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The differences between foundation engineers and principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a foundation engineer and a principal engineer. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $76,200 average annual salary of a foundation engineer.
The top three skills for a foundation engineer include geotechnical, CSS and deep foundations. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Foundation Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $76,200 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $36.63 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 8,104 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Foundation engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Foundation Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $76,200 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $49,000 And $117,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | Menlo Park, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | - | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a foundation engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Foundation Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 52% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between foundation engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Foundation Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.0% Female, 8.0% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 2.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 12.1% White, 71.6% 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% |