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Principal Engineer Salary

Principal Engineer Salary

Average Yearly Salary
$122,000
$93,000
Min 10%
$122,000
Median 50%
$159,000
Max 90%
Best Paying Company
Microsoft
Highest Paying City
San Francisco, CA
Highest Paying State
California
Average Experience Level
4.9 years
How much does a principal engineer make?
The national average salary for a Principal Engineer in the United States is $122,522 per year or $58.91 per hour. Those in the bottom 10 percent make under $94,000 a year, and the top 10 percent make over $159,000. Technology companies and Health Care companies have the most job opportunities for Principal Engineers. The best states for high paying Principal Engineer jobs are California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Delaware. The typical tenure for a Principal Engineer is 4.9 years.
Annual Salaries For Related Jobs
Senior Principal Engineer
$132,865
Principal Systems Engineer
$128,206
Principal Software Engineer
$127,772
Senior Engineer
$101,793
Senior Staff Engineer
$125,142

Average Principal Engineer Salary By Location

Principal Engineers in the United States of America make on average $122,522 a year or $58.91 per hour. The city with the highest Principal Engineer salary is San Francisco, CA at $160,648 per year. The average entry-level salary in San Francisco, CA is $109,000. California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, and Delaware are the states with the highest payscale for Principal Engineers. Ohio, Arkansas, and Indiana have the lowest Principal Engineer salaries.
City
Average Salary
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco, CA
$160,648
$161k
Austin, TX
Austin, TX
$129,516
$130k
Seattle, WA
Seattle, WA
$126,210
$126k
Englewood, CO
Englewood, CO
$124,406
$124k
Boston, MA
Boston, MA
$121,390
$121k
McLean, VA
McLean, VA
$118,628
$119k
New York, NY
New York, NY
$110,370
$110k
Atlanta, GA
Atlanta, GA
$109,915
$110k
Orlando, FL
Orlando, FL
$109,328
$109k
Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia, PA
$106,239
$106k
Show More
$78k
$196k

Map of Principal Engineer Salaries

The darker areas on the map show where Principal Engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary:
LowestHighest

Average Principal Engineer Salary By Company

There is good job security in Principal Engineer positions. Some industries offer better pay and benefit packages than others. Technology companies and Health Care companies tend to have the highest concentration of employment in this field. Principal Engineers at Microsoft and Google report the highest salaries. Companies like VMware and QLogic also pay high salaries to their Principal Engineers.
Company
Average Salary
Microsoft
Microsoft
$160,303
$160k
Google
Google
$159,587
$160k
VMware
VMware
$154,035
$154k
QLogic
QLogic
$152,695
$153k
Micron Technology
Micron Technology
$151,606
$152k
FullContact
FullContact
$150,933
$151k
Cadence Design Systems
Cadence Design Systems
$150,857
$151k
Xilinx
Xilinx
$150,766
$151k
Intuit
Intuit
$147,894
$148k
CA Technologies
CA Technologies
$147,077
$147k
Show More
$130k
$171k

Average Principal Engineer Pay By Industry

The type of industry that a Principal Engineer works in can influence their earning potential. By looking at our data, we can see that Manufacturing companies, Construction companies, and Technology companies pay their Principal Engineers well. Manufacturing companies pay their Principal Engineers the highest wages, averaging $126,013 per year. Construction companies and Technology companies pay well too, at $123,848 and $122,017, respectively. The average salary for Principal Engineers in the Utilities industry is lower than the rest, coming in at $120,103.
Industry
Average Salary
Manufacturing
Manufacturing
$126,013
$126k
Construction
Construction
$123,848
$124k
Technology
Technology
$122,017
$122k
Telecommunication
Telecommunication
$120,122
$120k
Utilities
Utilities
$120,103
$120k
$103k
$142k

Principal Engineer Salary History

Compare salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

National Average
Ashburn, VA

Principal Engineer Salary By Experience Level

The salary for a Principal Engineer can range from $97,152 to $189,285 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.
Junior LevelSenior Level

Amount of Experience

Recently Added Principal Engineer Salaries

Company
Job
Location
Date Added
Salary
New York State Civil Service
Principal Engineering Technician
Hauppauge, NY
04/24/2020
$50,722
Geologics
Fpga Principal Engineer
Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD
04/23/2020
$108,524
Management Decisions, Inc.
Principal Engineer Using Node and React for Brand New Green Energy Platform
Los Angeles, CA
04/20/2020
$170,000
Cybercoders
Principal Python/Aws Engineer
Boston, MA
04/17/2020
$150,000
Cybercoders
Remote-Healthcare-Principal Engineer | .NET Core/React
Miami, FL
03/26/2020
$160,000
Cybercoders
Remote-Healthcare-Principal Engineer | .NET Core/React
Atlanta, GA
03/26/2020
$160,000
CTG
Principal Fpga Engineer
Shakopee, MN
03/26/2020
$120,000
Cybercoders
Remote-Healthcare-Principal Engineer | .NET Core/React
Dallas, TX
03/26/2020
$160,000
Cybercoders
Remote-Healthcare-Principal Engineer | .NET Core/React
Chicago, IL
03/26/2020
$160,000
Cybercoders
Remote-Healthcare-Principal Engineer | .NET Core/React
Cincinnati, OH
03/26/2020
$160,000
Show More

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