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Principle software engineer salary
Average principle software engineer salary
$131,742
Average Principle Software Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Principle Software Engineer is approximately $131,742 annually or about $63 per hour. Factors influencing this salary include experience level, industry, and geographic location. For instance, software engineers in major tech hubs like San Francisco and New York often see higher compensation due to the cost of living and demand for expertise.
Where Can Principle Software Engineers Earn More?
Salary variations are notable among states and cities. In states like California and Washington, engineers might earn significantly more than the national average. Additionally, industries such as finance and healthcare tend to offer some of the highest salaries for this role. For example, finance-related positions frequently provide lucrative benefits and bonuses, enhancing overall compensation.
Conclusion
As the tech landscape evolves, principle software engineers will continue to be sought after, making this an excellent career choice for individuals equipped with the right skills and experience.
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Where can a Principle Software Engineer earn more?
Average principle software engineer salary by state
The average principle software engineer salary in California, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average principle software engineer salary states are North Dakota, Alabama, and Louisiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principle software engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $158,987 | $76.44 |
| 2 | Washington | $150,976 | $72.58 |
| 3 | Oregon | $150,838 | $72.52 |
| 4 | Vermont | $130,915 | $62.94 |
| 5 | Utah | $125,448 | $60.31 |
| 6 | Nevada | $141,252 | $67.91 |
| 7 | Indiana | $130,545 | $62.76 |
| 8 | Alaska | $139,827 | $67.22 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $136,439 | $65.60 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $130,888 | $62.93 |
| 11 | Idaho | $123,412 | $59.33 |
| 12 | Montana | $121,655 | $58.49 |
| 13 | Rhode Island | $119,817 | $57.60 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $120,146 | $57.76 |
| 15 | Delaware | $119,545 | $57.47 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $122,646 | $58.96 |
| 17 | Texas | $119,467 | $57.44 |
| 18 | Arizona | $116,954 | $56.23 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $121,096 | $58.22 |
| 20 | New York | $120,859 | $58.11 |
| 21 | New Mexico | $118,143 | $56.80 |
| 22 | Wyoming | $111,933 | $53.81 |
| 23 | Massachusetts | $115,118 | $55.35 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $116,362 | $55.94 |
| 25 | Illinois | $115,963 | $55.75 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $111,831 | $53.76 |
| 27 | Hawaii | $124,796 | $60.00 |
| 28 | Virginia | $111,086 | $53.41 |
| 29 | West Virginia | $112,126 | $53.91 |
| 30 | Colorado | $111,735 | $53.72 |
| 31 | Maryland | $111,400 | $53.56 |
| 32 | Michigan | $109,290 | $52.54 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $107,861 | $51.86 |
| 34 | Maine | $108,670 | $52.25 |
| 35 | Georgia | $107,359 | $51.61 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $107,842 | $51.85 |
| 37 | Missouri | $107,915 | $51.88 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $108,096 | $51.97 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $107,935 | $51.89 |
| 40 | Florida | $107,667 | $51.76 |
| 41 | Iowa | $105,052 | $50.51 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $102,526 | $49.29 |
| 43 | North Dakota | $101,132 | $48.62 |
| 44 | Ohio | $102,393 | $49.23 |
| 45 | Tennessee | $102,805 | $49.43 |
| 46 | Kentucky | $102,530 | $49.29 |
| 47 | Alabama | $100,327 | $48.23 |
| 48 | Arkansas | $94,655 | $45.51 |
| 49 | Wisconsin | $98,804 | $47.50 |
| 50 | Louisiana | $100,028 | $48.09 |
| 51 | Kansas | $94,282 | $45.33 |
Highest paying cities for principle software engineers
The highest-paying cities for principle software engineers are San Francisco, CA, Kent, WA, and Beaverton, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $170,161 | $81.81 |
| 2 | Kent, WA | $152,073 | $73.11 |
| 3 | Beaverton, OR | $151,021 | $72.61 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $136,555 | $65.65 |
| 5 | Salt Lake City, UT | $124,889 | $60.04 |
| 6 | Helena, MT | $124,151 | $59.69 |
| 7 | Bensalem, PA | $122,989 | $59.13 |
| 8 | Providence, RI | $119,743 | $57.57 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | $119,700 | $57.55 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $116,381 | $55.95 |
| 11 | Framingham, MA | $115,257 | $55.41 |
| 12 | Raleigh, NC | $112,665 | $54.17 |
| 13 | Fountain, CO | $112,217 | $53.95 |
| 14 | Columbia, MD | $111,481 | $53.60 |
| 15 | Hazelwood, MO | $109,122 | $52.46 |
| 16 | Cape Coral, FL | $108,275 | $52.06 |
| 17 | Columbia, SC | $107,907 | $51.88 |
| 18 | Alpharetta, GA | $106,922 | $51.40 |
| 19 | Fridley, MN | $102,599 | $49.33 |
| 20 | Columbus, OH | $102,198 | $49.13 |
Principle software engineer salary details
A principle software engineer's salary ranges from $98,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $176,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principle software engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $176,000 | $14,667 | $85 |
| 75th Percentile | $153,000 | $12,750 | $74 |
| Average | $131,742 | $10,979 | $63 |
| 25th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| 10th Percentile | $98,000 | $8,167 | $47 |
Highest paying principle software engineer jobs
The highest paying types of principle software engineers are software engineering manager, staff software engineer, and principal software engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Architect | $114,406 | $9,534 | $55.00 | 319,594 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Lead Software Developer | $115,072 | $9,589 | $55.32 | 309,029 |
| Software Engineer-Consultant | $113,987 | $9,499 | $54.80 | 317,033 |
| Software Engineering Manager | $140,929 | $11,744 | $67.75 | 262,296 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
Top companies hiring principle software engineers now:
Which companies pay principle software engineers the most?
Principle software engineer salaries at Walmart and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principle software engineer salary at companies like PayPal and Zynga are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walmart | $170,906 | $82.17 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $168,291 | $80.91 |
| 3 | PayPal | $164,992 | $79.32 |
| 4 | Zynga | $155,220 | $74.63 |
| 5 | Nokia | $148,892 | $71.58 |
| 6 | Airline Tariff | $148,334 | $71.31 |
| 7 | CyberCoders | $148,148 | $71.22 |
| 8 | Bank of the West | $144,579 | $69.51 |
| 9 | RH | $144,092 | $69.28 |
| 10 | Citrix | $142,327 | $68.43 |
| 11 | Enea Openwave | $142,001 | $68.27 |
| 12 | Insight Enterprises | $140,719 | $67.65 |
| 13 | Motion Recruitment | $139,536 | $67.08 |
| 14 | Schneider Electric Critical Systems | $138,476 | $66.58 |
| 15 | Jacobs Enterprises | $138,274 | $66.48 |
| 16 | Parallel Wireless | $138,248 | $66.47 |
| 17 | International SOS Assistance, Inc. | $138,014 | $66.35 |
| 18 | GENERAL INFORMATION SERVICES | $138,012 | $66.35 |
| 19 | AGCO | $137,787 | $66.24 |
| 20 | Neato Robotics | $136,660 | $65.70 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principle Software Engineer salary by industry
The average principle software engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average principle software engineer salary in the start-up industry is $142,396, the highest of any industry.
- The average principle software engineer salary in the finance industry is $139,079.
- Principle software engineers in the finance industry earn an average salary of $116,689, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for principle software engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start-up | $142,396 | $68.46 |
| 2 | Retail | $139,079 | $66.86 |
| 3 | Media | $136,178 | $65.47 |
| 4 | Telecommunication | $131,951 | $63.44 |
| 5 | Technology | $117,641 | $56.56 |
| 6 | Finance | $116,689 | $56.10 |
High paying principle software engineer jobs
Principle software engineer salary trends
The average principle software engineer salary has risen by $24,457 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principle software engineer earned $107,285 annually, but today, they earn $131,742 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for principle software engineers over the last decade.
Compare principle software engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principle software engineer salary over time
Compare principle software engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principle software engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $132,000 | $63.34 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $127,000 | $61.25 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $125,000 | $59.86 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $122,000 | $58.81 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $120,000 | $57.82 | +1.8% |
Recently added principle software engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Capital One | Principle Software Engineer | McLean, VA | 06/30/2025 | $158,600 |
| KLM Careers | Principle Software Engineer | Tampa, FL | 06/10/2025 | $166,960 |
| KLM Careers | Principle Software Engineer | Boston, MA | 06/10/2025 | $166,960 |
| KLM Careers | Principle Software Engineer | Coppell, TX | 06/10/2025 | $166,960 |
| KLM Careers | Principle Software Engineer | Jersey City, NJ | 06/10/2025 | $166,960 |
| Leidos Holdings Inc. | Principle Software Engineer | Odenton, MD | 04/25/2025 | $126,100 |
| Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company | Principle Software Engineer In Test Hybrid TX W2 Only | Westlake, TX | 04/25/2025 | $99,341 |
| Capital One | Principle Software Engineer | Chicago, IL | 04/12/2025 | $144,200 |
| Talent Navigation Experts | Principle Software Engineer | Colorado Springs, CO | 03/27/2025 | $180,000 |
| KLM Careers | Principle Software Engineer | Boston, MA | 03/27/2025 | $166,960 |
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