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The differences between principal architects and software architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a principal architect has an average salary of $133,276, which is higher than the $114,406 average annual salary of a software architect.
The top three skills for a principal architect include cloud, infrastructure and emerging technologies. The most important skills for a software architect are java, architecture, and cloud.
| Principal Architect | Software Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $133,276 | $114,406 |
| Hourly rate | $64.08 | $55.00 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 118,908 | 319,594 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
Principal Architects manage all design work at an architecture firm. They ensure that all work is of high professional quality and manage the activity of other design professionals.
A Software Architect develops new programs for a variety of technological devices for businesses, computer games, mobile networks, and/or operating systems. They ensure architectural integrity and consistency across the entire product and work closely with executives to explain the benefits of the software.
Principal architects and software architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Architect | Software Architect | |
| Average salary | $133,276 | $114,406 |
| Salary range | Between $97,000 And $181,000 | Between $82,000 And $158,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Aspiration | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a principal architect and a software architect in terms of educational background:
| Principal Architect | Software Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Architecture | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between principal architects' and software architects' demographics:
| Principal Architect | Software Architect | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.3% Female, 10.7% | Male, 93.8% Female, 6.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 8% |