Side-by-side distribution
Frontend Engineer
$156,390
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 31.6%
- Live roles
- 1,334
Tech Lead
$164,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 27.8%
- Live roles
- 8,790
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Frontend Engineer ($400k - $500k salary)
Staff/Principal Frontend Software Engineer
Staff/Principal Frontend Software Engineer
Software Engineer, Frontend
Frontend Software Engineer, ChatGPT Space
Frontend Software Engineer, Codex App
Principal Frontend AI Engineer - Cortex Code
Senior / Staff Software Engineer, Frontend
Principal Frontend Software Engineer - Discovery
Staff Software Engineer, Frontend
Highest-paying jobs
Lead, Quant Engineer
Team Lead Platform Engineering
Engineering Team Lead
RISC-V AI / HPC & Agentic Software Engineering Lead
Technical Lead Manager - Training Runtime, Data(set) Movement
Sr. Staff Engineer, RTL Physical Implementation Lead
Tech Lead, Systems & Platform Applied AI
Lead / Staff Full-Stack Software Engineer - Console Experience
Tech Lead, Deployment & Operations — Custom Infrastructure
Tech Lead Manager, Education
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
CACI
|
$137,075 | 18 |
Air Apps
|
$58,826 | 11 |
Sift Stack, Inc.
|
$205,000 | 9 |
GDIT
|
$155,000 | 9 |
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$113,700 | 9 |
|
Harvey
|
$241,700 | 8 |
Verkada
|
$225,000 | 7 |
|
Roblox
|
$268,610 | 6 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Northrop Grumman
|
$191,100 | 110 |
Leidos
|
$140,525 | 80 |
| GV GE Vernova | $119,000 | 79 |
| BO Boeing | $156,880 | 76 |
|
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$162,000 | 49 |
STR
|
$199,500 | 44 |
Anduril Industries
|
$171,500 | 44 |
|
CACI
|
$160,950 | 25 |
Frontend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $210,000 | 62 |
| San Francisco | $208,000 | 65 |
| Boston | $200,000 | 8 |
| Seattle | $193,000 | 15 |
| Austin | $183,125 | 6 |
| Chicago | $155,600 | 8 |
| Los Angeles | $134,531 | 4 |
| Paris | $130,094 | 3 |
| Denver | $127,250 | 6 |
| Atlanta | $120,000 | 3 |
Tech Lead salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $226,150 | 148 |
| New York | $195,000 | 203 |
| Seattle | $194,100 | 55 |
| Singapore | $187,558 | 4 |
| Los Angeles | $182,750 | 44 |
| Austin | $182,300 | 61 |
| Boston | $179,125 | 80 |
| Denver | $175,000 | 48 |
| Atlanta | $163,500 | 56 |
| Chicago | $160,000 | 109 |
Frontend Engineer vs Tech Lead: which pays more?
The median for Frontend Engineer is $156,390 per year (typically $121,769–$202,500), versus $164,000 for Tech Lead ($132,500–$197,938). That puts Tech Lead about 5% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Frontend Engineer and Tech Lead are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.