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The differences between designation-senior software engineers and principal software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a designation-senior software engineer and a principal software engineer. Additionally, a principal software engineer has an average salary of $134,230, which is higher than the $126,953 average annual salary of a designation-senior software engineer.
The top three skills for a designation-senior software engineer include software development, python and java. The most important skills for a principal software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Designation-Senior Software Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $126,953 | $134,230 |
| Hourly rate | $61.04 | $64.53 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 285,095 | 345,893 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Designation-senior software engineers and principal software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Designation-Senior Software Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $126,953 | $134,230 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $169,000 | Between $98,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a designation-senior software engineer and a principal software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Designation-Senior Software Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between designation-senior software engineers' and principal software engineers' demographics:
| Designation-Senior Software Engineer | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 85.3% Female, 14.7% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 29.8% White, 52.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |