2.26% Job Postings): A mixture of wet earth and grass made into bricks and dried in the sun, used to build houses. It originated from the oral form of Arabic al-tob, meaning "brick," It is the first materials used to create buildings in the 8th century B.C
User-Centered Design (Mentioned in 1.85% Job Postings): User-centered design (UCD) is an iterative design process in which designers focus on the users and their needs in each phase of the design process.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Leadership	6.58%
Adobe	2.26%
User-Centered Design	1.85%

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Lead Developer's salary.

Product Development: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
Product Engineering: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Alignment: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Product Development	$168,662	10%
Product Engineering	$167,129	9%
Alignment	$165,595	8%
Usability Testing	$165,595	8%
Product Design	$165,595	8%
Research Design	$162,529	6%

Get Latest Data

Lead Developer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Lead Developer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on March 01, 2026

$140,200

Average $153,329/year

$164,127

$11,683

Average $12,777/month

$13,677

$2,696

Average $2,949/week

$3,156

$67

Average $74/hour

$79

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$164,127	$13,677	$3,156	$79
Average	$153,329	$12,777	$2,949	$74
25th Percentile	$140,200	$11,683	$2,696	$67

Salaries of jobs related to Lead Developer

Salary Trends for Lead Developer

Salaries for a Lead Developer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $140,030 in 2023 to around $135,414 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Lead Developer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Lead Developer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$140,030

2024

$138,029

2025

$135,414

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$140,030
2024	$138,029
2025	$135,414
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Lead Developer

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