Software Test Lead Salary
$76.5K - $82.5K
24% of jobs
$82.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$82.5K - $88.5K
28% of jobs
$88.5K - $94.5K
11% of jobs
$100.3K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$94.5K - $100.5K
14% of jobs
$100.5K - $106.5K
6% of jobs
$106.5K - $112.5K
4% of jobs
$112.5K - $118.5K
3% of jobs
$118.5K - $124.5K
5% of jobs
$124.5K - $130.5K
5% of jobs
$130.5K - $136.5K
1% of jobs
$136.5K - $142.5K
2% of jobs
$76.5K
$89K
$143.5K
$97,016
/year
$46.64
/hour
Software Test Lead Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$97,016
Columbus
Ohio
$93,708
Do you get a good deal as a Software Test Lead?
Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.
Take The Breakroom Quiz
How much does a Software Test Lead make?
As of Aug 12, 2026, the average annual pay for a Software Test Lead in the United States is $97,016 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $46.64 an hour. This is the equivalent of $1,865/week or $8,084/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $143,500 and as low as $76,500, the majority of Software Test Lead salaries currently range between $82,500 (25th percentile) to $104,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $127,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Software Test Lead varies greatly (by as much as 21500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Software Test Lead in your area makes on average $93,708 per year, or $3,308 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $97,016. Ohio ranks number 41 out of 50 states nationwide for Software Test Lead salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Software Test 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 Test Lead on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Software Test Lead Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Software Test Lead job is above the national average. Topping the list is Ashburn, VA, , with Spearfish, SD, and Burleigh County, ND, close behind in the second and third positions. Burleigh County, ND, beats the national average by $32,089 (33.1%), and Ashburn, VA, furthers that trend with another $40,847 (42.1%) above the $97,016 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Software Test Lead appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 16% between Ashburn, VA, and Kentville, NS, , 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 Test Lead role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Ashburn, VA | $137,863 | $66.28 |
Spearfish, SD | $129,294 | $62.16 |
Burleigh County, ND | $129,105 | $62.07 |
Nome, AK | $120,348 | $57.86 |
Douglas County, NE | $120,150 | $57.76 |
Scranton, PA | $119,897 | $57.64 |
Cupertino, CA | $119,693 | $57.54 |
Berkeley, CA | $118,791 | $57.11 |
Sitka, AK | $116,873 | $56.19 |
Kentville, NS | $116,719 | $56.11 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Software Test Lead Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Software Test Lead category.
For example Remote Cobol Programmer jobs pay as much as $24,145 (24.9%) more than the average Software Test Lead salary of $97,016. If you're qualified, finding work as a Remote Cobol Programmer may help you make more money than that of the average Software Test Lead position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Remote Cobol Programmer | $121,161 | $58.25 |
Train Engineer | $115,864 | $55.70 |
Automation Test Engineer | $106,656 | $51.28 |
Automation Test Lead | $105,126 | $50.54 |
Istqb Certified Tester | $38,039 | $18.29 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
