Salaries//Lead Software Engineer

Lead Software Engineer salary in US

Average Base Salary in US

$153,564
$19,353
Additional Cash Compensation
$172,917
Total Compensation
Median: 143,000
Min: $44K
Max: $300K

How Much Does a Lead Software Engineer Make in US?

The average salary for a Lead Software Engineer in US is $153,564. The average additional cash compensation for a Lead Software Engineer in US is $19,353. The average total compensation for a Lead Software Engineer in US is $172,917. Lead Software Engineer salaries are based on responses gathered by Built In from anonymous Lead Software Engineer employees in US.

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, Colorado, New York City, Remote and Seattle.
City NameAverage SalaryCompared to National Average
San Francisco, CA$196,752
+ 27% (143,848)
Colorado, CO$190,000
+ 24% (143,848)
New York City, NY$180,260
+ 20% (143,848)
Remote$175,853
+ 18% (143,848)
Seattle, WA$173,037
+ 17% (143,848)
Los Angeles, CA$167,966
+ 14% (143,848)
Austin, TX$161,347
+ 11% (143,848)
Fort Collins$160,000
+ 10% (143,848)
Boston, MA$159,863
+ 10% (143,848)
Orange County$156,500
+ 8% (143,848)

Lead Software Engineer Salary by gender

The average Lead Software Engineer salary for women is $169,351 and the average Lead Software Engineer salary for men is $155,861.

Lead Software Engineer Salary by Years of Experience

The average salary for a Lead Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience is $163,213. The average salary for <1 year of experience is $119,000.

Lead Software Engineer Salary ranges

The most common Lead Software Engineer salary in US is between $120k - $130k.

Average Dev + Engineer salaries in US

Job TitleAverage SalarySalary Range
Wordpress Developer$71,129
Min: $55K
Max: $96K
Junior Web Developer$76,862
Min: $64K
Max: $93K
Implementation Specialist$79,953
Min: $38K
Max: $235K
QA Analyst$84,339
Min: $28K
Max: $166K
Junior Software Developer$87,847
Min: $55K
Max: $120K
RPA Developer$89,414
Min: $80K
Max: $127K
Junior Software Engineer$89,518
Min: $0K
Max: $190K
Tableau Developer$94,349
Min: $87K
Max: $121K
Web Developer$96,212
Min: $72K
Max: $153K
QA Engineer$99,581
Min: $40K
Max: $230K
Software Test Engineer$101,068
Min: $40K
Max: $200K
Javascript Developer$102,449
Min: $84K
Max: $119K
SQL Developer$104,864
Min: $89K
Max: $130K
Automation Engineer$105,759
Min: $10K
Max: $240K
React Developer$105,911
Min: $85K
Max: $153K
Test Engineer$107,711
Min: $29K
Max: $191K
Power BI Developer$107,870
Min: $95K
Max: $155K
AWS Developer$108,134
Min: $92K
Max: $150K
Front End Developer$109,177
Min: $0K
Max: $330K
Python Developer$112,382
Min: $85K
Max: $160K
Android Developer$112,876
Min: $0K
Max: $310K
Salesforce Developer$113,123
Min: $45K
Max: $220K
Network Engineer$113,313
Min: $70K
Max: $252K
App Developer$114,106
Min: $51K
Max: $197K
Game Developer$115,999
Min: $4K
Max: $214K
Database Developer$116,420
Min: $90K
Max: $160K
iOS Developer$117,644
Min: $2K
Max: $391K
Application Engineer$119,815
Min: $80K
Max: $225K
IT Engineer$122,727
Min: $61K
Max: $202K
Systems Engineer$123,317
Min: $55K
Max: $301K
Data Engineer$125,073
Min: $0K
Max: $300K
Blockchain Developer$127,025
Min: $75K
Max: $245K
Sales Engineer$128,713
Min: $9K
Max: $305K
Security Engineer$129,059
Min: $10K
Max: $299K
Site Reliability Engineer$130,155
Min: $70K
Max: $300K
Database Administrator$131,060
Min: $69K
Max: $260K
QA Manager$131,311
Min: $45K
Max: $225K
DevOps Engineer$132,632
Min: $25K
Max: $250K
Cloud Security Engineer$135,598
Min: $95K
Max: $250K
Robotics Engineer$136,642
Min: $89K
Max: $302K
Software Engineer$137,335
Min: $0K
Max: $400K
Java Developer$138,886
Min: $87K
Max: $240K
Hardware Engineer$140,649
Min: $64K
Max: $343K
Aerospace Engineer$141,098
Min: $94K
Max: $258K
Senior Data Engineer$141,287
Min: $30K
Max: $343K
Cloud Engineer$142,130
Min: $85K
Max: $216K
Software Developer$144,226
Min: $48K
Max: $285K
Data Architect$145,845
Min: $0K
Max: $290K
Senior Systems Engineer$145,952
Min: $110K
Max: $250K
Design Engineer$148,230
Min: $83K
Max: $233K
Business Intelligence Developer$153,400
Min: $80K
Max: $250K
Lead Software Engineer$153,564
Min: $44K
Max: $300K
Senior Software Engineer$155,133
Min: $18K
Max: $366K
Machine Learning Engineer$157,969
Min: $70K
Max: $285K
Full Stack Developer$159,917
Min: $80K
Max: $300K
Cybersecurity Engineer$161,306
Min: $60K
Max: $333K
Data Engineering Manager$163,147
Min: $110K
Max: $255K
Senior Software Developer$165,114
Min: $95K
Max: $300K
Back End Developer$166,396
Min: $68K
Max: $300K
Principal Software Engineer$171,349
Min: $86K
Max: $375K
Engineering Manager$171,906
Min: $0K
Max: $450K
AI Engineer$177,612
Min: $80K
Max: $338K
Director of Software Engineering$195,664
Min: $2K
Max: $420K
Quant Developer$196,161
Min: $127K
Max: $500K
CTO (Chief Technology Officer)$223,122
Min: $0K
Max: $575K
Vice President of Engineering$224,452
Min: $130K
Max: $500K
CIO (Chief Information Officer)$226,866
Min: $83K
Max: $450K

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 US is $153,564.

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 US

Skills that affect Lead Software Engineer salaries in US

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
0% have this skill
6
Front-end
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 201-500 employees, earning $159,172 on average.

Recent Lead Software Engineer salaries in US

$201,825
Yearly Salary
A Lead DevOps Engineer reported a yearly salary of $201,825 with +$30,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
201-500 Employees
New York City, NY
$187,775
Yearly Salary
A Lead Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $187,775
7+ Years of Experience
Female
51-200 Employees
Remote
$214,916
Yearly Salary
A Lead Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $214,916
7+ Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
Remote
$201,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead Engineer, Personalized Consumer Experience Full-Stack reported a yearly salary of $201,000 with +$40,200 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
1,000+ Employees
San Francisco, CA
$140,000
Yearly Salary
A Lead Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $140,000 with +$35,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
51-200 Employees
Chicago, IL
$230,000
Yearly Salary
A Technical Lead reported a yearly salary of $230,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
New York City, NY
$190,980
Yearly Salary
A Software Architect, Middleware reported a yearly salary of $190,980 with +$28,647 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$226,823
Yearly Salary
A Staff Software Engineer, Middleware reported a yearly salary of $226,823 with +$34,023 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Female
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$197,163
Yearly Salary
A Staff Software Engineer, Middleware reported a yearly salary of $197,163 with +$29,575 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
1,000+ Employees
Chicago, IL
$150,000
Yearly Salary
A Software Engineer III reported a yearly salary of $150,000 with +$15,000 in additional cash compensation
5-7 Years of Experience
Female
1,000+ Employees
Remote