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The differences between chief systems engineers and principal systems engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a chief systems engineer, becoming a principal systems engineer takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a principal systems engineer has an average salary of $133,208, which is higher than the $128,373 average annual salary of a chief systems engineer.
The top three skills for a chief systems engineer include systems engineering, system architecture and DOD. The most important skills for a principal systems engineer are systems engineering, DOD, and C++.
| Chief Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $128,373 | $133,208 |
| Hourly rate | $61.72 | $64.04 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 92,965 | 146,444 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Chief systems engineers and principal systems engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Chief Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average salary | $128,373 | $133,208 |
| Salary range | Between $92,000 And $178,000 | Between $97,000 And $181,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | TA Instruments | eBay |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a chief systems engineer and a principal systems engineer in terms of educational background:
| Chief Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between chief systems engineers' and principal systems engineers' demographics:
| Chief Systems Engineer | Principal Systems Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.3% Asian, 14.4% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 8.3% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.8% White, 61.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 9% |