Software Engineer Tech Lead

Software Engineer Tech Lead Salary

$83K

$144.5K

$198K

$145,890

/year

$70.14

/hour

Software Engineer Tech Lead Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$145,890

Columbus

Ohio

$140,915

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    How much does a Software Engineer Tech Lead make?

    As of Jul 20, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Engineer Tech Lead 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 Software Engineer Tech Lead 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 Software Engineer Tech Lead 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 Software Engineer Tech Lead 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 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Software Engineer Tech Lead salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Software Engineer Tech Lead jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

    Find your next high paying job as a Software Engineer Tech Lead on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Engineer Tech Lead Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Engineer Tech Lead job is above the national average. Topping the list is Kirkland, WA, , with Nome, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $34,101 (23.4%), 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 Software Engineer Tech Lead appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Kirkland, WA, and Mountain View, 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 Software Engineer Tech Lead role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Kirkland, WA

    $182,541

    $87.76

    Nome, AK

    $180,976

    $87.01

    Cupertino, CA

    $179,991

    $86.53

    Patterson, OH

    $179,189

    $86.15

    Bedford, MA

    $178,893

    $86.01

    Berkeley, CA

    $178,634

    $85.88

    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

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Software Engineer Tech Lead Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Software Engineer Tech Lead job category, we found that Senior Lead Software Engineer jobs have average salaries greater than Software Engineer Tech Lead jobs.

    Significantly, Senior Lead Software Engineer jobs pay $1,420 (1.0%) more than the average Software Engineer Tech Lead salary of $145,890. If you're qualified, finding work as a Senior Lead Software Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Software Engineer Tech Lead position.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Senior Lead Software Engineer

    $147,310

    $70.82

    Lead Full Stack Software Engineer

    $134,771

    $64.79

    Senior Software Test Engineer

    $125,561

    $60.37

    Squarespace Developer

    $121,486

    $58.41

    Golang Backend Developer

    $120,086

    $57.73

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Software Engineer Tech Lead salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $145,890 per year or $70.14 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.