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Principal design engineer demographics and statistics in the US

Principal design engineer demographics research summary. Zippia estimates principal design engineer demographics and statistics in the United States by using a database of 30 million profiles. Our principal design engineer estimates are verified against BLS, Census, and current job openings data for accuracy. Zippia's data science team found the following key facts about principal design engineers after extensive research and analysis:

  • There are over 8,972 principal design engineers currently employed in the United States.
  • 7.6% of all principal design engineers are women, while 92.4% are men.
  • The average principal design engineer age is 44 years old.
  • The most common ethnicity of principal design engineers is White (60.2%), followed by Asian (19.7%), Hispanic or Latino (10.6%) and Unknown (4.7%).
  • Principal design engineers are most in-demand in San Jose, CA.
  • Mountain View, CA pays an annual average wage of $168,570, the highest in the US.
  • In 2022, women principal design engineers earned 95% of what men earned.
  • California is the best state for principal design engineers to live.
  • Principal design engineers are 50% more likely to work at private companies in comparison to public companies.
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Principal design engineer demographics by:

Principal design engineer gender statistics

7.6% of principal design engineers are women and 92.4% of principal design engineers are men.
  • Male, 92.4%
  • Female, 7.6%

Principal design engineer gender ratio

GenderPercentages
Male92.4%
Female7.6%

Principal design engineer gender pay gap

Women earn 95¢ for every $1 earned by men

male-income
Male income
$133,315
female-income
Female income
$126,927

Principal design engineer gender ratio over time

This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in principal design engineer positions over time. Currently, 7.6% of principal design engineers are female.
Male
Female
100%
80%
60%
40%
20%
0%
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021

Principal design engineer gender ratio by year

YearMaleFemale
201093.45%6.55%
201193.06%6.94%
201292.89%7.11%
201391.98%8.02%
201492.90%7.10%
201593.32%6.68%
201693.75%6.25%
201792.09%7.91%
201891.28%8.72%
201992.82%7.18%
202092.90%7.10%
202192.35%7.65%

Principal design engineer related jobs gender ratio

We compared principal design engineers with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, senior electronics design engineer and refrigeration engineer have the biggest gender ratio gaps.

Job titleMaleFemale
Domestic Engineer11%89%
Principal Design Engineer92%8%
Machine Tool Designer99%1%
Refrigeration Engineer99%1%
Senior Electronics Design Engineer99%1%

Principal design engineer demographics by race

The most common ethnicity among principal design engineers is White, which makes up 60.2% of all principal design engineers. Comparatively, 19.7% of principal design engineers are Asian and 10.6% of principal design engineers are Hispanic or Latino.
  • White, 60.2%
  • Asian, 19.7%
  • Hispanic or Latino, 10.6%
  • Unknown, 4.7%
  • Black or African American, 4.6%
  • American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%

Principal design engineer race

Principal design engineer racePercentages
White60.2%
Asian19.7%
Hispanic or Latino10.6%
Unknown4.7%
Black or African American4.6%
American Indian and Alaska Native0.2%

Principal design engineer race and ethnicity over time

See how principal design engineer racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.

Principal design engineer race and ethnicity by year

YearWhiteBlack or African AmericanAsianHispanic or Latino
201063.29%5.03%20.75%8.70%
201163.37%4.63%21.85%8.68%
201263.91%5.20%20.68%8.00%
201365.28%4.48%20.84%7.51%
201464.24%4.35%20.40%9.10%
201564.40%4.53%20.11%8.93%
201664.02%4.44%20.77%8.60%
201763.93%4.51%20.24%8.77%
201863.15%4.87%20.78%8.80%
201964.31%4.08%20.69%8.89%
202061.29%3.75%20.70%9.78%
202160.20%4.63%19.74%10.58%

Principal design engineer wage gap by race

According to our data, asian principal design engineers have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Hispanic or latino principal design engineers have the lowest average salary at $130,148.
$143,000
$140,000
$137,000
$134,000
$131,000
$128,000
Unknown
White
Black or African American
Asian
Hispanic or Latino
EthnicitySalary
Unknown$131,726
White$133,769
Black or African American$130,797
Asian$140,391
Hispanic or Latino$130,148

Average principal design engineer age

See how the average age of principal design engineers varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female

Principal design engineer age by race and gender

RaceMale ageFemale age
Unknown43
White4637.5
Black or African American4654
Asian4341
Hispanic or Latino4134.5

Principal design engineer age breakdown

The average age of principal design engineers is 40+ years years old, representing 61% of the principal design engineer population.

40+ years

30-40 years

20-30 years


Principal design engineer age breakdown

Principal Design Engineer YearsPercentages
40+ years61%
30-40 years26%
20-30 years13%

Principal design engineer educational attainment

The most common degree for principal design engineers is bachelor's degree, with 65% of principal design engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 25% and master's degree degree at 5%.
  • Bachelor's, 65%
  • Master's, 25%
  • Associate, 5%
  • Doctorate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

Principal design engineers by degree level

Principal design engineer degreePercentages
Bachelor's65%
Master's25%
Associate5%
Doctorate3%
Other Degrees2%

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Principal design engineer wage gap by degree level

According to the data, principal design engineers with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $163,434 annually. With a Master's degree, principal design engineers earn a median annual income of $147,573 compared to $131,008 for principal design engineers with an Bachelor's degree.
$167,000
$160,000
$153,000
$146,000
$139,000
$132,000
$125,000
Master's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Doctorate Degree
EducationSalary
Master's Degree$147,573
Bachelor's Degree$131,008
Doctorate Degree$163,434

Principal design engineer employment statistics

Most principal design engineers work for a private in the technology industry.

Company size where principal design engineers work

Below, you can see the size of companies where principal design engineers work.

< 50 employees

50 - 100 employees

100 - 500 employees

500 - 1,000 employees

1,000 - 10,000 employees

> 10,000

Principal design engineer jobs by employer size

Company sizePercentages
< 50 employees3%
50 - 100 employees11%
100 - 500 employees17%
500 - 1,000 employees11%
1,000 - 10,000 employees30%
> 10,000 employees29%

Principal design engineer jobs by company type

Employees with the principal design engineer job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most principal design engineers prefer to work at private companies over public companies.

Education

Public

Private

Government

Principal design engineer jobs by sector

Company typePercentages
Education1%
Public47%
Private50%
Government2%

Principal design engineer jobs by industry

The most common industries for principal design engineers are technology, manufacturing and professional.

Technology

Manufacturing

Fortune 500

Professional

Telecommunication

Principal design engineer turnover and employment statistics

Principal design engineer unemployment rate over time

The unemployment rate for principal design engineers between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Principal design engineer unemployment rate by year

YearPrincipal design engineer unemployment rate
20104.73%
20114.08%
20123.85%
20133.04%
20143.13%
20152.11%
20162.06%
20172.13%
20182.03%
20191.23%
20202.22%
20211.69%

Average principal design engineer tenure

The average principal design engineer stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 666 principal design engineers resumes in Zippia's database.

Less than one year

1-2 years

3-4 years

5-7 years

8-10 years

11+ years

Principal design engineer tenure statistics

Number of yearsPercentages
Less than 1 year8%
1-2 years30%
3-4 years18%
5-7 years17%
8-10 years8%
11+ years17%

Principal design engineer LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs

Review the percent of principal design engineers that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
Job titleLGBTJob openings
Process Development Engineer3.67%118,616
Mining Consultant5.25%19,702
Principal Design Engineer6.39%-
Hydraulics Component Engineer7.54%1,611
Gas Combustion Engineer8.92%2,516
Extractive Metallurgist10.43%820
Environmental Management Specialist12.89%83,775

Similar principal design engineer jobs LGBT demographics

ProfessionPercentages of LGBT Job openings
Process Development Engineer3.67%118,616
Mining Consultant5.25%19,702
Hydraulics Component Engineer7.54%1,611
Gas Combustion Engineer8.92%2,516
Extractive Metallurgist10.43%820
Environmental Management Specialist12.89%83,775

Foreign languages spoken by principal design engineers

The most common foreign language among principal design engineers is Spanish at 40.0%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is French at 13.3% and Chinese is the third-most popular at 6.7%.
  • Spanish, 40.0%
  • French, 13.3%
  • Chinese, 6.7%
  • German, 6.7%
  • Ilocano, 6.7%
  • Other, 26.6%

Principal design engineer languages spoken

Foreign languagePercentages
Spanish40.0%
French13.3%
Chinese6.7%
German6.7%
Ilocano6.7%
Other26.6%

Principal design engineer jobs

Principal design engineer location demographics

The amount you can make as a principal design engineer can depend on where you live. For example, the highest salary of principal design engineers is $188,823. Use our chart to find out where that salary is located.

Where do principal design engineers earn the most?

Principal design engineers earn the most in California, where the average principal design engineer salary is $160,399. The map here shows where principal design engineers earn the highest salaries in the U.S. The darker areas across the 50 states highlight the highest salaries.
Average salary

Which city has the most Principal Design Engineers?

By looking through more than 666 resumes, we found that the most popular places for principal design engineers are San Jose, CA and Houston, TX.
Number of Principal Design Engineers

Principal design engineer jobs by state

RankStateNumber of jobsAverage salary
1California8,183$160,399
2Texas4,048$143,335
3New York2,796$96,468
4Virginia2,727$131,183
5Florida2,534$112,898
6Illinois2,239$102,656
7Pennsylvania2,070$104,256
8North Carolina1,804$112,005
9Massachusetts1,725$123,220
10Maryland1,612$121,616
11Washington1,571$140,636
12Georgia1,524$118,847
13Arizona1,517$126,571
14Ohio1,502$98,533
15Colorado1,461$125,039
16Oregon1,447$123,521
17Minnesota1,422$104,773
18Michigan1,358$114,537
19Wisconsin850$91,413
20Indiana849$103,042
21New Jersey826$129,154
22Missouri685$122,759
23Alabama659$134,393
24Connecticut621$110,133
25District of Columbia594$158,937
26Utah554$99,889
27Tennessee544$117,333
28South Carolina525$106,280
29Kansas427$113,635
30New Hampshire407$118,960
31Kentucky385$102,963
32Iowa361$90,000
33Nevada360$148,510
34Nebraska335$102,859
35New Mexico317$132,221
36Arkansas307$114,911
37Idaho293$136,401
38Montana245$86,335
39Louisiana226$115,769
40Oklahoma225$128,767
41Delaware224$119,435
42Maine151$116,046
43Rhode Island145$129,686
44Mississippi141$114,477
45West Virginia134$89,607
46North Dakota127$107,286
47Vermont115$101,326
48South Dakota107$87,995
49Alaska102$136,333
50Hawaii102$147,092
51Wyoming102$117,120

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