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The differences between hardware development engineers and principal hardware engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hardware development engineer and a principal hardware engineer. Additionally, a principal hardware engineer has an average salary of $131,734, which is higher than the $119,370 average annual salary of a hardware development engineer.
The top three skills for a hardware development engineer include hardware development, analog and PCB. The most important skills for a principal hardware engineer are RF, architecture, and C++.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Principal Hardware Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,370 | $131,734 |
| Hourly rate | $57.39 | $63.33 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 100,593 | 88,049 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Hardware development engineers and principal hardware engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Principal Hardware Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,370 | $131,734 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $161,000 | Between $98,000 And $176,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Microsoft |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a hardware development engineer and a principal hardware engineer in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Principal Hardware Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between hardware development engineers' and principal hardware engineers' demographics:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Principal Hardware Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 95.0% Female, 5.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 29.7% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 51.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |