Lead Application Developer Salary in the United States

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

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Lead Application Developer in the United States is $157,728 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $76.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $180,262
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $148,097 to $169,523
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $139,328
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View as table View as graph 25% $148,097 10% $139,328 90% $180,262 75% $169,523 $157,728 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Lead Application Developer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $169,523 $14,127 $3,260 $82
Average $157,728 $13,144 $3,033 $76
25th Percentile $148,097 $12,341 $2,848 $71
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Key Factors That Influence Lead Application Developer Salaries

A Lead Application 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 Application Developer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Lead Application 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): $153,269
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $153,700
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $154,706
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $155,855
  • Expert (over 8 years): $158,075
Levels Salary
Entry Level Lead Application Developer$153,269
Intermediate Level Lead Application Developer$153,700
Senior Level Lead Application Developer$154,706
Specialist Level Lead Application Developer$155,855
Expert Level Lead Application Developer$158,075
$153,269 0 yr
$153,700 < 2 yrs
$154,706 2-4 yrs
$155,855 5-8 yrs
$158,075 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Lead Application 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: $198,942
  • San Francisco: $196,986
  • Oakland: $192,617

What Skills Can Increase a Lead Application Developer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Collaboration (Mentioned in 3.12% Job Postings): Works cooperatively and shares ideas with coworkers and managers to achieve common goals and objectives.
  • Agile (Mentioned in 4.38% Job Postings): Agile is a development process where feedback is continuously gathered from users to create the best user experience.
  • Product Design (Mentioned in 2.5% Job Postings): Product design as a verb is to create a new product to be sold by a business to its customers. A very broad coefficient and effective generation and development of ideas through a process that leads to new products. Thus, it is a major aspect of new product development. Due to the absence of a consensually accepted definition that reflects the breadth of the topic sufficiently, two discrete, yet interdependent, definitions are needed: one that explicitly defines product design in reference to the artifact, the other that defines the product design process in relation to this artifact. Product design as a noun: the set of properties of an artifact, consisting of the discrete properties of the form (i.e., the aesthetics of the tangible good and/or service) and the function (i.e. its capabilities) together with the holistic properties of the integrated form and function.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Collaboration 3.12%
Agile 4.38%
Product Design 2.5%
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 Application Developer's salary.
  • Working With People: Can increase your salary by up to 21%.
  • Test Automation: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Product Design: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Working With People
$190,851
21%
Test Automation
$171,924
9%
Product Design
$171,924
9%
Coaching
$168,769
7%
Algorithms
$165,614
5%
Mobile Applications
$165,614
5%
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Lead Application Developer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Lead Application 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 January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Lead Application Developer

Salaries for a Lead Application Developer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $160,605 in 2023 to around $157,344 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Lead Application Developer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Lead Application Developer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$160,605
2024
$159,142
2025
$157,344
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $160,605
2024 $159,142
2025 $157,344
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Lead Application Developer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Lead Application Developer

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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.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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