Lead Release Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Lead Release Engineer make in the United States?

As of May 18, 2021, the average salary for a Lead Release Engineer in the United States is $122,712 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $59.

However, a Lead Release Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $137,821
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $110,297 to $130,621
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $98,993
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View as table View as graph 25% $110,297 10% $98,993 90% $137,821 75% $130,621 $122,712 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Lead Release Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $130,621 $10,885 $2,512 $63
Average $122,712 $10,226 $2,360 $59
25th Percentile $110,297 $9,191 $2,121 $53
Check out Lead Release Engineer Job Openings in the United States
LEAD ENGINEER

GE Aviation - West Chester, OH

LEAD ENGINEER

GE Aviation - Olde West Chester, OH

ADVANCED LEAD MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEER

GE Aviation - Evendale, OH

LEAD MECHANICAL DESIGN ENGINEER HIGH PRESSURE TURBINE AIRFOILS

GE Aviation - West Chester, OH

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Key Factors That Influence Lead Release Engineer Salaries

A Lead Release Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Lead Release Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Lead Release Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $74,608
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $100,265
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $124,162
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $140,548
  • Expert (over 8 years): $173,535
Levels Salary
Release E... Level Lead Release Engineer$74,608
Release E... Level Lead Release Engineer$100,265
Lead Rele... Level Lead Release Engineer$124,162
Release E... Level Lead Release Engineer$140,548
Release E... Level Lead Release Engineer$173,535
$74,608 0 yr
$100,265 < 2 yrs
$124,162 2-4 yrs
$140,548 5-8 yrs
$173,535 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

How Do Lead Release Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Lead Release Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $135,867.
  • California: $135,351.
  • Massachusetts: $133,547.

Top Paying Cities for Lead Release Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $154,777
  • San Francisco: $153,255
  • Oakland: $149,856

What Skills Can Increase a Lead Release Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Planning (Mentioned in 4.69% Job Postings): An act or process of making or carrying out plans. Establishment of goals, policies, and procedures for a social or economic unit city planning business planning.
  • Release Engineering (Mentioned in 3.28% Job Postings): Release engineering, frequently abbreviated as RE or as the clipped compound Releng, is a sub-discipline in software engineering concerned with the compilation, assembly, and delivery of source code into finished products or other software components. Associated with the software release life cycle, it was said by Boris Debic of Google Inc. that release engineering is to software engineering as manufacturing is to an industrial process:
  • Git (Mentioned in 2.11% Job Postings): An open-source version control system (VCS) used to store code, track revision history, and merge source code changes to enable multiple developers to work together on non-linear development.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Planning 4.69%
Release Engineering 3.28%
Git 2.11%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Lead Release Engineer's salary.
  • Git: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Python: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Jenkins: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Git
 $130,075
6%
Python
 $130,075
6%
Jenkins
 $128,848
5%
AWS
 $128,848
5%
Docker
 $127,620
4%
Scheduling
 $126,393
3%
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How Education impacts a Lead Release Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Lead Release Engineers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Lead Release Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $113,678 and $119,524).

Lead Release Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Lead Release Engineer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.4%
High School 8.0%
Associates 5.2%
Bachelors 60.6%
Masters 23.5%
Doctorate 2.0%
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Lead Release Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Lead Release Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Hourly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Yearly
  • Table View
Last Updated on May 18, 2021
$110,297
Average $122,712/year
$130,621
$9,191
Average $10,226/month
$10,885
$2,121
Average $2,360/week
$2,512
$53
Average $59/hour
$63
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $130,621 $10,885 $2,512 $63
Average $122,712 $10,226 $2,360 $59
25th Percentile $110,297 $9,191 $2,121 $53

Salaries of jobs related to Lead Release Engineer

Salary Trends for Lead Release Engineer

Salaries for a Lead Release Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $127,114 in 2023 to around $125,558 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Lead Release Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Lead Release Engineer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$127,114
2024
$127,013
2025
$125,558
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $127,114
2024 $127,013
2025 $125,558
2026
View More
2027
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Most common benefits for Lead Release Engineer

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401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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