A Proposal 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 Proposal Lead Salaries?
Experience is a primary driver of a Proposal 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 Proposal 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 Proposal Leads. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
District of Columbia: $94,156.
California: $93,799.
Massachusetts: $92,549.
District of Columbia$94,156
California$93,799
Massachusetts$92,549
Washington$92,209
New Jersey$92,175
Alaska$92,056
Connecticut$90,882
New York$90,406
Hawaii$88,884
Rhode Island$88,169
Maryland$87,685
Minnesota$87,021
Colorado$86,766
Illinois$86,681
Oregon$86,358
Delaware$86,120
New Hampshire$85,970
Virginia$85,635
Pennsylvania$84,657
Nevada$84,164
North Dakota$84,002
Michigan$83,747
Wisconsin$83,654
Vermont$83,467
Texas$82,948
Maine$82,914
Arizona$82,863
Ohio$82,803
Georgia$82,021
Indiana$81,630
Wyoming$81,553
Utah$81,434
Iowa$81,383
Kansas$80,975
Louisiana$80,856
North Carolina$80,813
Missouri$80,796
Florida$80,465
Montana$80,286
Nebraska$80,116
Kentucky$80,022
South Carolina$79,682
Tennessee$79,470
Idaho$79,385
New Mexico$78,764
Oklahoma$78,628
Alabama$78,126
South Dakota$77,284
Arkansas$76,825
West Virginia$76,578
Mississippi$75,838
Top Paying Cities for Proposal 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: $107,261
San Francisco: $106,086
Oakland: $103,851
San Jose, CA$107,261
San Francisco, CA$106,086
Oakland, CA$103,851
New York, NY$97,914
Paramus, NJ$96,723
Queens Village, NY$96,719
Passaic, NJ$96,638
Bergenfield, NJ$96,631
Stamford, CT$96,444
Huntington, NY$96,409
Newark, NJ$95,780
Bridgeport, CT$95,601
Vallejo, CA$95,432
New Brunswick, NJ$95,398
Petaluma, CA$95,347
Middlesex, NJ$95,185
Somerset, NJ$95,126
Santa Cruz, CA$95,015
Boston, MA$94,496
Monterey, CA$94,198
Seattle, WA$94,003
Santa Rosa, CA$93,986
Los Angeles, CA$93,960
Juneau, AK$93,739
Washington, DC$93,646
Orange, CA$93,343
Santa Ana, CA$93,119
Long Beach, CA$93,034
Anaheim, CA$93,017
Anchorage, AK$92,974
Santa Maria, CA$92,719
Everett, WA$92,702
Danbury, CT$92,403
Bremerton, WA$92,285
Tacoma, WA$91,979
New Suffolk, NY$91,977
Sacramento, CA$91,954
Santa Barbara, CA$91,860
Trenton, NJ$91,766
San Diego, CA$91,766
Brockton, MA$91,673
Fairbanks, AK$91,465
Lompoc, CA$91,248
Lowell, MA$91,179
Ventura, CA$91,163
Nashua, NH$91,146
Stockton, CA$91,137
Modesto, CA$90,516
Poughkeepsie, NY$90,329
Olympia, WA$90,168
Kennewick, WA$90,168
New Haven, CT$90,134
Lawrence, MA$89,828
Hartford, CT$89,743
Riverside, CA$89,725
New Bedford, MA$89,640
Richland, WA$89,640
Bakersfield, CA$89,521
San Bernardino, CA$89,487
New Britain, CT$89,479
Atlantic City, NJ$89,479
New London, CT$89,445
Norwich, CT$89,419
Portsmouth, NH$89,402
Boulder, CO$89,222
Portland, OR$89,105
Worcester, MA$89,096
Minneapolis, MN$88,833
Philadelphia, PA$88,714
Honolulu, HI$88,433
Saint Paul, MN$88,392
Vineland, NJ$88,373
Providence, RI$88,127
Chicago, IL$87,880
Bellingham, WA$87,778
Springfield, MA$87,710
Baltimore, MD$87,685
Chico, CA$87,472
Pittsfield, MA$87,242
Manchester, NH$87,081
Spokane, WA$86,707
Denver, CO$86,698
Albany, NY$86,298
Troy, NY$86,264
Nassau, NY$86,173
Schenectady, NY$86,086
Wilmington, DE$86,018
Burlington, VT$85,899
Salem, OR$85,865
Portland, ME$85,601
Yakima, WA$85,516
Rochester, MN$85,252
Reno, NV$85,210
Fresno, CA$85,210
Milwaukee, WI$85,133
Detroit, MI$85,048
Ann Arbor, MI$85,034
Allentown, PA$85,023
Colorado Springs, CO$84,878
Syracuse, NY$84,836
Carson City, NV$84,836
Houston, TX$84,717
Eugene, OR$84,674
Gary, IN$84,572
Springfield, OR$84,504
Bismarck, ND$84,487
Galveston, TX$84,428
Medford, OR$84,300
Fort Collins, CO$84,266
Concord, NH$84,223
Austin, TX$84,198
Mesa, AZ$84,019
Reading, PA$84,011
Phoenix, AZ$84,002
Dallas, TX$83,977
Saint Cloud, MN$83,895
Madison, WI$83,781
Utica, NY$83,552
Rochester, NY$83,416
Des Moines, IA$83,407
Raleigh, NC$83,399
Atlanta, GA$83,271
Battle Creek, MI$83,245
Salt Lake City, UT$83,220
Lancaster, PA$83,092
Harrisburg, PA$82,973
Kansas City, MO$82,888
Champaign, IL$82,871
Kansas City, KS$82,871
Fort Worth, TX$82,863
Columbus, OH$82,848
Boca Raton, FL$82,829
Pittsburgh, PA$82,795
Richmond, VA$82,761
Indianapolis, IN$82,744
Cleveland, OH$82,735
Las Vegas, NV$82,633
Cincinnati, OH$82,633
Petersburg, VA$82,506
Huntsville, AL$82,378
Lansing, MI$82,321
Lebanon, PA$82,310
Pueblo, CO$82,302
Appleton, WI$82,276
Buffalo, NY$82,242
Dayton, OH$82,216
Racine, WI$82,199
Charlotte, NC$82,191
Saint Louis, MO$82,165
York, PA$82,114
Elkhart, IN$82,114
Gastonia, NC$82,098
Billings, MT$82,078
Beaumont, TX$82,055
Lorain, OH$82,038
Benton Harbor, MI$82,021
Toledo, OH$82,004
Binghamton, NY$81,961
Rock Hill, SC$81,953
Rockford, IL$81,910
Springfield, IL$81,876
Elyria, OH$81,868
Fargo, ND$81,868
Flagstaff, AZ$81,808
Fort Lauderdale, FL$81,757
Duluth, MN$81,706
Miami, FL$81,706
Cheyenne, WY$81,647
Grand Forks, ND$81,647
Bangor, ME$81,460
Cedar Rapids, IA$81,366
Durham, NC$81,330
Louisville, KY$81,324
Grand Rapids, MI$81,307
Hialeah, FL$81,298
Casper, WY$81,179
Scranton, PA$81,077
New Orleans, LA$81,051
Virginia Beach, VA$81,043
Akron, OH$81,000
Peoria, IL$80,890
Sarasota, FL$80,873
Nashville, TN$80,813
Omaha, NE$80,813
Green Bay, WI$80,813
Baton Rouge, LA$80,771
Charleston, SC$80,754
Jamestown, NY$80,711
Davenport, IA$80,711
Tucson, AZ$80,669
Saint Petersburg, FL$80,618
Tampa, FL$80,601
Evansville, IN$80,550
Port Arthur, TX$80,550
Bradenton, FL$80,516
Santa Fe, NM$80,363
Orlando, FL$80,210
Clearwater, FL$80,184
Canton, OH$80,005
La Crosse, WI$80,005
Albuquerque, NM$79,954
Newport News, VA$79,946
High Point, NC$79,920
Ogden, UT$79,886
Corpus Christi, TX$79,818
Norfolk, VA$79,767
Laramie, WY$79,767
Rock Island, IL$79,716
Saginaw, MI$79,699
Jacksonville, FL$79,691
Salisbury, NC$79,674
Boise, ID$79,657
Moline, IL$79,614
Fort Myers, FL$79,589
Memphis, TN$79,572
Tulsa, OK$79,529
Waterloo, IA$79,478
Spartanburg, SC$79,393
Lincoln, NE$79,351
Fort Wayne, IN$79,334
Provo, UT$79,325
Cedar Falls, IA$79,223
San Antonio, TX$79,189
Greensboro, NC$79,155
South Bend, IN$79,147
Savannah, GA$79,053
Muskegon, MI$79,019
Birmingham, AL$79,010
Winston Salem, NC$78,969
Lake Charles, LA$78,764
Anderson, IN$78,747
Lexington, KY$78,721
Augusta, GA$78,696
Greenville, SC$78,696
Lima, OH$78,628
Wichita, KS$78,619
Tuscaloosa, AL$78,619
Columbia, SC$78,543
Springfield, OH$78,526
Asheville, NC$78,390
Bloomington, IN$78,330
Knoxville, TN$78,024
Shreveport, LA$78,016
Wilmington, NC$77,905
Roanoke, VA$77,905
Topeka, KS$77,752
Frankfort, KY$77,743
Oklahoma City, OK$77,684
Chillicothe, OH$77,650
Longview, TX$77,641
Melbourne, FL$77,633
Sioux Falls, SD$77,497
Mobile, AL$77,488
Terre Haute, IN$77,454
Altoona, PA$77,403
Amarillo, TX$77,344
Killeen, TX$77,318
Fayetteville, AR$77,250
Chattanooga, TN$77,225
Sioux City, IA$77,148
Idaho Falls, ID$77,131
Lynchburg, VA$77,063
Gainesville, FL$76,953
Portsmouth, OH$76,910
Little Rock, AR$76,893
Lafayette, LA$76,859
Youngstown, OH$76,859
Daytona Beach, FL$76,808
Clarksville, TN$76,799
Pensacola, FL$76,791
Temple, TX$76,785
Hopkinsville, KY$76,536
Erie, PA$76,519
Florence, SC$76,485
Charleston, WV$76,349
Great Falls, MT$76,306
Macon, GA$76,187
Tallahassee, FL$76,179
Fayetteville, NC$76,162
Waco, TX$76,145
Helena, MT$76,085
Pine Bluff, AR$76,053
Vincennes, IN$75,949
Lubbock, TX$75,915
Alamogordo, NM$75,864
Twin Falls, ID$75,787
Rapid City, SD$75,762
Jackson, MS$75,609
Huntington, WV$75,603
Greenville, MS$75,600
Parkersburg, WV$75,514
Montgomery, AL$75,498
Wichita Falls, TX$75,413
Springfield, MO$75,413
Biloxi, MS$75,371
Monroe, LA$75,286
Johnstown, PA$75,226
Sumter, SC$75,192
Columbus, GA$75,184
Pascagoula, MS$75,022
Abilene, TX$75,022
Kingsport, TN$74,801
Albany, GA$74,801
Gulfport, MS$74,775
Alexandria, LA$74,495
Fort Smith, AR$74,282
El Paso, TX$74,053
Las Cruces, NM$73,670
Harlingen, TX$73,454
Pocatello, ID$73,440
Florence, AL$73,330
Brownsville, TX$73,313
Mcallen, TX$73,134
Dothan, AL$73,015
Columbus, MS$72,510
Altus, OK$72,114
Lawton, OK$71,952
Pierre, SD$71,646
What Skills Can Increase a Proposal Lead's Salary?
Demanded Skills for the Role:
Problem Solving (Mentioned in 4.73% Job Postings): Analyzing and identifying the root cause of problems and applying critical thinking skills to solve problems.
Fundraising (Mentioned in 2.67% Job Postings): Fundraising or fund-raising (also known as "development" or "advancement") is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gather money for non-profit organizations, it is sometimes used to refer to the identification and solicitation of investors or other sources of capital for for-profit enterprises. Traditionally, fundraising consisted mostly of asking for donations on the street or at people's doors, and this is experiencing very strong growth in the form of face-to-face fundraising, but new forms of fundraising, such as online fundraising, have emerged in recent years, though these are often based on older methods such as grassroots fundraising.
RFI (Mentioned in 1.83% Job Postings): A RFI (request for information) is a common business process whose purpose is to collect written information about the capabilities of various suppliers.
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 Proposal Lead's salary.
Analysis: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Program Management: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
Proposal Lead Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors
For Proposal Lead roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential
by as much as 60% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries).
Data shows that the Biotechnology and Healthcare
sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 30% above the average.
In contrast, Proposal Lead positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or Business Services typically offer lower base pay,
as these industries often view Proposal Lead as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.
The top paying industries for a Proposal Lead
Industry Sector
Average Annual Salary
Average Hourly Rate
Pay vs.Avg
Biotechnology
$110,552
$53.0
30%
Healthcare
$93,544
$45.0
10%
How Education impacts a Proposal Lead's Salary?
Your level of education can impact your salary potential.
While many Proposal Leads enter the field with a Bachelor'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 Proposal Lead with a Bachelor's Degree is between
$84,249
and $91,990).
Proposal Lead Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay
Understanding how a Proposal 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
$76,370
Average$85,040/year
$94,974
$6,364
Average$7,087/month
$7,915
$1,469
Average$1,635/week
$1,826
$37
Average$41/hour
$46
Annual Salary
Monthly Pay
Weekly Pay
Hourly Wage
75th Percentile
$94,974
$7,915
$1,826
$46
Average
$85,040
$7,087
$1,635
$41
25th Percentile
$76,370
$6,364
$1,469
$37
Salaries of Jobs related to Proposal Lead
Proposal Manager$123,993
Proposal Writer IV$121,413
Proposal Specialist IV$121,390
Proposal Supervisor$103,100
Proposal Director$85,800
Proposal Administrator$85,730
Lead Proposal Manager$84,979
Proposal Specialist$82,660
Proposal Analyst$81,496
Proposal Writer$79,601
Proposal Developer$78,446
Salary Trends for Proposal Lead
Salaries for a Proposal Lead can change over time,
reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy.
The median salary decreased from $85,310 in 2023
to around $84,618 in 2025,
reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy.
For a detailed analysis of Proposal Lead salary trends,
.
Average Annual Salary of Proposal Lead Over Time
$???
$85,310
$85,143
$84,618
$???
$???
2022
2023
2024
2025
2026
2027
Year
Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023
$85,310
2024
$85,143
2025
$84,618
2026
View More
2027
View More
Most common benefits for Proposal Lead
Social Security
401 (k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
Common company salaries for Proposal Lead
Here are companies hiring for Proposal 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 Proposal Lead Job
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FAQ about Proposal Lead
1. What industry pays the highest salary for Proposal Lead?
The Biotechnology industry offers the highest average compensation for Proposal Lead roles,
with salaries approximately 30% 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.
