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Principal designer salary
Average principal designer salary
$123,528
Average Principal Designer Salary
The average annual salary for a Principal Designer is $123,528, with hourly earnings around $59. This role encompasses various responsibilities, including leading design teams, developing innovative concepts, and ensuring project alignment with client expectations. The demand for skilled Principal Designers is high in sectors like architecture, interior design, and product development.
Where Can a Principal Designer Earn More?
Salaries can differ based on geographic location, with states like California and New York often offering higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for design professionals. For instance, Principal Designers in major metropolitan areas may see salaries exceeding the national average.
Salary by Experience Level
Experience also plays a crucial role in salary potential. Entry-level positions may start at around $70,000, while those with significant experience can earn upwards of $150,000. This variation underscores the importance of career progression and continued education in the field.
Conclusion
Understanding the salary landscape for Principal Designers not only aids in setting realistic career expectations but also assists in identifying opportunities for growth. By considering factors such as location and experience, you can better navigate your path in this dynamic field.
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Where can a Principal Designer earn more?
Principal designer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level principal designer | $77,200 | $37.11 |
| Mid-level principal designer | $108,000 | $52.02 |
| Senior-level principal designer | $169,000 | $81.10 |
Principal designer salary estimates from across the web
Average principal designer salary by state
The highest-paying states for principal designers are Washington, California, and Massachusetts. The lowest average principal designer salary states are Mississippi, Georgia, and Ohio.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principal designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $128,613 | $61.83 |
| 2 | Nevada | $129,671 | $62.34 |
| 3 | Illinois | $126,897 | $61.01 |
| 4 | California | $150,333 | $72.28 |
| 5 | Colorado | $127,672 | $61.38 |
| 6 | Arizona | $119,242 | $57.33 |
| 7 | Washington | $181,984 | $87.49 |
| 8 | Massachusetts | $131,074 | $63.02 |
| 9 | Utah | $122,519 | $58.90 |
| 10 | New York | $113,034 | $54.34 |
| 11 | Alaska | $126,484 | $60.81 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $106,237 | $51.08 |
| 13 | Montana | $107,026 | $51.45 |
| 14 | Texas | $120,082 | $57.73 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $118,739 | $57.09 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $109,466 | $52.63 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $104,418 | $50.20 |
| 18 | Virginia | $107,108 | $51.49 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $108,249 | $52.04 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $105,585 | $50.76 |
| 21 | Wyoming | $114,041 | $54.83 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $119,156 | $57.29 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $115,276 | $55.42 |
| 24 | West Virginia | $108,923 | $52.37 |
| 25 | Michigan | $103,081 | $49.56 |
| 26 | Idaho | $98,156 | $47.19 |
| 27 | Minnesota | $98,164 | $47.19 |
| 28 | North Carolina | $95,317 | $45.83 |
| 29 | Maryland | $103,093 | $49.56 |
| 30 | Arkansas | $93,609 | $45.00 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $96,058 | $46.18 |
| 32 | Vermont | $101,143 | $48.63 |
| 33 | Maine | $96,004 | $46.16 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $90,743 | $43.63 |
| 35 | Delaware | $96,879 | $46.58 |
| 36 | Missouri | $93,542 | $44.97 |
| 37 | Kansas | $89,843 | $43.19 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $92,233 | $44.34 |
| 39 | Iowa | $89,983 | $43.26 |
| 40 | Ohio | $83,605 | $40.19 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $85,647 | $41.18 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $88,231 | $42.42 |
| 43 | Georgia | $83,977 | $40.37 |
| 44 | Indiana | $86,765 | $41.71 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $86,732 | $41.70 |
| 46 | Louisiana | $88,129 | $42.37 |
| 47 | Florida | $77,807 | $37.41 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $88,707 | $42.65 |
| 49 | Mississippi | $85,384 | $41.05 |
| 50 | Alabama | $76,859 | $36.95 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $73,572 | $35.37 |
Highest paying cities for principal designers
The highest-paying cities for principal designers are Olympia, WA, San Francisco, CA, and Carson City, NV.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olympia, WA | $197,057 | $94.74 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $167,652 | $80.60 |
| 3 | Carson City, NV | $137,355 | $66.04 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $131,709 | $63.32 |
| 5 | Salem, OR | $129,395 | $62.21 |
| 6 | Denver, CO | $127,890 | $61.49 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $127,372 | $61.24 |
| 8 | Dallas, TX | $124,313 | $59.77 |
| 9 | Salt Lake City, UT | $122,821 | $59.05 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $120,297 | $57.84 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $118,764 | $57.10 |
| 12 | Providence, RI | $115,420 | $55.49 |
| 13 | Albany, NY | $114,789 | $55.19 |
| 14 | Springfield, VA | $108,853 | $52.33 |
| 15 | Charleston, WV | $108,007 | $51.93 |
| 16 | Concord, NH | $106,230 | $51.07 |
| 17 | Racine, WI | $105,484 | $50.71 |
| 18 | Annapolis, MD | $103,205 | $49.62 |
| 19 | Burlington, VT | $101,100 | $48.61 |
| 20 | Saint Paul, MN | $98,218 | $47.22 |
Principal designer salary details
A principal designer's salary ranges from $81,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $188,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principal designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $188,000 | $15,667 | $90 |
| 75th Percentile | $154,000 | $12,833 | $74 |
| Average | $123,528 | $10,294 | $59 |
| 25th Percentile | $98,000 | $8,167 | $47 |
| 10th Percentile | $81,000 | $6,750 | $39 |
Highest paying principal designer jobs
The highest paying types of principal designers are senior piping designer, head designer, and lead designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Designer | $97,929 | $8,161 | $47.08 | 48,136 |
| Web Designer | $63,842 | $5,320 | $30.69 | 50,899 |
| Layout Designer | $94,509 | $7,876 | $45.44 | 43,997 |
| Lead Graphic Designer | $76,009 | $6,334 | $36.54 | 46,260 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
| Interior Designer | $52,482 | $4,373 | $25.23 | 48,020 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for principal designers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Abby Guido
Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
Top companies hiring principal designers now:
Which companies pay principal designers the most?
Principal designer salaries at Google and Observable are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal designer salary at companies like Microsoft and Qualtrics are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $185,005 | $88.94 | |
| 2 | Observable | $178,306 | $85.72 |
| 3 | Microsoft | $167,570 | $80.56 |
| 4 | Qualtrics | $163,793 | $78.75 |
| 5 | Kaiser Permanente | $163,153 | $78.44 |
| 6 | Guild Education | $160,856 | $77.33 |
| 7 | Rambus | $155,881 | $74.94 |
| 8 | Cadence Design Systems | $152,343 | $73.24 |
| 9 | Intuit | $151,637 | $72.90 |
| 10 | Amd | $150,644 | $72.42 |
| 11 | Thoughtworks | $150,029 | $72.13 |
| 12 | Slack | $147,529 | $70.93 |
| 13 | Broadcom | $147,040 | $70.69 |
| 14 | Walgreens | $145,940 | $70.16 |
| 15 | Adobe | $144,739 | $69.59 |
| 16 | Tencent | $143,090 | $68.79 |
| 17 | Rockstar Games | $142,440 | $68.48 |
| 18 | Expedia Group | $141,803 | $68.17 |
| 19 | Amazon | $141,314 | $67.94 |
| 20 | Constant Contact | $139,997 | $67.31 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principal designer salary trends
The average principal designer salary has risen by $21,683 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal designer earned $101,845 annually, but today, they earn $123,528 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for principal designers over the last decade.
Compare principal designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principal designer salary over time
Compare principal designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principal designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $124,000 | $59.39 | +2.4% |
| 2024 | $121,000 | $57.98 | +3.3% |
| 2023 | $117,000 | $56.04 | +3.3% |
| 2022 | $113,000 | $54.18 | +2.2% |
| 2021 | $110,000 | $53.00 | +1.6% |
Recently added principal designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile Usa | Principal Designer-Foundations | Bellevue, WA | 06/27/2025 | $115,400 |
| Adobe Systems Incorporated | Principal Designer, Adobe Express | San Francisco, CA | 06/25/2025 | $173,400 |
| Adobe Systems Incorporated | Principal Designer, Adobe Express | Seattle, WA | 06/25/2025 | $173,400 |
| Blizzard Entertainment | Principal Designer, Missions-Unannounced Game | Irvine, CA | 06/12/2025 | $116,800 |
| Gannett Fleming | Principal Designer-Signals | New York, NY | 06/12/2025 | $150,000 |
| Adobe Systems Incorporated | Principal Designer, Document Cloud | San Jose, CA | 05/23/2025 | $173,400 |
| T-Mobile | Principal Designer-Foundations | Bellevue, WA | 05/22/2025 | $115,400 |
| Paypal | Principal Designer, AI Personalization | New York, NY | 05/19/2025 | $218,000 |
| Paypal | Principal Designer, AI Personalization | Chicago, IL | 05/19/2025 | $218,000 |
| McQuay International | Senior Principal Designer | Plymouth, MN | 05/15/2025 | $104,100 |
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