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The differences between principal engineers and senior 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 engineer and a senior staff engineer. Additionally, a senior staff engineer has an average salary of $136,031, which is higher than the $130,213 average annual salary of a principal engineer.
The top three skills for a principal engineer include java, architecture and python. The most important skills for a senior staff engineer are python, java, and architecture.
| Principal Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $130,213 | $136,031 |
| Hourly rate | $62.60 | $65.40 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 312,683 | 239,752 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A principal engineer is responsible for monitoring the overall design phase of the construction process, including coordinating with the client for progress and updates, as well as performing adjustments as needed based on clients' specifications and requirements. Principal engineers also inspect the materials and resources used to ensure that the project stays within the budget goals and set timeframe. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in preparing reports and training new staff.
A senior staff engineer is responsible for supervising a team of engineers, chemists, software developers, or molecular biologists. His/Her or her responsibilities include generating Structured Query Language (SQL) performance audit checklist template, creating SQL data query routines and functions for data extraction, and working directly with stakeholders. The job requires strong mechanical, listening, and mathematical skills and proficiency in Python programming language and computer architecture and hardware. The education requirements for the job include a bachelor's or master's degree in electrical engineering, business, mechanical engineering, or a related field.
Principal engineers and senior staff engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Average salary | $130,213 | $136,031 |
| Salary range | Between $95,000 And $177,000 | Between $95,000 And $194,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Grubhub | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a principal engineer and a senior staff engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
Here are the differences between principal engineers' and senior staff engineers' demographics:
| Principal Engineer | Senior Staff Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% | Male, 78.4% Female, 21.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 67.9% 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% |