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The average salary for a Principal Manufacturing Engineer in the United States stands at $94,463 per year. This figure can vary significantly based on experience, location, and the specific industry. Engineers in this role typically oversee manufacturing processes, ensuring efficiency and quality in production.
Those just starting in manufacturing engineering may earn lower salaries, while seasoned professionals can command significantly higher wages. For instance, engineers with over ten years of experience can see salaries exceeding $120,000 annually.
The highest paying states for Principal Manufacturing Engineers include California, Texas, and New York, where salaries often exceed the national average. In California, for example, salaries can reach upwards of $110,000 due to the high demand for engineering talent in tech and manufacturing hubs.
As industries continue to evolve, the demand for skilled Principal Manufacturing Engineers remains strong. Companies value expertise in lean manufacturing and process optimization, making this a promising career path. By leveraging job boards like Zippia, candidates can explore various openings tailored to their skills and salary expectations.
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| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level principal manufacturing engineer | $68,900 | $33.15 |
| Mid-level principal manufacturing engineer | $97,400 | $46.84 |
| Senior-level principal manufacturing engineer | $119,000 | $57.19 |
The highest-paying states for principal manufacturing engineers are California, New Mexico, and Arizona. The lowest average principal manufacturing engineer salary states are Oklahoma, Iowa, and Indiana.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $106,163 | $51.04 |
| 2 | California | $111,436 | $53.58 |
| 3 | Texas | $100,997 | $48.56 |
| 4 | Idaho | $105,616 | $50.78 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $108,190 | $52.01 |
| 6 | Virginia | $100,329 | $48.24 |
| 7 | Colorado | $100,309 | $48.23 |
| 8 | Delaware | $101,000 | $48.56 |
| 9 | Washington | $103,119 | $49.58 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $96,398 | $46.35 |
| 11 | Alabama | $93,418 | $44.91 |
| 12 | Illinois | $94,082 | $45.23 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $88,770 | $42.68 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $95,229 | $45.78 |
| 15 | Maryland | $97,299 | $46.78 |
| 16 | Oregon | $90,052 | $43.29 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $92,582 | $44.51 |
| 18 | Minnesota | $88,181 | $42.39 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $87,729 | $42.18 |
| 20 | Wyoming | $87,600 | $42.12 |
| 21 | Montana | $87,019 | $41.84 |
| 22 | Nevada | $85,268 | $40.99 |
| 23 | New York | $89,463 | $43.01 |
| 24 | Maine | $90,214 | $43.37 |
| 25 | West Virginia | $84,687 | $40.71 |
| 26 | Mississippi | $88,503 | $42.55 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $94,801 | $45.58 |
| 28 | Michigan | $81,292 | $39.08 |
| 29 | District of Columbia | $92,963 | $44.69 |
| 30 | Utah | $82,829 | $39.82 |
| 31 | Wisconsin | $82,279 | $39.56 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $80,505 | $38.70 |
| 33 | Florida | $85,314 | $41.02 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $85,313 | $41.02 |
| 35 | Ohio | $78,874 | $37.92 |
| 36 | Georgia | $83,643 | $40.21 |
| 37 | Alaska | $88,232 | $42.42 |
| 38 | South Carolina | $81,305 | $39.09 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $79,851 | $38.39 |
| 40 | Vermont | $84,166 | $40.46 |
| 41 | Kentucky | $77,245 | $37.14 |
| 42 | South Dakota | $77,431 | $37.23 |
| 43 | Tennessee | $75,550 | $36.32 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $79,345 | $38.15 |
| 45 | Indiana | $71,782 | $34.51 |
| 46 | Missouri | $76,352 | $36.71 |
| 47 | Arkansas | $71,769 | $34.50 |
| 48 | Iowa | $74,073 | $35.61 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $74,224 | $35.68 |
| 50 | Kansas | $67,643 | $32.52 |
| 51 | North Dakota | $67,407 | $32.41 |
The highest-paying cities for principal manufacturing engineers are Santa Rosa, CA, Mesa, AZ, and El Paso, TX.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Santa Rosa, CA | $122,003 | $58.66 |
| 2 | Mesa, AZ | $105,929 | $50.93 |
| 3 | El Paso, TX | $103,008 | $49.52 |
| 4 | Loveland, CO | $100,115 | $48.13 |
| 5 | Petersburg, VA | $100,032 | $48.09 |
| 6 | Baltimore, MD | $97,549 | $46.90 |
| 7 | Cambridge, MA | $96,405 | $46.35 |
| 8 | Madison, AL | $92,277 | $44.36 |
| 9 | Beaverton, OR | $89,645 | $43.10 |
| 10 | New York, NY | $89,589 | $43.07 |
| 11 | Philadelphia, PA | $89,213 | $42.89 |
| 12 | Burnsville, MN | $88,066 | $42.34 |
| 13 | Melbourne, FL | $85,709 | $41.21 |
| 14 | Asheville, NC | $85,299 | $41.01 |
| 15 | Brookfield, WI | $82,258 | $39.55 |
| 16 | Salt Lake City, UT | $82,192 | $39.52 |
| 17 | Columbia, SC | $81,365 | $39.12 |
A principal manufacturing engineer's salary ranges from $72,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $122,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| 75th Percentile | $108,000 | $9,000 | $52 |
| Average | $94,463 | $7,872 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
The highest paying types of principal manufacturing engineers are senior staff engineer, manufacturing engineering manager, and lead design 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 |
| Project Lead Engineer | $106,946 | $8,912 | $51.42 | 98,018 |
| Process Engineer | $82,443 | $6,870 | $39.64 | 66,937 |
| Quality Engineer | $79,672 | $6,639 | $38.30 | 96,838 |
| Industrial Engineer | $76,501 | $6,375 | $36.78 | 46,756 |
Top companies hiring principal manufacturing engineers now:
Principal manufacturing engineer salaries at ZS and Boehringer Ingelheim are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal manufacturing engineer salary at companies like Snowflake Computing and Infineon Technologies are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ZS | $119,335 | $57.37 |
| 2 | Boehringer Ingelheim | $118,152 | $56.80 |
| 3 | Snowflake Computing | $116,637 | $56.08 |
| 4 | Infineon Technologies | $108,905 | $52.36 |
| 5 | Sarepta Therapeutics | $107,225 | $51.55 |
| 6 | Nike | $107,098 | $51.49 |
| 7 | Palo Alto Networks | $106,792 | $51.34 |
| 8 | Western Digital | $103,401 | $49.71 |
| 9 | The Chemours Company | $97,702 | $46.97 |
| 10 | TRW Automotive Holdings | $97,424 | $46.84 |
| 11 | Amgen | $95,952 | $46.13 |
| 12 | BD | $95,062 | $45.70 |
| 13 | DXC Technology | $94,833 | $45.59 |
| 14 | Westinghouse Appliances Australia | $93,623 | $45.01 |
| 15 | Elbit Systems of America | $92,587 | $44.51 |
| 16 | First Solar | $92,010 | $44.24 |
| 17 | Medtronic | $91,630 | $44.05 |
| 18 | AtriCure | $91,257 | $43.87 |
| 19 | Endologix | $90,151 | $43.34 |
| 20 | Rocket Lab | $89,941 | $43.24 |
The average principal manufacturing engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $91,297 | $43.89 |
| 2 | Health Care | $90,071 | $43.30 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $89,341 | $42.95 |
| 4 | Technology | $82,373 | $39.60 |
| 5 | Telecommunication | $67,553 | $32.48 |
The average principal manufacturing engineer salary has risen by $11,696 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal manufacturing engineer earned $82,767 annually, but today, they earn $94,463 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for principal manufacturing engineers over the last decade.
Compare principal manufacturing engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare principal manufacturing engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $94,500 | $45.41 | +4.2% |
| 2025 | $90,500 | $43.51 | +2.1% |
| 2024 | $88,600 | $42.60 | -0.3% |
| 2023 | $88,900 | $42.72 | -0.1% |
| 2022 | $88,900 | $42.74 | +1.4% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linvatec Corporation | Principal Manufacturing Recruiter | Largo, FL | 06/29/2025 | $75,000 |
| Pierce Manufacturing | SR. Principal Manufacturing Engineer | McConnellsburg, PA | 06/28/2025 | $102,800 |
| Pierce Manufacturing | Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Hagerstown, MD | 06/28/2025 | $91,800 |
| Medtronic | Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Lafayette, CO | 06/27/2025 | $120,800 |
| Northrop Grumman | Sentinel Manufacturing/Principal Manufacturing Engineer) | Huntsville, AL | 06/26/2025 | $95,800 |
| Oshkosh Corp | SR Principal Manufacturing Engineer-Technology & Innovation | Oshkosh, WI | 06/26/2025 | $102,800 |
| Solar Turbines Incorporated | Principal Manufacturing Engineer | Gardena, CA | 06/26/2025 | $120,299 |
| Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc. | Principal Engineer 1, Manufacturing Sciences & Technology | San Diego, CA | 06/25/2025 | $143,000 |
| Medtronic Inc. | Principal Manufacturing Engineer-Hybrid | Carlsbad, CA | 06/25/2025 | $120,800 |
| Conmed Corporation | Principal Manufacturing Recruiter | Largo, FL | 06/24/2025 | $75,000 |
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