How much does a Materials Lead make in the United States?
As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Materials Lead in the United States is $85,104 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $41.
However, a Materials Lead's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:
Top Earners (90th percentile): $105,079
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $76,812 to $95,559
Key Factors That Influence Materials Lead Salaries
A Materials Lead'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, education
and company size
can directly affect your earning potential.
How Experience Level Affects Materials Lead Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Materials Lead'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:
How Do Materials Lead 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 Materials Leads. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $94,227.
California: $93,869.
Massachusetts: $92,618.
District of Columbia$94,227
California$93,869
Massachusetts$92,618
Washington$92,278
New Jersey$92,244
Alaska$92,125
Connecticut$90,950
New York$90,474
Hawaii$88,950
Rhode Island$88,236
Maryland$87,750
Minnesota$87,087
Colorado$86,831
Illinois$86,746
Oregon$86,423
Delaware$86,185
New Hampshire$86,035
Virginia$85,699
Pennsylvania$84,721
Nevada$84,227
North Dakota$84,065
Michigan$83,810
Wisconsin$83,717
Vermont$83,529
Texas$83,010
Maine$82,976
Arizona$82,925
Ohio$82,865
Georgia$82,083
Indiana$81,691
Wyoming$81,614
Utah$81,495
Iowa$81,444
Kansas$81,036
Louisiana$80,917
North Carolina$80,874
Missouri$80,857
Florida$80,525
Montana$80,346
Nebraska$80,176
Kentucky$80,083
South Carolina$79,742
Tennessee$79,529
Idaho$79,444
New Mexico$78,823
Oklahoma$78,687
Alabama$78,185
South Dakota$77,342
Arkansas$76,883
West Virginia$76,636
Mississippi$75,895
Top Paying Cities for Materials Leads
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: $107,341
San Francisco: $106,166
Oakland: $103,929
San Jose, CA$107,341
San Francisco, CA$106,166
Oakland, CA$103,929
New York, NY$97,988
Paramus, NJ$96,796
Queens Village, NY$96,792
Passaic, NJ$96,711
Bergenfield, NJ$96,703
Stamford, CT$96,516
Huntington, NY$96,481
Newark, NJ$95,852
Bridgeport, CT$95,673
Vallejo, CA$95,503
New Brunswick, NJ$95,469
Petaluma, CA$95,418
Middlesex, NJ$95,257
Somerset, NJ$95,197
Santa Cruz, CA$95,086
Boston, MA$94,567
Monterey, CA$94,269
Seattle, WA$94,074
Santa Rosa, CA$94,057
Los Angeles, CA$94,031
Juneau, AK$93,810
Washington, DC$93,716
Orange, CA$93,413
Santa Ana, CA$93,189
Long Beach, CA$93,103
Anaheim, CA$93,086
Anchorage, AK$93,044
Santa Maria, CA$92,789
Everett, WA$92,772
Danbury, CT$92,472
Bremerton, WA$92,355
Tacoma, WA$92,048
New Suffolk, NY$92,046
Sacramento, CA$92,023
Santa Barbara, CA$91,929
Trenton, NJ$91,835
San Diego, CA$91,835
Brockton, MA$91,742
Fairbanks, AK$91,533
Lompoc, CA$91,316
Lowell, MA$91,247
Ventura, CA$91,231
Nashua, NH$91,214
Stockton, CA$91,206
Modesto, CA$90,584
Poughkeepsie, NY$90,397
Olympia, WA$90,235
Kennewick, WA$90,235
New Haven, CT$90,201
Lawrence, MA$89,895
Hartford, CT$89,810
Riverside, CA$89,793
New Bedford, MA$89,708
Richland, WA$89,708
Bakersfield, CA$89,589
San Bernardino, CA$89,555
New Britain, CT$89,546
Atlantic City, NJ$89,546
New London, CT$89,512
Norwich, CT$89,487
Portsmouth, NH$89,470
Boulder, CO$89,289
Portland, OR$89,172
Worcester, MA$89,163
Minneapolis, MN$88,899
Philadelphia, PA$88,780
Honolulu, HI$88,499
Saint Paul, MN$88,458
Vineland, NJ$88,440
Providence, RI$88,193
Chicago, IL$87,946
Bellingham, WA$87,844
Springfield, MA$87,776
Baltimore, MD$87,750
Chico, CA$87,538
Pittsfield, MA$87,308
Manchester, NH$87,146
Spokane, WA$86,772
Denver, CO$86,763
Albany, NY$86,363
Troy, NY$86,329
Nassau, NY$86,238
Schenectady, NY$86,150
Wilmington, DE$86,082
Burlington, VT$85,963
Salem, OR$85,929
Portland, ME$85,665
Yakima, WA$85,580
Rochester, MN$85,316
Reno, NV$85,274
Fresno, CA$85,274
Milwaukee, WI$85,197
Detroit, MI$85,112
Ann Arbor, MI$85,098
Allentown, PA$85,087
Colorado Springs, CO$84,942
Syracuse, NY$84,899
Carson City, NV$84,899
Houston, TX$84,780
Eugene, OR$84,738
Gary, IN$84,636
Springfield, OR$84,568
Bismarck, ND$84,551
Galveston, TX$84,491
Medford, OR$84,363
Fort Collins, CO$84,329
Concord, NH$84,287
Austin, TX$84,261
Mesa, AZ$84,082
Reading, PA$84,074
Phoenix, AZ$84,065
Dallas, TX$84,040
Saint Cloud, MN$83,958
Madison, WI$83,844
Utica, NY$83,614
Rochester, NY$83,478
Des Moines, IA$83,470
Raleigh, NC$83,461
Atlanta, GA$83,334
Battle Creek, MI$83,308
Salt Lake City, UT$83,282
Lancaster, PA$83,155
Harrisburg, PA$83,036
Kansas City, MO$82,951
Champaign, IL$82,934
Kansas City, KS$82,934
Fort Worth, TX$82,925
Columbus, OH$82,911
Boca Raton, FL$82,891
Pittsburgh, PA$82,857
Richmond, VA$82,823
Indianapolis, IN$82,806
Cleveland, OH$82,797
Las Vegas, NV$82,695
Cincinnati, OH$82,695
Petersburg, VA$82,568
Huntsville, AL$82,440
Lansing, MI$82,383
Lebanon, PA$82,372
Pueblo, CO$82,363
Appleton, WI$82,338
Buffalo, NY$82,304
Dayton, OH$82,278
Racine, WI$82,261
Charlotte, NC$82,253
Saint Louis, MO$82,227
York, PA$82,176
Elkhart, IN$82,176
Gastonia, NC$82,160
Billings, MT$82,140
Beaumont, TX$82,117
Lorain, OH$82,100
Benton Harbor, MI$82,083
Toledo, OH$82,065
Binghamton, NY$82,023
Rock Hill, SC$82,014
Rockford, IL$81,972
Springfield, IL$81,938
Elyria, OH$81,929
Fargo, ND$81,929
Flagstaff, AZ$81,870
Fort Lauderdale, FL$81,819
Duluth, MN$81,768
Miami, FL$81,768
Cheyenne, WY$81,708
Grand Forks, ND$81,708
Bangor, ME$81,521
Cedar Rapids, IA$81,427
Durham, NC$81,391
Louisville, KY$81,385
Grand Rapids, MI$81,368
Hialeah, FL$81,359
Casper, WY$81,240
Scranton, PA$81,138
New Orleans, LA$81,112
Virginia Beach, VA$81,104
Akron, OH$81,061
Peoria, IL$80,951
Sarasota, FL$80,934
Nashville, TN$80,874
Omaha, NE$80,874
Green Bay, WI$80,874
Baton Rouge, LA$80,831
Charleston, SC$80,814
Jamestown, NY$80,772
Davenport, IA$80,772
Tucson, AZ$80,729
Saint Petersburg, FL$80,678
Tampa, FL$80,661
Evansville, IN$80,610
Port Arthur, TX$80,610
Bradenton, FL$80,576
Santa Fe, NM$80,423
Orlando, FL$80,270
Clearwater, FL$80,244
Canton, OH$80,066
La Crosse, WI$80,066
Albuquerque, NM$80,014
Newport News, VA$80,006
High Point, NC$79,980
Ogden, UT$79,946
Corpus Christi, TX$79,878
Norfolk, VA$79,827
Laramie, WY$79,827
Rock Island, IL$79,776
Saginaw, MI$79,759
Jacksonville, FL$79,751
Salisbury, NC$79,734
Boise, ID$79,717
Moline, IL$79,674
Fort Myers, FL$79,649
Memphis, TN$79,632
Tulsa, OK$79,589
Waterloo, IA$79,538
Spartanburg, SC$79,453
Lincoln, NE$79,410
Fort Wayne, IN$79,393
Provo, UT$79,385
Cedar Falls, IA$79,283
San Antonio, TX$79,249
Greensboro, NC$79,215
South Bend, IN$79,206
Savannah, GA$79,112
Muskegon, MI$79,078
Birmingham, AL$79,070
Winston Salem, NC$79,028
Lake Charles, LA$78,823
Anderson, IN$78,806
Lexington, KY$78,780
Augusta, GA$78,755
Greenville, SC$78,755
Lima, OH$78,687
Wichita, KS$78,678
Tuscaloosa, AL$78,678
Columbia, SC$78,602
Springfield, OH$78,585
Asheville, NC$78,449
Bloomington, IN$78,389
Knoxville, TN$78,083
Shreveport, LA$78,074
Wilmington, NC$77,963
Roanoke, VA$77,963
Topeka, KS$77,810
Frankfort, KY$77,801
Oklahoma City, OK$77,742
Chillicothe, OH$77,708
Longview, TX$77,700
Melbourne, FL$77,691
Sioux Falls, SD$77,555
Mobile, AL$77,546
Terre Haute, IN$77,512
Altoona, PA$77,461
Amarillo, TX$77,402
Killeen, TX$77,376
Fayetteville, AR$77,308
Chattanooga, TN$77,283
Sioux City, IA$77,206
Idaho Falls, ID$77,189
Lynchburg, VA$77,121
Gainesville, FL$77,010
Portsmouth, OH$76,968
Little Rock, AR$76,951
Lafayette, LA$76,917
Youngstown, OH$76,917
Daytona Beach, FL$76,866
Clarksville, TN$76,857
Pensacola, FL$76,849
Temple, TX$76,843
Hopkinsville, KY$76,593
Erie, PA$76,576
Florence, SC$76,542
Charleston, WV$76,406
Great Falls, MT$76,364
Macon, GA$76,244
Tallahassee, FL$76,236
Fayetteville, NC$76,219
Waco, TX$76,202
Helena, MT$76,142
Pine Bluff, AR$76,110
Vincennes, IN$76,006
Lubbock, TX$75,972
Alamogordo, NM$75,921
Twin Falls, ID$75,844
Rapid City, SD$75,819
Jackson, MS$75,666
Huntington, WV$75,660
Greenville, MS$75,657
Parkersburg, WV$75,570
Montgomery, AL$75,555
Wichita Falls, TX$75,470
Springfield, MO$75,470
Biloxi, MS$75,427
Monroe, LA$75,342
Johnstown, PA$75,283
Sumter, SC$75,249
Columbus, GA$75,240
Pascagoula, MS$75,078
Abilene, TX$75,078
Kingsport, TN$74,857
Albany, GA$74,857
Gulfport, MS$74,832
Alexandria, LA$74,551
Fort Smith, AR$74,338
El Paso, TX$74,108
Las Cruces, NM$73,725
Harlingen, TX$73,509
Pocatello, ID$73,496
Florence, AL$73,385
Brownsville, TX$73,368
Mcallen, TX$73,189
Dothan, AL$73,070
Columbus, MS$72,565
Altus, OK$72,168
Lawton, OK$72,006
Pierre, SD$71,700
What Skills Can Increase a Materials Lead's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Leadership (Mentioned in 7.36% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
Material Handling (Mentioned in 3.14% Job Postings): Material handling involves short-distance movement within the confines of a building or between a building and a transportation vehicle. It uses a wide range of manual, semi-automated, and automated equipment and includes consideration of the protection, storage, and control of materials throughout their manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, consumption, and disposal. Material handling can be used to create time and place utility through the handling, storage, and control of material, as distinct from manufacturing, which creates form utility by changing the shape, form, and makeup of material.
ERP (Mentioned in 1.75% Job Postings): Enterprise resource planning (ERP) refers to a type of software that organizations use to manage day-to-day business activities such as accounting, procurement, project management, risk management and compliance, and supply chain operations.
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 Materials Lead's salary.
Budgeting: Can increase your salary by up to 25%.
PowerPoint: Can increase your salary by up to 20%.
Materials Lead Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Materials Lead roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Biotechnology
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average.
In contrast, Materials Lead positions in Retail & Wholesale or MFG Nondurable typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Materials Lead as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Materials Lead
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense
$102,124
$49.0
20%
Biotechnology
$102,124
$49.0
20%
Financial Services
$102,124
$49.0
20%
Pharmaceuticals
$102,124
$49.0
20%
Software & Networking
$102,124
$49.0
20%
How Education impacts a Materials Lead's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Materials Leads enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree,
higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.
According to our 100% employer-reported salary data,
the median salary for a Materials Lead with a Associate's Degree is between
$84,517
and $92,110).
Materials Lead Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Materials Lead'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.
Hourly
Monthly
Weekly
Yearly
Table View
Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$76,812
Average$85,104/year
$95,559
$6,401
Average$7,092/month
$7,963
$1,477
Average$1,637/week
$1,838
$37
Average$41/hour
$46
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$95,559
$7,963
$1,838
$46
Average
$85,104
$7,092
$1,637
$41
25th Percentile
$76,812
$6,401
$1,477
$37
Salaries of Jobs related to Materials Lead
Materials Planning Director$174,687
Materials Planning Senior Manager$144,273
Materials Processing Engineer IV$132,843
Specialist Materials Engineer$124,950
Materials Engineer IV$124,946
Materials Planning Manager$123,781
Alloy and Materials Engineer IV$120,800
Materials Procurement Buyer IV$117,980
Materials/Inventory Planner IV$112,700
Materials Planner IV$112,640
Materials Management Analyst IV$110,445
Salary Trends for Materials Lead
Salaries for a Materials Lead can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $84,170 in 2023
to around $83,792 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Materials Lead salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Materials Lead Over Time
$???
$84,170
$84,225
$83,792
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$84,170
2024
$84,225
2025
$83,792
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Materials Lead
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Materials Lead
Here are companies hiring for Materials Lead and their salaries, click below for more details.
C$128,509/per year
C R Bard IncBiotechnologythe United States
H$124,697/per year
Henry Schein CanadaBiotechnologythe United States
N$123,899/per year
Nordex IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$120,416/per year
Nipro CorpBiotechnologythe United States
E$115,870/per year
EnovisBiotechnologythe United States
A$114,553/per year
Advanced Research Projects Agency - EnergyBiotechnologythe United States
M$112,110/per year
MiniMed IncBiotechnologythe United States
L$111,500/per year
Labcorp Drug DevelopmentBiotechnologythe United States
L$110,229/per year
Life Technologies CorpBiotechnologythe United States
Z$106,224/per year
Zimmer BiometBiotechnologythe United States
P$103,077/per year
Promontory TherapeuticsBiotechnologythe United States
S$102,181/per year
Steris PLCBiotechnologythe United States
G$97,274/per year
Gavin Conferences Pty LtdBiotechnologythe United States
E$94,764/per year
Endeavor BioMedicinesBiotechnologythe United States
R$94,402/per year
Replay Holdings LLCBiotechnologythe United States
P$94,235/per year
Pleno IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$93,666/per year
Simulaids IncBiotechnologythe United States
N$88,880/per year
NOIRLab/CASBiotechnologythe United States
O$86,468/per year
Onward TechnologyBiotechnologythe United States
L$84,895/per year
LED Medical Diagnostics IncBiotechnologythe United States
E$84,682/per year
Eyeco LtdBiotechnologythe United States
P$84,523/per year
PaerosolBiotechnologythe United States
I$83,525/per year
IONIQ Sciences IncBiotechnologythe United States
S$82,815/per year
Stateside PPEBiotechnologythe United States
D$82,041/per year
Digi BioBiotechnologythe United States
Find Your Next Materials Lead Job
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FAQ about Materials Lead
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Materials Lead?
The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Materials Lead roles,
with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.
Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?
Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.
