Design Lead Salary
$82.5K - $90.5K
17% of jobs
$96.4K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$90.5K - $98.5K
10% of jobs
$98.5K - $106.5K
8% of jobs
$106.5K - $114.5K
5% of jobs
$114.5K - $122.5K
6% of jobs
The median wage is $125.8K / yr.
$122.5K - $130.5K
6% of jobs
$130.5K - $138.5K
12% of jobs
$138.5K - $146.5K
1% of jobs
$149K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$146.5K - $154.5K
24% of jobs
$154.5K - $162.5K
4% of jobs
$162.5K - $170.5K
4% of jobs
$82.5K
$129.5K
$171K
$125,322
/year
$60.25
/hour
Design Lead Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$125,322
Columbus
Ohio
$121,048
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How much does a Design Lead make?
As of Aug 26, 2026, the average annual pay for a Design Lead in the United States is $125,322 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $60.25 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,410/week or $10,443/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $171,000 and as low as $82,500, the majority of Design Lead salaries currently range between $97,000 (25th percentile) to $150,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $161,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Design Lead varies greatly (by as much as 53000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Design Lead in your area makes on average $121,048 per year, or $4,274 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $125,322. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Design Lead salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Design Lead jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Design Lead on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Design Lead Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Design Lead job is above the national average. Topping the list is Corte Madera, CA, , with Pennington County, SD, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $30,139 (24.0%), and Corte Madera, CA, furthers that trend with another $51,688 (41.2%) above the $125,322 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Design Lead appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 17% between Corte Madera, CA, and Sunnyvale, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Design Lead role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Corte Madera, CA | $177,010 | $85.10 |
Pennington County, SD | $159,844 | $76.85 |
Nome, AK | $155,461 | $74.74 |
Cupertino, CA | $154,615 | $74.33 |
Berkeley, CA | $152,779 | $73.45 |
Aspen, CO | $151,478 | $72.83 |
Sitka, AK | $150,972 | $72.58 |
Milford, CT | $150,826 | $72.51 |
San Bruno, CA | $149,720 | $71.98 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $149,096 | $71.68 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Design Lead Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Design Lead job category, we found that Bim Director jobs have average salaries similar than Design Lead jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Bim Director | $90,711 | $43.61 |
Electrical Bim Designer | $81,505 | $39.19 |
Animation Assistant | $61,805 | $29.71 |
Bim | $58,107 | $27.94 |
Bim Technician | $54,605 | $26.25 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
