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Principal process engineer salary
Average principal process engineer salary
$126,348
Understanding the Principal Process Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Principal Process Engineer in the United States is $126,348 per year, translating to approximately $61 per hour. Compensation varies significantly depending on factors such as industry, geographic location, and years of experience. For instance, engineers in the pharmaceutical industry often command higher salaries due to the specialized knowledge required.
States like California and Texas frequently offer the highest pay for this role, reflecting the demand for skilled engineers in major metropolitan areas. Conversely, regions with a lower cost of living may present lower salary averages but can still provide valuable opportunities for career advancement.
In addition to base salary, many Principal Process Engineers enjoy benefits such as performance bonuses, stock options, and retirement plans, further enhancing overall compensation. As the industry evolves, continuous skill development and certification can lead to increased earning potential and job security.
For those interested in pursuing a career as a Principal Process Engineer, understanding these dynamics is crucial. Exploring job opportunities and salary estimates across various sectors can provide a clearer picture of potential career paths.
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Where can a Principal Process Engineer earn more?
Principal process engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average principal process engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for principal process engineers are Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. The lowest average principal process engineer salary states are Vermont, Kansas, and Arkansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principal process engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $160,963 | $77.39 |
| 2 | Washington | $151,694 | $72.93 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $139,629 | $67.13 |
| 4 | Texas | $153,398 | $73.75 |
| 5 | Idaho | $139,706 | $67.17 |
| 6 | Oregon | $137,489 | $66.10 |
| 7 | Wyoming | $138,116 | $66.40 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $153,111 | $73.61 |
| 9 | California | $145,743 | $70.07 |
| 10 | Montana | $127,866 | $61.47 |
| 11 | Connecticut | $129,658 | $62.34 |
| 12 | Michigan | $125,463 | $60.32 |
| 13 | Oklahoma | $135,242 | $65.02 |
| 14 | Minnesota | $122,493 | $58.89 |
| 15 | Missouri | $126,101 | $60.63 |
| 16 | Nevada | $122,037 | $58.67 |
| 17 | Utah | $122,641 | $58.96 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $125,098 | $60.14 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $124,057 | $59.64 |
| 20 | Colorado | $122,140 | $58.72 |
| 21 | Florida | $119,379 | $57.39 |
| 22 | Ohio | $118,520 | $56.98 |
| 23 | Louisiana | $124,198 | $59.71 |
| 24 | New Hampshire | $114,946 | $55.26 |
| 25 | District of Columbia | $121,970 | $58.64 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $115,510 | $55.53 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $113,730 | $54.68 |
| 28 | Illinois | $118,368 | $56.91 |
| 29 | Virginia | $115,922 | $55.73 |
| 30 | Alabama | $115,318 | $55.44 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $117,572 | $56.52 |
| 32 | South Carolina | $117,925 | $56.69 |
| 33 | Maryland | $117,614 | $56.55 |
| 34 | Delaware | $115,198 | $55.38 |
| 35 | Pennsylvania | $108,161 | $52.00 |
| 36 | West Virginia | $109,975 | $52.87 |
| 37 | Georgia | $112,078 | $53.88 |
| 38 | Vermont | $104,786 | $50.38 |
| 39 | Tennessee | $110,680 | $53.21 |
| 40 | New York | $108,705 | $52.26 |
| 41 | Indiana | $107,764 | $51.81 |
| 42 | Maine | $110,811 | $53.27 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $120,466 | $57.92 |
| 44 | Wisconsin | $106,257 | $51.09 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $103,259 | $49.64 |
| 46 | Iowa | $107,743 | $51.80 |
| 47 | Alaska | $101,655 | $48.87 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $105,705 | $50.82 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $102,000 | $49.04 |
| 50 | Kansas | $104,090 | $50.04 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $101,835 | $48.96 |
Highest paying cities for principal process engineers
The highest-paying cities for principal process engineers are Tucson, AZ, Austin, TX, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tucson, AZ | $160,745 | $77.28 |
| 2 | Austin, TX | $154,295 | $74.18 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $152,604 | $73.37 |
| 4 | Petaluma, CA | $152,473 | $73.30 |
| 5 | Woburn, MA | $139,720 | $67.17 |
| 6 | Trumbull, CT | $129,604 | $62.31 |
| 7 | Bartlesville, OK | $128,516 | $61.79 |
| 8 | Kansas City, MO | $125,212 | $60.20 |
| 9 | South Jordan, UT | $122,699 | $58.99 |
| 10 | Minneapolis, MN | $122,580 | $58.93 |
| 11 | Westminster, CO | $121,722 | $58.52 |
| 12 | Akron, OH | $119,813 | $57.60 |
| 13 | Chicago, IL | $118,897 | $57.16 |
| 14 | Nashua, NH | $115,095 | $55.33 |
| 15 | New York, NY | $108,819 | $52.32 |
| 16 | Philadelphia, PA | $108,645 | $52.23 |
Principal process engineer salary details
A principal process engineer's salary ranges from $93,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $171,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principal process engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $171,000 | $14,250 | $82 |
| 75th Percentile | $148,000 | $12,333 | $71 |
| Average | $126,348 | $10,529 | $61 |
| 25th Percentile | $107,000 | $8,917 | $51 |
| 10th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
Highest paying principal process engineer jobs
The highest paying types of principal process engineers are principal engineer, senior engineer, and project lead engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing Engineering Internship | $53,047 | $4,421 | $25.50 | 125,868 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Supplier Quality Engineer | $83,182 | $6,932 | $39.99 | 76,104 |
| Reliability Engineer | $105,551 | $8,796 | $50.75 | 44,471 |
| Quality Engineer | $79,672 | $6,639 | $38.30 | 96,838 |
| Co-Operations Engineer | $42,618 | $3,552 | $20.49 | 86,804 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for principal process 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 process engineers now:
Which companies pay principal process engineers the most?
Principal process engineer salaries at Google and Micron Technology are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal process engineer salary at companies like Amazon and BNY Mellon are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $163,661 | $78.68 | |
| 2 | Micron Technology | $146,376 | $70.37 |
| 3 | Amazon | $142,904 | $68.70 |
| 4 | BNY Mellon | $141,735 | $68.14 |
| 5 | Texas Instruments | $139,404 | $67.02 |
| 6 | Occidental Petroleum | $139,365 | $67.00 |
| 7 | SAP | $136,100 | $65.43 |
| 8 | Moderna | $135,231 | $65.01 |
| 9 | Abiomed | $134,177 | $64.51 |
| 10 | Conexant | $133,763 | $64.31 |
| 11 | AbbVie | $131,486 | $63.21 |
| 12 | Varian Semiconductor Equipment Associates | $131,149 | $63.05 |
| 13 | United Therapeutics | $129,907 | $62.46 |
| 14 | Technip USA Corporation | $129,829 | $62.42 |
| 15 | Bristol-Myers Squibb | $129,759 | $62.38 |
| 16 | CPS Recruitment | $129,517 | $62.27 |
| 17 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $128,706 | $61.88 |
| 18 | Lummus | $128,653 | $61.85 |
| 19 | Nunhems U.S. | $128,421 | $61.74 |
| 20 | EnLink Midstream Partners, LP | $128,257 | $61.66 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principal Process Engineer salary by industry
The average principal process engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average principal process engineer salary in the finance industry is $138,198, the highest of any industry.
- The average principal process engineer salary in the finance industry is $121,826.
- Principal process engineers in the technology industry earn an average salary of $111,773, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for principal process engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $138,198 | $66.44 |
| 2 | Energy | $121,826 | $58.57 |
| 3 | Professional | $118,121 | $56.79 |
| 4 | Construction | $114,134 | $54.87 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $113,641 | $54.64 |
| 6 | Technology | $111,773 | $53.74 |
High paying principal process engineer jobs
Principal process engineer salary trends
The average principal process engineer salary has risen by $16,633 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal process engineer earned $109,715 annually, but today, they earn $126,348 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for principal process engineers over the last decade.
Compare principal process engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principal process engineer salary over time
Compare principal process engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principal process engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $126,000 | $60.74 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $125,000 | $60.11 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $124,000 | $59.44 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $122,000 | $58.65 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $120,000 | $57.58 | +1.0% |
Recently added principal process engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discover Financial Services | Senior Principal Process and Compliance Management | Riverwoods, IL | 06/30/2025 | $106,000 |
| Solectron Corp | Principal Process Engineer-Thermoplastic Injection Molding | Libertyville, IL | 06/30/2025 | $119,300 |
| Ieee | Principal Engineer-Business Process Automation (E5891) | Piscataway, NJ | 06/29/2025 | $158,000 |
| Jabil | Principal Process Engineer Photonics Systems | Austin, TX | 06/28/2025 | $127,300 |
| Vertex Pharmaceuticals | Principal Scientist, Process Development Engineering, Media Development | Boston, MA | 06/28/2025 | $146,000 |
| Chobani | Principal (Director) Process Engineer | Muskegon, MI | 06/28/2025 | $144,000 |
| Parsons | Principal Process Engineer | Pasadena, CA | 06/28/2025 | $100,900 |
| Worleyparsons Ltd. | Senior Principal Process Engineer | Long Beach, CA | 06/27/2025 | $177,521 |
| Worley | Senior Principal Process Engineer | Ione, CA | 06/27/2025 | $177,521 |
| Parsons Corporation | Principal Level Digital Signal Processing Engineer-Ts/Sci With Poly | Denver, CO | 06/25/2025 | $120,800 |
Principal process engineer salary FAQs
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