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Software Engineer/Technical Lead salary
Average software engineer/technical lead salary
$123,110
How much does a software engineer/technical lead make?
The average software engineer/technical lead salary in the United States is $123,110. Software engineer/technical lead salaries typically range between $92,000 and $164,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for software engineers/technical lead is $59.19 per hour.
Software engineer/technical lead salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Software engineers/technical lead earn the highest average salary in California.
Where can a Software Engineer/Technical Lead earn more?
Average software engineer/technical lead salary by state
The highest-paying states for software engineers/technical lead are California, Oregon, and Washington. The lowest average software engineer/technical lead salary states are Minnesota, Alabama, and Nebraska.
- State View
- County View
Highest paying states for software engineers/technical lead
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $149,199 | $71.73 |
| 2 | New Hampshire | $131,365 | $63.16 |
| 3 | Washington | $131,656 | $63.30 |
| 4 | Utah | $126,392 | $60.77 |
| 5 | Oregon | $134,479 | $64.65 |
| 6 | Nevada | $130,987 | $62.97 |
| 7 | Delaware | $122,771 | $59.02 |
| 8 | Virginia | $124,618 | $59.91 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $133,681 | $64.27 |
| 10 | Idaho | $118,291 | $56.87 |
| 11 | Pennsylvania | $123,843 | $59.54 |
| 12 | Vermont | $114,663 | $55.13 |
| 13 | North Carolina | $120,938 | $58.14 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $114,042 | $54.83 |
| 15 | Texas | $114,725 | $55.16 |
| 16 | Massachusetts | $121,626 | $58.47 |
| 17 | Kentucky | $115,384 | $55.47 |
| 18 | Hawaii | $122,604 | $58.94 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $115,926 | $55.73 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $108,594 | $52.21 |
| 21 | Alaska | $111,220 | $53.47 |
| 22 | Mississippi | $115,720 | $55.63 |
| 23 | Arizona | $115,510 | $55.53 |
| 24 | Maryland | $115,410 | $55.49 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $113,122 | $54.39 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | $113,962 | $54.79 |
| 27 | Michigan | $106,725 | $51.31 |
| 28 | New York | $113,353 | $54.50 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $102,864 | $49.45 |
| 30 | Iowa | $112,673 | $54.17 |
| 31 | New Mexico | $108,443 | $52.14 |
| 32 | Florida | $112,785 | $54.22 |
| 33 | Colorado | $105,825 | $50.88 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $106,446 | $51.18 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $108,633 | $52.23 |
| 36 | Montana | $102,212 | $49.14 |
| 37 | Illinois | $106,769 | $51.33 |
| 38 | Maine | $107,498 | $51.68 |
| 39 | Kansas | $100,688 | $48.41 |
| 40 | Louisiana | $105,330 | $50.64 |
| 41 | Connecticut | $104,753 | $50.36 |
| 42 | North Dakota | $101,008 | $48.56 |
| 43 | Ohio | $102,600 | $49.33 |
| 44 | Missouri | $99,718 | $47.94 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $97,242 | $46.75 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $94,338 | $45.35 |
| 47 | Georgia | $100,142 | $48.15 |
| 48 | Minnesota | $98,590 | $47.40 |
| 49 | Alabama | $97,256 | $46.76 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $92,953 | $44.69 |
| 51 | Indiana | $94,663 | $45.51 |
Highest paying cities for software engineers/technical lead
The highest-paying cities for software engineers/technical lead are San Francisco, CA, Hillsboro, OR, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $160,964 | $77.39 |
| 2 | Hillsboro, OR | $134,611 | $64.72 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $133,756 | $64.31 |
| 4 | Seattle, WA | $133,032 | $63.96 |
| 5 | Salt Lake City, UT | $125,659 | $60.41 |
| 6 | Sterling, VA | $125,384 | $60.28 |
| 7 | Philadelphia, PA | $124,439 | $59.83 |
| 8 | Wilmington, DE | $122,895 | $59.08 |
| 9 | Raleigh, NC | $122,058 | $58.68 |
| 10 | Boston, MA | $121,706 | $58.51 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $115,337 | $55.45 |
| 12 | New York, NY | $113,552 | $54.59 |
| 13 | Las Cruces, NM | $109,330 | $52.56 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $107,169 | $51.52 |
| 15 | Boulder, CO | $105,658 | $50.80 |
| 16 | Dublin, OH | $102,109 | $49.09 |
| 17 | Olathe, KS | $100,776 | $48.45 |
| 18 | OFallon, MO | $100,165 | $48.16 |
| 19 | Alpharetta, GA | $99,862 | $48.01 |
| 20 | Eden Prairie, MN | $98,589 | $47.40 |
Software Engineer/Technical Lead salary details
A software engineer/technical lead's salary ranges from $92,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $164,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a software engineer/technical lead's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $164,000 | $13,667 | $79 |
| 75th Percentile | $143,000 | $11,917 | $69 |
| Average | $123,110 | $10,259 | $59 |
| 25th Percentile | $105,000 | $8,750 | $50 |
| 10th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
Highest paying software engineer/technical lead jobs
The highest paying types of software engineers/technical lead are software engineering manager, staff software engineer, and principal software engineer.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Software Developer | $115,072 | $9,589 | $55.32 | 309,029 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Software Architect | $114,406 | $9,534 | $55.00 | 319,594 |
| Software Developer | $87,521 | $7,293 | $42.08 | 294,329 |
| Technical Team Lead | $90,219 | $7,518 | $43.37 | 254,215 |
| Principal Software Engineer | $134,230 | $11,186 | $64.53 | 345,893 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for Software Engineer/Technical Leads, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring software engineers/technical lead now:
Which companies pay software engineers/technical lead the most?
Software engineer/technical lead salaries at Meta and Aspiration are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average software engineer/technical lead salary at companies like Google and DoorDash are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $189,550 | $91.13 |
| 2 | Aspiration | $176,293 | $84.76 |
| 3 | $174,848 | $84.06 | |
| 4 | DoorDash | $166,660 | $80.13 |
| 5 | The Walt Disney Company | $163,455 | $78.58 |
| 6 | $161,531 | $77.66 | |
| 7 | Twilio | $157,801 | $75.87 |
| 8 | Apple | $156,542 | $75.26 |
| 9 | Walmart | $153,069 | $73.59 |
| 10 | Safeway | $152,261 | $73.20 |
| 11 | Gap Inc. | $151,086 | $72.64 |
| 12 | Macy's | $150,320 | $72.27 |
| 13 | Health Nucleus | $149,150 | $71.71 |
| 14 | Logitech | $148,957 | $71.61 |
| 15 | Über | $148,621 | $71.45 |
| 16 | Bloomberg | $147,780 | $71.05 |
| 17 | Cisco | $147,403 | $70.87 |
| 18 | Upwork | $145,844 | $70.12 |
| 19 | Varian Medical Systems | $145,712 | $70.05 |
| 20 | Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. | $144,514 | $69.48 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Software Engineer/Technical Lead salary by industry
The average software engineer/technical lead salary varies across industries:
- The average software engineer/technical lead salary in the utilities industry is $139,104, the highest of any industry.
- The average software engineer/technical lead salary in the finance industry is $125,180.
- Software engineers/technical lead in the insurance industry earn an average salary of $120,560, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for software engineers/technical lead
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Utilities | $139,104 | $66.88 |
| 2 | Technology | $125,180 | $60.18 |
| 3 | Retail | $125,104 | $60.15 |
| 4 | Automotive | $124,458 | $59.84 |
| 5 | Finance | $122,086 | $58.70 |
| 6 | Insurance | $120,560 | $57.96 |
High Paying Software Engineer/Technical Lead Jobs
Software Engineer/Technical Lead salary trends
The average software engineer/technical lead salary has risen by $22,854 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average software engineer/technical lead earned $100,256 annually, but today, they earn $123,110 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for software engineers/technical lead over the last decade.
Compare software engineer/technical lead salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average software engineer/technical lead salary over time
Compare software engineer/technical lead salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Software Engineer/Technical Lead salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $123,000 | $59.19 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $119,000 | $57.24 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $116,000 | $55.94 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $114,000 | $54.95 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $112,000 | $54.03 | +1.8% |
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