Salaries//Chicago, IL//Lead Software Engineer

Lead Software Engineer salary in Chicago, IL

Average Base Salary in Chicago, IL

$147,674
$17,072
Additional Cash Compensation
$164,746
Total Compensation
Median: 145,000
Min: $95K
Max: $225K

How Much Does a Lead Software Engineer Make in Chicago, IL?

The average salary for a Lead Software Engineer in Chicago, IL is $147,674. The average additional cash compensation for a Lead Software Engineer in Chicago, IL is $17,072. The average total compensation for a Lead Software Engineer in Chicago, IL is $164,746. Lead Software Engineer salaries are based on responses gathered by Built In from anonymous Lead Software Engineer employees in Chicago, IL.

Lead Software Engineer
Account Executive Account Manager Accountant Aerospace Engineer AI Engineer Analytics Manager Android Developer App Developer Application Engineer Art Director Associate Product Manager Automation Engineer AWS Developer Back End Developer Big Data Engineer Blockchain Developer Brand Manager Budget Analyst Business Analyst Business Development Manager Business Development Representative Business Intelligence Analyst Business Intelligence Developer Business Intelligence Developer Business Intelligence Manager CCO (Chief Creative Officer) CFO (Chief Financial Officer) Chief Information Officer Chief People Officer CIO (Chief Information Officer) Client Success Manager Cloud Engineer Cloud Security Engineer CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Community Manager Content Manager Content Marketing Manager Content Strategist Controller COO (Chief Operating Officer) Copywriter CPO (Chief Product Officer) Creative Chief Officer Creative Director CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) CTO (Chief Technology Officer) Customer Support Manager Customer Support Rep Cybersecurity Engineer Data Analyst Data Architect Data Engineer Data Engineering Manager Data Scientist Database Administrator Database Developer Design Director Design Engineer Desktop Support DevOps Engineer Digital Marketing Manager Director of Analytics Director of Customer Success Director of Marketing Director of Operations Director of Product Management Director of Product Marketing Director of Software Engineering Editor Email Marketing Manager Engineering Manager Event Planner Finance Director Financial Analyst Front End Developer Full Stack Developer Game Designer Game Developer Graphic Designer Hardware Engineer HR Coordinator HR Director HR Manager HR Specialist Implementation Manager Implementation Specialist Inside Sales Manager Inside Sales Representative Instructional Designer iOS Developer IT Engineer Java Developer Javascript Developer Junior Business Analyst Junior Data Analyst Junior Data Scientist Junior Software Developer Junior Software Engineer Junior Web Developer Lead Software Engineer Machine Learning Engineer Market Research Analyst Marketing Analyst Marketing Assistant Marketing Associate Marketing Coordinator Marketing Manager Marketing Operations Manager Marketing Project Manager Marketing Specialist Network Engineer Office Manager Operations Associate Operations Manager Power BI Developer Principal Software Engineer Product Analyst Product Designer Product Manager Product Marketing Manager Product Owner Project Coordinator Project Manager Public Relations Manager Public Relations Specialist Python Developer QA Analyst QA Engineer QA Manager Quant Developer React Developer Recruiter Robotics Engineer RPA Developer Sales Associate Sales Coordinator Sales Development Representative Sales Director Sales Engineer Sales Manager Sales Operations Analyst Sales Operations Manager Salesforce Developer Scrum Master Security Engineer Senior Accountant Senior Business Analyst Senior Data Analyst Senior Data Engineer Senior Data Scientist Senior Financial Analyst Senior Graphic Designer Senior Marketing Manager Senior Product Designer Senior Product Manager Senior Product Marketing Manager Senior Project Manager Senior Recruiter Senior Software Developer Senior Software Engineer Senior Systems Engineer Senior Technical Writer Senior UI Designer Senior UX Designer SEO Manager SEO Specialist Site Reliability Engineer Social Media Manager Software Developer Software Engineer Software Sales Representative Software Test Engineer SQL Developer Systems Engineer Tableau Developer Tech Sales Representative Technical Product Manager Technical Project Manager Technical Recruiter Technical Support Technical Writer Test Engineer UI Designer UX Designer UX Researcher Vice President of Care Vice President of Engineering Vice President of Finance Vice President of Human Resources Vice President of Marketing Vice President of Operations Vice President of People Vice President of Product Vice President of Sales Vice President of Talent Acquisition Visual Designer Web Designer Web Developer Wordpress Developer

best-paying cities for Lead Software Engineer

The metropolitan areas that pay the highest salaries for software engineers are San Francisco, New York City, Seattle, Remote and Los Angeles.
City NameAverage SalaryCompared to National Average
San Francisco, CA$197,115
+ 27% (143,767)
New York City, NY$179,687
+ 20% (143,767)
Seattle, WA$175,347
+ 18% (143,767)
Remote$172,767
+ 17% (143,767)
Los Angeles, CA$168,286
+ 15% (143,767)
Austin, TX$167,675
+ 14% (143,767)
Colorado, CO$165,000
+ 13% (143,767)
Boston, MA$162,147
+ 11% (143,767)
Fort Collins$160,000
+ 10% (143,767)
Orange County$156,500
+ 8% (143,767)

Lead Software Engineer Salary by gender

The average Lead Software Engineer salary for women is $162,556 and the average Lead Software Engineer salary for men is $147,878.

Lead Software Engineer Salary by Years of Experience

The average salary for a Lead Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience is $154,603.

Lead Software Engineer Salary ranges

The two most common Lead Software Engineer salary ranges in Chicago, IL are $150k - $160k and $180k - $190k.

Average Dev + Engineer salaries in Chicago, IL

Job TitleAverage SalarySalary Range
QA Analyst$75,354
Min: $50K
Max: $120K
Implementation Specialist$78,947
Min: $45K
Max: $220K
Business Intelligence Developer$80,000
Min: $80K
Max: $80K
Junior Software Developer$82,167
Min: $68K
Max: $94K
Test Engineer$85,000
Min: $85K
Max: $85K
Junior Software Engineer$87,373
Min: $63K
Max: $145K
QA Engineer$89,434
Min: $50K
Max: $150K
Application Engineer$90,000
Min: $90K
Max: $90K
Software Test Engineer$93,146
Min: $55K
Max: $150K
Android Developer$102,733
Min: $60K
Max: $175K
Front End Developer$104,053
Min: $55K
Max: $240K
iOS Developer$105,650
Min: $52K
Max: $160K
Automation Engineer$109,058
Min: $65K
Max: $240K
Game Developer$113,250
Min: $65K
Max: $136K
Full Stack Developer$113,333
Min: $90K
Max: $130K
Salesforce Developer$115,354
Min: $66K
Max: $197K
Sales Engineer$115,393
Min: $55K
Max: $220K
Python Developer$117,500
Min: $85K
Max: $150K
Data Engineer$122,925
Min: $75K
Max: $239K
Security Engineer$124,207
Min: $75K
Max: $230K
QA Manager$125,950
Min: $78K
Max: $170K
Site Reliability Engineer$127,496
Min: $85K
Max: $181K
DevOps Engineer$128,173
Min: $80K
Max: $175K
Back End Developer$129,542
Min: $68K
Max: $180K
SQL Developer$130,000
Min: $130K
Max: $130K
Systems Engineer$130,925
Min: $65K
Max: $221K
Database Administrator$135,250
Min: $85K
Max: $166K
Software Engineer$136,304
Min: $62K
Max: $248K
Senior Software Engineer$136,886
Min: $84K
Max: $300K
Software Developer$140,748
Min: $75K
Max: $213K
Senior Data Engineer$141,841
Min: $100K
Max: $180K
Lead Software Engineer$147,674
Min: $95K
Max: $225K
Data Architect$152,641
Min: $75K
Max: $215K
Senior Software Developer$153,333
Min: $120K
Max: $180K
IT Engineer$156,000
Min: $156K
Max: $156K
Hardware Engineer$159,850
Min: $85K
Max: $253K
Principal Software Engineer$160,192
Min: $120K
Max: $225K
Cloud Engineer$165,000
Min: $130K
Max: $190K
Engineering Manager$165,796
Min: $77K
Max: $531K
Java Developer$175,000
Min: $175K
Max: $175K
Data Engineering Manager$179,781
Min: $110K
Max: $225K
Director of Software Engineering$184,611
Min: $130K
Max: $275K
Cybersecurity Engineer$195,900
Min: $163K
Max: $229K
CTO (Chief Technology Officer)$201,451
Min: $110K
Max: $310K
Machine Learning Engineer$203,750
Min: $165K
Max: $250K
Database Developer$208,000
Min: $208K
Max: $208K
Vice President of Engineering$213,273
Min: $160K
Max: $500K
CIO (Chief Information Officer)$228,341
Min: $157K
Max: $325K
Design Engineer$232,523
Min: $233K
Max: $233K

FAQ

Q:

What is a lead software engineer?

A.
A lead software engineer oversees the entire software development lifecycle from design all the way to testing.
Q:

How to become a lead software engineer?

A.
A lead software engineer typically holds a bachelor’s degree in a field like computer science as well as approximately seven to eight years of relevant experience. Relevant experience should not only include coding expertise, but also familiarity with project management and quality assurance practices.
Q:

How much does a lead software engineer make?

A.

The salary range for a lead software engineer is $44K-$450K. The average salary for a Lead Software Engineer in Chicago, IL is $147,674.

Q:

What is a software lead vs a senior software engineer?

A.
Though both roles have similar responsibilities, lead software engineers typically have a larger focus on managing other engineers and business processes.

Career Info

Lead Software Engineer jobs in Chicago, IL

Skills that affect Lead Software Engineer salaries in Chicago, IL

1
Javascript
1% have this skill
2
Java
1% have this skill
3
.NET
1% have this skill
4
SQL
1% have this skill
5
Node.js
1% have this skill
6
Amazon Web Services
0% have this skill

Average Lead Software Engineer Salary by Company Size

People with the job title Lead Software Engineer make the most at companies with 1,000+ employees, earning $164,000 on average.

Recent Lead Software Engineer salaries in Chicago, IL

$170,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead Software Engineer - Mobile Applications reported a yearly salary of $170,000 with +$20,400 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$168,000
Yearly Salary
A Software Engineer Lead reported a yearly salary of $168,000 with +$16,800 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Female
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$225,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead, Staff Software Engineer, Middleware - Java reported a yearly salary of $225,000 with +$33,750 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Female
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$205,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead, Staff Software Engineer, Middleware - Java reported a yearly salary of $205,000 with +$30,750 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$165,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $165,000 with +$24,000 in additional cash compensation
5-7 Years of Experience
Male
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$178,500
Yearly Salary
A Lead Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $178,500 with +$10,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
201-500 Employees
Chicago, IL
$175,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $175,000 with +$31,750 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
201-500 Employees
Chicago, IL
$175,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $175,000
5-7 Years of Experience
Female
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$150,150
Yearly Salary
A Product Manager reported a yearly salary of $150,150
3-5 Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$185,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead Ruby Developer reported a yearly salary of $185,000
5-7 Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
Chicago, IL