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The differences between district engineers and principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a district engineer, becoming a principal engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $69,422 average annual salary of a district engineer.
The top three skills for a district engineer include engineering support, engineering projects and construction management. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| District Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $69,422 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $33.38 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 22,359 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
District engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| District Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $69,422 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $92,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | Olympia, WA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | Martin Marietta | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a district engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| District Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 83% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | University of Texas at Austin | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between district engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| District Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 43 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 17.3% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |