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Principal test engineer salary
Average principal test engineer salary
$116,493
Principal Test Engineer Salary Overview
A Principal Test Engineer earns an average salary of $116,493 per year or about $56 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry.
Salary by State
In states like California and New York, salaries tend to be higher due to the cost of living and demand for skilled engineers. For example, California averages around $130,000 per year, while New York is approximately $125,000.
Job Opportunities
As a Principal Test Engineer, career paths include roles in software development, quality assurance, and product management across technology firms, manufacturing, and healthcare industries. With the increasing reliance on technology, the demand for engineers in testing is expected to grow, providing substantial opportunities for career advancement.
Conclusion
Understanding the salary landscape for Principal Test Engineers can help you make informed career choices. Explore various job listings to find opportunities that align with your experience and salary expectations.
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Where can a Principal Test Engineer earn more?
Principal test engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average principal test engineer salary by state
The average principal test engineer salary in California, Oregon, and Washington are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average principal test engineer salary states are North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principal test engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oregon | $136,238 | $65.50 |
| 2 | California | $142,752 | $68.63 |
| 3 | Washington | $134,660 | $64.74 |
| 4 | New Hampshire | $123,610 | $59.43 |
| 5 | Nevada | $117,607 | $56.54 |
| 6 | Utah | $111,203 | $53.46 |
| 7 | Idaho | $112,250 | $53.97 |
| 8 | Arizona | $108,004 | $51.92 |
| 9 | Montana | $108,379 | $52.11 |
| 10 | Delaware | $113,191 | $54.42 |
| 11 | Wyoming | $109,509 | $52.65 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $111,125 | $53.43 |
| 13 | Alaska | $119,162 | $57.29 |
| 14 | Virginia | $104,439 | $50.21 |
| 15 | District of Columbia | $111,874 | $53.79 |
| 16 | Texas | $101,454 | $48.78 |
| 17 | Connecticut | $105,893 | $50.91 |
| 18 | Michigan | $102,181 | $49.13 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $100,198 | $48.17 |
| 20 | New Jersey | $111,050 | $53.39 |
| 21 | Maine | $105,188 | $50.57 |
| 22 | Minnesota | $98,767 | $47.48 |
| 23 | Nebraska | $98,461 | $47.34 |
| 24 | South Dakota | $100,262 | $48.20 |
| 25 | Colorado | $98,286 | $47.25 |
| 26 | Ohio | $97,155 | $46.71 |
| 27 | Georgia | $99,935 | $48.05 |
| 28 | New York | $99,152 | $47.67 |
| 29 | Louisiana | $99,653 | $47.91 |
| 30 | North Dakota | $96,720 | $46.50 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $95,756 | $46.04 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $102,395 | $49.23 |
| 33 | Maryland | $92,553 | $44.50 |
| 34 | Iowa | $96,606 | $46.45 |
| 35 | Wisconsin | $92,586 | $44.51 |
| 36 | Illinois | $93,528 | $44.97 |
| 37 | Oklahoma | $94,961 | $45.65 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $92,184 | $44.32 |
| 39 | Florida | $92,947 | $44.69 |
| 40 | Vermont | $92,552 | $44.50 |
| 41 | Indiana | $90,499 | $43.51 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $87,728 | $42.18 |
| 43 | Missouri | $91,628 | $44.05 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $87,584 | $42.11 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $87,003 | $41.83 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $91,291 | $43.89 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $88,687 | $42.64 |
| 48 | South Carolina | $88,930 | $42.75 |
| 49 | Kansas | $86,966 | $41.81 |
| 50 | Alabama | $84,162 | $40.46 |
| 51 | Kentucky | $87,627 | $42.13 |
Highest paying cities for principal test engineers
The highest-paying cities for principal test engineers are San Francisco, CA, Portland, OR, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $153,542 | $73.82 |
| 2 | Portland, OR | $136,166 | $65.46 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $135,994 | $65.38 |
| 4 | Boston, MA | $111,227 | $53.47 |
| 5 | Edison, NJ | $111,033 | $53.38 |
| 6 | Midvale, UT | $110,708 | $53.23 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $108,373 | $52.10 |
| 8 | Sterling, VA | $105,066 | $50.51 |
| 9 | Livonia, MI | $102,270 | $49.17 |
| 10 | San Antonio, TX | $101,908 | $48.99 |
| 11 | Atlanta, GA | $99,865 | $48.01 |
| 12 | Boulder, CO | $98,742 | $47.47 |
| 13 | Baltimore, MD | $92,879 | $44.65 |
| 14 | Indianapolis, IN | $90,215 | $43.37 |
| 15 | Durham, NC | $88,352 | $42.48 |
| 16 | Huntsville, AL | $83,696 | $40.24 |
Principal test engineer salary details
A principal test engineer's salary ranges from $84,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $159,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principal test engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $159,000 | $13,250 | $76 |
| 75th Percentile | $137,000 | $11,417 | $66 |
| Average | $116,493 | $9,708 | $56 |
| 25th Percentile | $98,000 | $8,167 | $47 |
| 10th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
Highest paying principal test engineer jobs
The highest paying types of principal test engineers are senior staff engineer, principal software engineer, and senior principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quality Assurance Lead | $94,758 | $7,897 | $45.56 | 82,242 |
| Quality Assurance | $51,313 | $4,276 | $24.67 | 69,366 |
| Quality Analyst | $71,957 | $5,996 | $34.59 | 110,980 |
| Quality Assurance Analyst | $73,532 | $6,128 | $35.35 | 108,078 |
| Quality Assurance Tester | $74,140 | $6,178 | $35.64 | 82,396 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
Top companies hiring principal test engineers now:
Which companies pay principal test engineers the most?
Principal test engineer salaries at Microsoft and Ampere are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principal test engineer salary at companies like F5 and Cadence Design Systems are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Microsoft | $164,227 | $78.96 |
| 2 | Ampere | $155,486 | $74.75 |
| 3 | F5 | $153,260 | $73.68 |
| 4 | Cadence Design Systems | $145,674 | $70.04 |
| 5 | Amazon | $144,676 | $69.56 |
| 6 | CyberCoders | $141,822 | $68.18 |
| 7 | Broadcom | $138,798 | $66.73 |
| 8 | Pluribus Networks | $137,950 | $66.32 |
| 9 | DTCC | $135,657 | $65.22 |
| 10 | Coghlin | $135,522 | $65.15 |
| 11 | Cypress Semiconductor | $133,154 | $64.02 |
| 12 | Edwards Lifesciences | $132,520 | $63.71 |
| 13 | Hitachi Vantara | $132,271 | $63.59 |
| 14 | FormFactor | $131,651 | $63.29 |
| 15 | Dell | $128,919 | $61.98 |
| 16 | Morse | $127,441 | $61.27 |
| 17 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $127,135 | $61.12 |
| 18 | FireEye | $126,985 | $61.05 |
| 19 | LHP | $126,613 | $60.87 |
| 20 | Western Digital | $126,218 | $60.68 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principal test engineer salary trends
The average principal test engineer salary has risen by $19,069 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principal test engineer earned $97,424 annually, but today, they earn $116,493 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for principal test engineers over the last decade.
Compare principal test engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principal test engineer salary over time
Compare principal test engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principal test engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $116,000 | $56.01 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $113,000 | $54.16 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $110,000 | $52.93 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $108,000 | $51.90 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $106,000 | $50.73 | +1.5% |
Recently added principal test engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Mts Firmware Engineer | Principal Test Engineer-93K EXP Required | San Jose, CA | 06/29/2025 | $141,600 |
| Bostonscientific | Principal Laser Test Engineer | Maple Grove, MN | 06/26/2025 | $99,100 |
| Capital One | Principal Compliance Tester III-Corporate Functions | Plano, TX | 06/25/2025 | $117,300 |
| Actalent | Principal Test Engineer | Waukesha, WI | 06/25/2025 | $104,350 |
| Northrop Grumman | SR. Principal Test Engineer Software (AHT) | Bellevue, NE | 06/20/2025 | $107,800 |
| Tennant | Principal Test Engineer | Golden Valley, MN | 06/20/2025 | $111,400 |
| Palo Alto Networks Inc. | Senior Principal Test Engineer (Hardware-Ict) | Santa Clara, CA | 06/17/2025 | $157,000 |
| Anduril Industries | Principal Test & Evaluation Engineer, Mission Autonomy | Costa Mesa, CA | 06/14/2025 | $170,000 |
| Boston Scientific | Principal Laser Test Engineer | Carlsbad, CA | 06/13/2025 | $99,100 |
| Bae Systems Plc | Principal Test Engineer | Nashua, NH | 06/13/2025 | $115,779 |
Principal test engineer salary FAQs
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