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Principal systems engineer salary
Average principal systems engineer salary
$133,208
Understanding Principal Systems Engineer Salaries
A Principal Systems Engineer typically earns an average of $133,208 annually, with significant variations depending on factors such as location, industry, and experience. For example, states like California and New York often report higher salaries due to demand and cost of living.
In addition to base salaries, many employers offer benefits such as bonuses, retirement plans, and health insurance. The role of a Principal Systems Engineer is crucial in organizations, focusing on systems integration, software development, and project management.
Salary Variance by State
- California: Average salary around $150,000
- New York: Approximately $145,000
- Texas: About $130,000
- Florida: Roughly $125,000
Understanding these salary ranges can help you negotiate effectively and seek out positions that align with your financial goals. For those looking to enhance their careers, the demand for Principal Systems Engineers remains strong, offering numerous job opportunities across various sectors.
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Where can a Principal Systems Engineer earn more?
Principal systems engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average principal systems engineer salary by state
The average principal systems engineer salary in California, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average principal systems engineer salary states are Indiana, Illinois, and Colorado.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principal systems engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $149,936 | $72.08 |
| 2 | California | $158,590 | $76.25 |
| 3 | Oregon | $143,659 | $69.07 |
| 4 | Alaska | $134,880 | $64.85 |
| 5 | Nevada | $135,743 | $65.26 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $126,340 | $60.74 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $135,624 | $65.20 |
| 8 | Arizona | $123,454 | $59.35 |
| 9 | Texas | $123,863 | $59.55 |
| 10 | District of Columbia | $137,421 | $66.07 |
| 11 | Louisiana | $140,704 | $67.65 |
| 12 | Rhode Island | $118,983 | $57.20 |
| 13 | Connecticut | $126,246 | $60.70 |
| 14 | Ohio | $127,102 | $61.11 |
| 15 | New York | $130,677 | $62.83 |
| 16 | Virginia | $119,834 | $57.61 |
| 17 | New Mexico | $117,857 | $56.66 |
| 18 | Massachusetts | $125,557 | $60.36 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $141,023 | $67.80 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $122,414 | $58.85 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $116,216 | $55.87 |
| 22 | Delaware | $118,112 | $56.78 |
| 23 | Maryland | $117,046 | $56.27 |
| 24 | Mississippi | $118,894 | $57.16 |
| 25 | Tennessee | $116,039 | $55.79 |
| 26 | Michigan | $115,196 | $55.38 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $113,928 | $54.77 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $113,149 | $54.40 |
| 29 | Florida | $112,475 | $54.07 |
| 30 | Maine | $115,001 | $55.29 |
| 31 | Vermont | $111,325 | $53.52 |
| 32 | West Virginia | $111,440 | $53.58 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $113,292 | $54.47 |
| 34 | Missouri | $114,455 | $55.03 |
| 35 | Kansas | $111,144 | $53.43 |
| 36 | Idaho | $106,975 | $51.43 |
| 37 | Montana | $110,469 | $53.11 |
| 38 | Georgia | $112,038 | $53.86 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $110,170 | $52.97 |
| 40 | North Dakota | $109,342 | $52.57 |
| 41 | Nebraska | $109,607 | $52.70 |
| 42 | Kentucky | $110,779 | $53.26 |
| 43 | Colorado | $105,805 | $50.87 |
| 44 | Alabama | $107,150 | $51.51 |
| 45 | Illinois | $105,928 | $50.93 |
| 46 | Wyoming | $98,943 | $47.57 |
| 47 | Utah | $102,585 | $49.32 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | $107,140 | $51.51 |
| 49 | Indiana | $106,653 | $51.28 |
| 50 | Iowa | $107,436 | $51.65 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $99,187 | $47.69 |
Highest paying cities for principal systems engineers
The highest-paying cities for principal systems engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, DC.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $165,870 | $79.75 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $152,763 | $73.44 |
| 3 | Washington, DC | $137,446 | $66.08 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $130,882 | $62.92 |
| 5 | Ridgefield, CT | $126,115 | $60.63 |
| 6 | Boston, MA | $125,557 | $60.36 |
| 7 | Austin, TX | $124,230 | $59.73 |
| 8 | Phoenix, AZ | $123,667 | $59.46 |
| 9 | McLean, VA | $120,361 | $57.87 |
| 10 | Annapolis, MD | $117,202 | $56.35 |
| 11 | Farmington Hills, MI | $115,358 | $55.46 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $114,447 | $55.02 |
| 13 | Melbourne, FL | $112,781 | $54.22 |
| 14 | Atlanta, GA | $111,899 | $53.80 |
| 15 | Durham, NC | $110,687 | $53.21 |
| 16 | Bellevue, NE | $110,137 | $52.95 |
| 17 | Cedar Rapids, IA | $108,338 | $52.09 |
| 18 | Fort Wayne, IN | $107,449 | $51.66 |
| 19 | Colorado Springs, CO | $106,970 | $51.43 |
| 20 | Huntsville, AL | $106,181 | $51.05 |
Principal systems engineer salary details
A principal systems engineer's salary ranges from $97,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $181,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principal systems engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $181,000 | $15,083 | $87 |
| 75th Percentile | $156,000 | $13,000 | $75 |
| Average | $133,208 | $11,101 | $64 |
| 25th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| 10th Percentile | $97,000 | $8,083 | $47 |
Highest paying principal systems engineer jobs
The highest paying types of principal systems engineers are senior staff engineer, senior principal engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Network Engineer | $83,557 | $6,963 | $40.17 | 72,346 |
| Systems Operator | $38,182 | $3,182 | $18.36 | 91,037 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
| Computer Engineer | $96,805 | $8,067 | $46.54 | 126,709 |
Top companies hiring principal systems engineers now:
Which companies pay principal systems engineers the most?
Principal systems engineer salaries at eBay and Cloudflare are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal systems engineer salary at companies like The Walt Disney Company and NVIDIA are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | eBay | $190,219 | $91.45 |
| 2 | Cloudflare | $180,912 | $86.98 |
| 3 | The Walt Disney Company | $172,017 | $82.70 |
| 4 | NVIDIA | $171,942 | $82.66 |
| 5 | VMware | $171,094 | $82.26 |
| 6 | Databricks | $170,107 | $81.78 |
| 7 | Carbonite | $167,341 | $80.45 |
| 8 | Snowflake Computing | $164,080 | $78.88 |
| 9 | Palo Alto Networks | $163,629 | $78.67 |
| 10 | Gap Inc. | $159,595 | $76.73 |
| 11 | Fortinet | $157,443 | $75.69 |
| 12 | Akamai Technologies | $157,184 | $75.57 |
| 13 | Zynga | $157,077 | $75.52 |
| 14 | Amazon | $155,768 | $74.89 |
| 15 | Tintri | $153,789 | $73.94 |
| 16 | Ampere | $153,671 | $73.88 |
| 17 | Rambus | $152,779 | $73.45 |
| 18 | Micron Technology | $152,669 | $73.40 |
| 19 | Mayo Clinic | $152,358 | $73.25 |
| 20 | Informatica | $151,909 | $73.03 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principal Systems Engineer salary by industry
The average principal systems engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average principal systems engineer salary in the telecommunication industry is $134,626, the highest of any industry.
- The average principal systems engineer salary in the finance industry is $133,368.
- Principal systems engineers in the technology industry earn an average salary of $116,046, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for principal systems engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telecommunication | $134,626 | $64.72 |
| 2 | Finance | $133,368 | $64.12 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $130,014 | $62.51 |
| 4 | Technology | $116,046 | $55.79 |
High paying principal systems engineer jobs
Principal systems engineer salary trends
The average principal systems engineer salary has risen by $24,307 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal systems engineer earned $108,901 annually, but today, they earn $133,208 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for principal systems engineers over the last decade.
Compare principal systems engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principal systems engineer salary over time
Compare principal systems engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principal systems engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $133,000 | $64.04 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $129,000 | $61.93 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $126,000 | $60.53 | +1.2% |
| 2022 | $124,000 | $59.83 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $122,000 | $58.80 | +2.4% |
Recently added principal systems engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | Principal In-Space Refueling Systems Engineer, New Glenn | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $164,682 |
| SAIC (Science Applications Int | Systems Engineer Principal | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/29/2025 | $120,001 |
| T-Mobile Usa | Principal Engineers, Systems Design | Frisco, TX | 06/29/2025 | $175,137 |
| Relativity | Principal Industrial Engineer, Factory Systems Engineering | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $196,000 |
| Perspecta | Systems Engineering, Principal Advisor | Fort Meade, MD | 06/29/2025 | $146,000 |
| ZP Group | Principal Cloud Systems Engineer (Ts/Sci) | San Diego, CA | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Blacksky | Staff/Principal Engineer, Systems | Tukwila, WA | 06/29/2025 | $180,000 |
| General Dynamics Information Technology | SR Principal Systems Engineer-Active Directory Forests-Active Top Secret Required | Washington, DC | 06/28/2025 | $161,158 |
| Jabil | Principal Photonics Systems Engineer | Austin, TX | 06/28/2025 | $127,300 |
| Northrop Grumman | Sentinel (Gbsd)-Principal Systems Engineer (Mwse) | Huntsville, AL | 06/28/2025 | $95,300 |
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