Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Principal mechanical engineer salary
Average principal mechanical engineer salary
$102,451
Understanding Principal Mechanical Engineer Salaries
A Principal Mechanical Engineer plays a vital role in designing and implementing mechanical systems. The average salary for this position is $102,451 annually, translating to around $49 per hour. Salaries can differ based on various factors:
- Experience Level: Entry-level positions earn less, while those with extensive experience can command higher salaries.
- Location: States like California and Texas typically offer greater compensation due to demand.
- Industry: Engineers in aerospace or technology sectors often earn more than those in manufacturing.
To maximize your earning potential, consider exploring job openings in higher-paying states and industries. This detailed overview provides insights into salary variations, helping you make informed decisions about your career path.
Let Zippi find your next principal mechanical engineer job
Let Zippi find your next principal mechanical engineer job
Where can a Principal Mechanical Engineer earn more?
Principal mechanical engineer salaries by experience level
Principal mechanical engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average principal mechanical engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for principal mechanical engineers are New Mexico, California, and Washington. The lowest average principal mechanical engineer salary states are Minnesota, Hawaii, and Florida.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principal mechanical engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $117,289 | $56.39 |
| 2 | Washington | $117,385 | $56.44 |
| 3 | New Mexico | $122,209 | $58.75 |
| 4 | California | $119,314 | $57.36 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $117,298 | $56.39 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $112,161 | $53.92 |
| 7 | Delaware | $112,752 | $54.21 |
| 8 | Texas | $112,690 | $54.18 |
| 9 | Nevada | $109,627 | $52.71 |
| 10 | Colorado | $104,775 | $50.37 |
| 11 | Idaho | $102,534 | $49.30 |
| 12 | Iowa | $104,181 | $50.09 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $110,951 | $53.34 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $97,493 | $46.87 |
| 15 | Michigan | $100,387 | $48.26 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $103,246 | $49.64 |
| 17 | New York | $102,935 | $49.49 |
| 18 | Maryland | $101,772 | $48.93 |
| 19 | Georgia | $100,635 | $48.38 |
| 20 | Arizona | $93,955 | $45.17 |
| 21 | Alaska | $102,006 | $49.04 |
| 22 | Virginia | $95,030 | $45.69 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $99,131 | $47.66 |
| 24 | Kansas | $94,161 | $45.27 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $95,756 | $46.04 |
| 26 | Illinois | $93,649 | $45.02 |
| 27 | North Carolina | $91,279 | $43.88 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $94,547 | $45.46 |
| 29 | Indiana | $92,617 | $44.53 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $90,855 | $43.68 |
| 31 | Ohio | $90,603 | $43.56 |
| 32 | Rhode Island | $95,671 | $46.00 |
| 33 | Maine | $93,984 | $45.18 |
| 34 | New Jersey | $96,129 | $46.22 |
| 35 | Vermont | $87,593 | $42.11 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $88,691 | $42.64 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $87,680 | $42.15 |
| 38 | Montana | $85,631 | $41.17 |
| 39 | Alabama | $86,915 | $41.79 |
| 40 | Oklahoma | $90,425 | $43.47 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $83,079 | $39.94 |
| 42 | Missouri | $88,047 | $42.33 |
| 43 | Kentucky | $85,892 | $41.29 |
| 44 | Utah | $84,238 | $40.50 |
| 45 | Florida | $81,813 | $39.33 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $77,593 | $37.30 |
| 47 | North Dakota | $81,372 | $39.12 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $83,924 | $40.35 |
| 49 | Hawaii | $82,251 | $39.54 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $83,429 | $40.11 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $73,077 | $35.13 |
Highest paying cities for principal mechanical engineers
The highest-paying cities for principal mechanical engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Plymouth, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $129,251 | $62.14 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $118,005 | $56.73 |
| 3 | Plymouth, MA | $117,787 | $56.63 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $113,551 | $54.59 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | $111,039 | $53.38 |
| 6 | Lafayette, CO | $104,812 | $50.39 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $101,989 | $49.03 |
| 8 | Atlanta, GA | $100,508 | $48.32 |
| 9 | Farmington Hills, MI | $100,500 | $48.32 |
| 10 | Phoenix, AZ | $94,056 | $45.22 |
| 11 | Chicago, IL | $93,837 | $45.11 |
| 12 | Indianapolis, IN | $92,466 | $44.45 |
| 13 | Cleveland, OH | $91,972 | $44.22 |
| 14 | Menomonee Falls, WI | $90,933 | $43.72 |
| 15 | Philadelphia, PA | $89,232 | $42.90 |
| 16 | Huntsville, AL | $86,577 | $41.62 |
| 17 | Clearfield, UT | $83,650 | $40.22 |
| 18 | Melbourne, FL | $83,189 | $39.99 |
| 19 | Plymouth, MN | $83,070 | $39.94 |
Principal mechanical engineer salary details
A principal mechanical engineer's salary ranges from $78,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $133,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principal mechanical engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $133,000 | $11,083 | $64 |
| 75th Percentile | $117,000 | $9,750 | $56 |
| Average | $102,451 | $8,538 | $49 |
| 25th Percentile | $89,000 | $7,417 | $43 |
| 10th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
Highest paying principal mechanical engineer jobs
The highest paying types of principal mechanical engineers are senior principal engineer, principal engineer, and team lead engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Lead Design Engineer | $108,490 | $9,041 | $52.16 | 118,073 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Tool Engineer | $101,135 | $8,428 | $48.62 | 98,936 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Design Engineer | $77,134 | $6,428 | $37.08 | 138,173 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for principal mechanical engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring principal mechanical engineers now:
Which companies pay principal mechanical engineers the most?
Principal mechanical engineer salaries at Microsoft and The Walt Disney Company are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal mechanical engineer salary at companies like Amazon and GoPro are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | $144,845 | $69.64 |
| 2 | The Walt Disney Company | $143,162 | $68.83 |
| 3 | Amazon | $133,597 | $64.23 |
| 4 | GoPro | $125,702 | $60.43 |
| 5 | TransMedics | $119,291 | $57.35 |
| 6 | Engineering Resource Group | $116,576 | $56.05 |
| 7 | Brooks Automation | $115,877 | $55.71 |
| 8 | SMUD | $115,579 | $55.57 |
| 9 | Atkins | $114,896 | $55.24 |
| 10 | ASML Holding | $114,774 | $55.18 |
| 11 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $113,165 | $54.41 |
| 12 | Western Digital | $112,751 | $54.21 |
| 13 | Kelly Services | $112,418 | $54.05 |
| 14 | QuantumScape | $112,233 | $53.96 |
| 15 | CyberCoders | $112,125 | $53.91 |
| 16 | Occidental Petroleum | $111,384 | $53.55 |
| 17 | Edmund Optics | $110,020 | $52.89 |
| 18 | DRS | $109,529 | $52.66 |
| 19 | Gulf Interstate Engineering | $108,817 | $52.32 |
| 20 | Elbit Systems of America | $108,367 | $52.10 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principal Mechanical Engineer salary by industry
The average principal mechanical engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average principal mechanical engineer salary in the professional industry is $111,820, the highest of any industry.
- The average principal mechanical engineer salary in the finance industry is $104,895.
- Principal mechanical engineers in the technology industry earn an average salary of $95,566, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for principal mechanical engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Professional | $111,820 | $53.76 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $104,895 | $50.43 |
| 3 | Retail | $104,855 | $50.41 |
| 4 | Technology | $95,566 | $45.95 |
High paying principal mechanical engineer jobs
Principal mechanical engineer salary trends
The average principal mechanical engineer salary has risen by $12,420 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal mechanical engineer earned $90,031 annually, but today, they earn $102,451 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for principal mechanical engineers over the last decade.
Compare principal mechanical engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principal mechanical engineer salary over time
Compare principal mechanical engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principal mechanical engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $102,000 | $49.26 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $100,000 | $48.31 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $99,300 | $47.73 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $97,600 | $46.92 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $95,700 | $45.99 | +0.7% |
Recently added principal mechanical engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bloomenergy | Principal Mechanical Engineer | San Jose, CA | 06/30/2025 | $151,700 |
| Ttm Technologies | Principal Mechanical Engineer | Farmingdale, NY | 06/29/2025 | $140,909 |
| Northrop Grumman | Sentinel-Principal Mechanical Engineer | Roy, UT | 06/28/2025 | $86,600 |
| Northrop Grumman | Principal/Mechanical Engineer-Tactical Space Systems | Gilbert, AZ | 06/28/2025 | $95,300 |
| CVR Energy Inc. | Principal Engr-Mechanical-En0260 | East Dubuque, IL | 06/27/2025 | $127,500 |
| Gannett Fleming | Principal Mechanical Engineer | Denver, CO | 06/27/2025 | $170,000 |
| Sandia Corporation | Senior/Principal Mechanical Engineer-Ballistic Missile Tester Development, Onsite | Albuquerque, NM | 06/27/2025 | $114,000 |
| Linvatec Corporation | Principal Mechanical Engineer, Foot & Ankle | Memphis, TN | 06/27/2025 | $130,654 |
| Magic Leap | Principal Opto-Mechanical Engineer | Boulder, CO | 06/26/2025 | $180,000 |
| TTM Technologies, Inc. | Principal Mechanical Engineer | Farmingdale, NY | 06/26/2025 | $140,909 |
Principal mechanical engineer salary FAQs
Search for principal mechanical engineer jobs