Lead Software Development Engineer Salary
$83K - $93.5K
4% of jobs
$93.5K - $104K
8% of jobs
$104K - $114.5K
8% of jobs
$119.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$114.5K - $125K
11% of jobs
$125K - $135.5K
11% of jobs
The median wage is $143.3K / yr.
$135.5K - $146K
11% of jobs
$146K - $156.5K
12% of jobs
$165.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$156.5K - $167K
12% of jobs
$167K - $177.5K
12% of jobs
$177.5K - $188K
7% of jobs
$188K - $198.5K
5% of jobs
$83K
$144.5K
$198K
$145,890
/year
$70.14
/hour
Lead Software Development Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$145,890
Columbus
Ohio
$140,915
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How much does a Lead Software Development Engineer make?
As of Jun 11, 2026, the average annual pay for a Lead Software Development Engineer in the United States is $145,890 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $70.14 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,805/week or $12,157/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $198,000 and as low as $83,000, the majority of Lead Software Development Engineer salaries currently range between $121,000 (25th percentile) to $168,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $186,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Lead Software Development Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 47500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Lead Software Development Engineer in your area makes on average $140,915 per year, or $4,975 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $145,890. Ohio ranks number 42 out of 50 states nationwide for Lead Software Development Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Lead Software Development Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Lead Software Development Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Lead Software Development Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Lead Software Development Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Kirkland, WA, , with Cupertino, CA, and Patterson, OH, close behind in the second and third positions. Patterson, OH, beats the national average by $33,299 (22.8%), and Kirkland, WA, furthers that trend with another $36,651 (25.1%) above the $145,890 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Lead Software Development Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 6% between Kirkland, WA, and Santa Clara, 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 Lead Software Development Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Kirkland, WA | $182,541 | $87.76 |
Cupertino, CA | $179,991 | $86.53 |
Patterson, OH | $179,189 | $86.15 |
Bedford, MA | $178,893 | $86.01 |
Jessup, MD | $177,174 | $85.18 |
Sitka, AK | $175,751 | $84.50 |
Pennington County, SD | $174,051 | $83.68 |
Mountain View, CA | $172,104 | $82.74 |
San Francisco, CA | $171,884 | $82.64 |
Santa Clara, CA | $171,284 | $82.35 |
What are Top 0 Best Paying Related Lead Software Development Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Lead Software Development Engineer job category, we found that related job jobs have average salaries similar than Lead Software Development Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
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About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
