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Principal analyst salary
Average principal analyst salary
$114,156
Understanding the Principal Analyst Salary
The salary for a Principal Analyst varies by state and industry, reflecting the demand for analytical expertise. Currently, the average salary is approximately $114,156 per year or $55 per hour. Key factors influencing this include years of experience, educational background, and the specific industry in which one is employed.
Top-Paying States
Principal Analysts in states like California, New York, and Texas often earn more due to higher living costs and demand for skilled professionals. For instance, California typically offers the highest salaries for this role, often exceeding the national average by a significant margin.
Industries with High Demand
Industries such as technology, finance, and healthcare present the most lucrative opportunities for Principal Analysts. Positions in these sectors not only offer competitive salaries but also promise career growth. Moreover, as organizations increasingly rely on data to drive decisions, the need for Principal Analysts is expected to grow, making this a promising career choice.
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Where can a Principal Analyst earn more?
Principal analyst salary estimates from across the web
Average principal analyst salary by state
The average principal analyst salary in Washington, California, and Delaware are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average principal analyst salary states are Louisiana, Missouri, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principal analysts
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Delaware | $126,757 | $60.94 |
| 2 | Oregon | $123,082 | $59.17 |
| 3 | Nevada | $122,369 | $58.83 |
| 4 | Washington | $138,100 | $66.39 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $114,325 | $54.96 |
| 6 | Idaho | $117,060 | $56.28 |
| 7 | California | $134,790 | $64.80 |
| 8 | Arizona | $111,321 | $53.52 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $115,070 | $55.32 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $117,603 | $56.54 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $116,660 | $56.09 |
| 12 | North Carolina | $107,884 | $51.87 |
| 13 | Montana | $108,505 | $52.17 |
| 14 | Texas | $107,730 | $51.79 |
| 15 | Connecticut | $111,101 | $53.41 |
| 16 | Illinois | $106,825 | $51.36 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $104,576 | $50.28 |
| 18 | Virginia | $106,256 | $51.08 |
| 19 | Massachusetts | $109,213 | $52.51 |
| 20 | Ohio | $103,962 | $49.98 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $107,750 | $51.80 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $110,904 | $53.32 |
| 23 | New York | $104,757 | $50.36 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $109,423 | $52.61 |
| 25 | Maryland | $104,620 | $50.30 |
| 26 | Minnesota | $101,322 | $48.71 |
| 27 | Georgia | $102,526 | $49.29 |
| 28 | Alabama | $102,515 | $49.29 |
| 29 | Colorado | $98,459 | $47.34 |
| 30 | West Virginia | $100,918 | $48.52 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $102,588 | $49.32 |
| 32 | Vermont | $102,350 | $49.21 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $97,450 | $46.85 |
| 34 | Alaska | $100,130 | $48.14 |
| 35 | North Dakota | $99,810 | $47.99 |
| 36 | Nebraska | $95,891 | $46.10 |
| 37 | Maine | $100,635 | $48.38 |
| 38 | Florida | $97,401 | $46.83 |
| 39 | Indiana | $97,079 | $46.67 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $95,054 | $45.70 |
| 41 | Wisconsin | $95,509 | $45.92 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $96,525 | $46.41 |
| 43 | Utah | $96,598 | $46.44 |
| 44 | Michigan | $95,263 | $45.80 |
| 45 | Iowa | $94,765 | $45.56 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $90,618 | $43.57 |
| 47 | Kansas | $90,238 | $43.38 |
| 48 | Missouri | $91,571 | $44.02 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $93,050 | $44.74 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $90,737 | $43.62 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $89,151 | $42.86 |
Highest paying cities for principal analysts
The highest-paying cities for principal analysts are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Portland, OR.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $145,142 | $69.78 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $138,773 | $66.72 |
| 3 | Portland, OR | $122,860 | $59.07 |
| 4 | Wallingford, CT | $111,214 | $53.47 |
| 5 | Woodbridge, NJ | $109,459 | $52.62 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $109,371 | $52.58 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $109,209 | $52.50 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $107,736 | $51.80 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $107,170 | $51.52 |
| 10 | Arlington, VA | $106,589 | $51.24 |
| 11 | New York, NY | $105,014 | $50.49 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | $105,011 | $50.49 |
| 13 | Annapolis, MD | $104,847 | $50.41 |
| 14 | Columbus, OH | $103,777 | $49.89 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $102,195 | $49.13 |
| 16 | Saint Paul, MN | $101,427 | $48.76 |
| 17 | Boulder, CO | $98,513 | $47.36 |
| 18 | Boca Raton, FL | $97,668 | $46.96 |
| 19 | Indianapolis, IN | $96,913 | $46.59 |
| 20 | Des Moines, IA | $94,389 | $45.38 |
Principal analyst salary details
A principal analyst's salary ranges from $87,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $149,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principal analyst's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $149,000 | $12,417 | $72 |
| 75th Percentile | $131,000 | $10,917 | $63 |
| Average | $114,156 | $9,513 | $55 |
| 25th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| 10th Percentile | $87,000 | $7,250 | $42 |
Highest paying principal analyst jobs
The highest paying types of principal analysts are business systems senior analyst, senior technical analyst, and staff analyst.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analyst Internship | $38,569 | $3,214 | $18.54 | 103,723 |
| Analyst Lead | $95,264 | $7,939 | $45.80 | 122,353 |
| Systems Analyst | $75,383 | $6,282 | $36.24 | 141,289 |
| Applications Analyst | $80,144 | $6,679 | $38.53 | 110,833 |
| Analyst | $73,007 | $6,084 | $35.10 | 253,138 |
| Staff Analyst | $99,158 | $8,263 | $47.67 | 174,178 |
Top companies hiring principal analysts now:
Which companies pay principal analysts the most?
Principal analyst salaries at Google and World Fuel Services are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal analyst salary at companies like Avid and OCC are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $158,824 | $76.36 | |
| 2 | World Fuel Services | $144,399 | $69.42 |
| 3 | Avid | $136,721 | $65.73 |
| 4 | OCC | $136,720 | $65.73 |
| 5 | $131,931 | $63.43 | |
| 6 | Yext | $131,126 | $63.04 |
| 7 | VMware | $129,617 | $62.32 |
| 8 | DocuSign | $128,547 | $61.80 |
| 9 | Amazon | $127,943 | $61.51 |
| 10 | Upwork | $125,717 | $60.44 |
| 11 | Intuitive Surgical | $125,209 | $60.20 |
| 12 | SS&C Technologies | $125,187 | $60.19 |
| 13 | FireEye | $124,670 | $59.94 |
| 14 | Infinera | $124,461 | $59.84 |
| 15 | Majesco | $121,550 | $58.44 |
| 16 | Jade Global | $120,291 | $57.83 |
| 17 | Trideum | $119,947 | $57.67 |
| 18 | TEKsystems | $119,683 | $57.54 |
| 19 | Temenos AG | $119,473 | $57.44 |
| 20 | Tripadvisor | $118,694 | $57.06 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principal Analyst salary by industry
The average principal analyst salary varies across industries:
- The average principal analyst salary in the pharmaceutical industry is $112,404, the highest of any industry.
- The average principal analyst salary in the finance industry is $109,089.
- Principal analysts in the professional industry earn an average salary of $96,568, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for principal analysts
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pharmaceutical | $112,404 | $54.04 |
| 2 | Manufacturing | $109,089 | $52.45 |
| 3 | Energy | $108,879 | $52.35 |
| 4 | Technology | $108,396 | $52.11 |
| 5 | Start-up | $104,151 | $50.07 |
| 6 | Finance | $99,173 | $47.68 |
| 7 | Professional | $96,568 | $46.43 |
High paying principal analyst jobs
Principal analyst salary trends
The average principal analyst salary has risen by $18,383 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal analyst earned $95,773 annually, but today, they earn $114,156 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for principal analysts over the last decade.
Compare principal analyst salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principal analyst salary over time
Compare principal analyst salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principal analyst salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $114,000 | $54.88 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $110,000 | $53.07 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $108,000 | $51.87 | +0.5% |
| 2022 | $107,000 | $51.60 | +1.2% |
| 2021 | $106,000 | $50.98 | +1.6% |
Recently added principal analyst salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | MK2 Principal Structures Analyst-Lunar Permanence | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $164,682 |
| Perspecta | Principal Cybersecurity Analyst | Arlington, VA | 06/29/2025 | $112,000 |
| Northrop Grumman | Principal Classified Cybersecurity Analyst-Ts/Sci | Redondo Beach, CA | 06/28/2025 | $110,300 |
| Publicis Groupe | Principal Analyst, Strategic Account Analytics | Chicago, IL | 06/27/2025 | $124,875 |
| Skyepoint Decisions | Principal Cybersecurity Analyst | Arlington, VA | 06/27/2025 | $126,000 |
| Analog Devices, Inc. | Principal Analyst, Treasury | Wilmington, MA | 06/26/2025 | $122,250 |
| Bae Systems | Principal Evms Surveillance Analyst-Remote | Minneapolis, MN | 06/26/2025 | $96,470 |
| Bae Systems | Principal Evms Surveillance Analyst-Remote | San Jose, CA | 06/26/2025 | $96,470 |
| Bae Systems | Principal Evms Surveillance Analyst-Remote | York, PA | 06/26/2025 | $96,470 |
| Bae Systems | Senior Principal Evms Surveillance Analyst-Remote | Sterling Heights, MI | 06/26/2025 | $116,419 |
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