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The differences between principal firmware engineers and firmware engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a principal firmware engineer and a firmware engineer. Additionally, a principal firmware engineer has an average salary of $134,114, which is higher than the $97,183 average annual salary of a firmware engineer.
The top three skills for a principal firmware engineer include python, debugging and SSD. The most important skills for a firmware engineer are python, C, and C++.
| Principal Firmware Engineer | Firmware Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $134,114 | $97,183 |
| Hourly rate | $64.48 | $46.72 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 61,118 | 99,014 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Principal firmware engineers and firmware engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Firmware Engineer | Firmware Engineer | |
| Average salary | $134,114 | $97,183 |
| Salary range | Between $103,000 And $174,000 | Between $73,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Micron Technology | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a principal firmware engineer and a firmware engineer in terms of educational background:
| Principal Firmware Engineer | Firmware Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between principal firmware engineers' and firmware engineers' demographics:
| Principal Firmware Engineer | Firmware Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.8% Female, 6.3% | Male, 88.4% Female, 11.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 8.4% Asian, 31.6% White, 50.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |