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The differences between principal consulting engineers and staff 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 principal consulting engineer and a staff engineer. Additionally, a principal consulting engineer has an average salary of $118,866, which is higher than the $107,530 average annual salary of a staff engineer.
The top three skills for a principal consulting engineer include java, project management and infrastructure. The most important skills for a staff engineer are java, python, and architecture.
| Principal Consulting Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $118,866 | $107,530 |
| Hourly rate | $57.15 | $51.70 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 104,810 | 277,011 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Principal consulting engineers and staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Consulting Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $118,866 | $107,530 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $154,000 | Between $69,000 And $167,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Palo Alto Networks | Flexport |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a principal consulting engineer and a staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Consulting Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between principal consulting engineers' and staff engineers' demographics:
| Principal Consulting Engineer | Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% | Male, 87.9% Female, 12.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.8% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |