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Principle engineer salary
Average principle engineer salary
$126,143
Average Principle Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Principle Engineer is reported to be $126,143 per year. This figure reflects the value of skilled engineers in various industries, highlighting the importance of experience and geography in salary determination.
Factors Influencing Salary
Several factors impact a Principle Engineer’s earnings, including:
- Experience Level: Entry-level positions may start at lower salaries, while seasoned engineers command higher pay.
- Geographic Location: Salaries vary significantly by state and city.
- Industry Sector: Different sectors, such as technology or manufacturing, offer varying compensation rates.
Highest Paying Locations
In metropolitan areas, salaries can exceed the national average, particularly in tech hubs. Cities like San Francisco and New York are known for offering attractive compensation packages for Principle Engineers.
Overall, staying informed about these dynamics can greatly enhance career prospects for aspiring engineers.
Let Zippi find your next principle engineer job
Let Zippi find your next principle engineer job
Where can a Principle Engineer earn more?
Principle engineer salaries by experience level
Average principle engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for principle engineers are California, Maryland, and Washington. The lowest average principle engineer salary states are Montana, South Dakota, and North Dakota.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for principle engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $153,902 | $73.99 |
| 2 | Oregon | $134,166 | $64.50 |
| 3 | Washington | $136,659 | $65.70 |
| 4 | Maryland | $139,176 | $66.91 |
| 5 | Arizona | $129,480 | $62.25 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $131,754 | $63.34 |
| 7 | Delaware | $128,631 | $61.84 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $128,446 | $61.75 |
| 9 | Nevada | $126,232 | $60.69 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $124,447 | $59.83 |
| 11 | Texas | $123,375 | $59.31 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $119,364 | $57.39 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $126,001 | $60.58 |
| 14 | Alabama | $116,504 | $56.01 |
| 15 | Iowa | $118,220 | $56.84 |
| 16 | Michigan | $112,971 | $54.31 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $117,065 | $56.28 |
| 18 | New York | $117,379 | $56.43 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $124,508 | $59.86 |
| 20 | Idaho | $113,710 | $54.67 |
| 21 | Louisiana | $120,398 | $57.88 |
| 22 | Indiana | $114,248 | $54.93 |
| 23 | Utah | $109,674 | $52.73 |
| 24 | Georgia | $115,805 | $55.68 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $110,124 | $52.94 |
| 26 | Illinois | $113,088 | $54.37 |
| 27 | Virginia | $107,921 | $51.89 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $114,351 | $54.98 |
| 29 | Florida | $111,520 | $53.62 |
| 30 | Pennsylvania | $107,800 | $51.83 |
| 31 | Alaska | $112,650 | $54.16 |
| 32 | Maine | $109,174 | $52.49 |
| 33 | Ohio | $103,072 | $49.55 |
| 34 | South Carolina | $107,486 | $51.68 |
| 35 | Colorado | $102,097 | $49.09 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $105,733 | $50.83 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $103,666 | $49.84 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $100,323 | $48.23 |
| 39 | Vermont | $101,369 | $48.74 |
| 40 | Tennessee | $102,235 | $49.15 |
| 41 | Wyoming | $97,347 | $46.80 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $96,066 | $46.19 |
| 43 | Missouri | $100,438 | $48.29 |
| 44 | Mississippi | $99,372 | $47.77 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $97,583 | $46.91 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $93,135 | $44.78 |
| 47 | Montana | $95,646 | $45.98 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $95,143 | $45.74 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $87,703 | $42.16 |
| 50 | Kansas | $86,774 | $41.72 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $84,496 | $40.62 |
Highest paying cities for principle engineers
The highest-paying cities for principle engineers are San Francisco, CA, Hillsboro, OR, and Phoenix, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $161,902 | $77.84 |
| 2 | Hillsboro, OR | $133,969 | $64.41 |
| 3 | Phoenix, AZ | $129,619 | $62.32 |
| 4 | Middletown, CT | $128,588 | $61.82 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $124,560 | $59.88 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $123,954 | $59.59 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $117,635 | $56.56 |
| 8 | Atlanta, GA | $115,361 | $55.46 |
| 9 | Edison, NJ | $114,388 | $54.99 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $113,552 | $54.59 |
| 11 | Farmington Hills, MI | $113,207 | $54.43 |
| 12 | Orlando, FL | $112,313 | $54.00 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City, UT | $108,575 | $52.20 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $108,331 | $52.08 |
| 15 | Greenville, SC | $107,036 | $51.46 |
| 16 | Madison, WI | $103,167 | $49.60 |
| 17 | Aurora, CO | $101,841 | $48.96 |
| 18 | Raleigh, NC | $100,823 | $48.47 |
| 19 | Middletown, OH | $100,446 | $48.29 |
| 20 | Kansas City, MO | $99,864 | $48.01 |
Principle engineer salary details
A principle engineer's salary ranges from $92,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $171,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a principle engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $171,000 | $14,250 | $82 |
| 75th Percentile | $148,000 | $12,333 | $71 |
| Average | $126,143 | $10,512 | $61 |
| 25th Percentile | $107,000 | $8,917 | $51 |
| 10th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
Highest paying principle engineer jobs
The highest paying types of principle engineers are senior staff engineer, principal systems engineer, and senior principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development Engineer | $93,206 | $7,767 | $44.81 | 224,881 |
| Team Lead Engineer | $114,867 | $9,572 | $55.22 | 235,155 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Technical Services Engineer | $81,204 | $6,767 | $39.04 | 217,103 |
| Lead Design Engineer | $108,490 | $9,041 | $52.16 | 118,073 |
| Consulting Engineer | $97,746 | $8,145 | $46.99 | 125,600 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for principle engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring principle engineers now:
Which companies pay principle engineers the most?
Principle engineer salaries at The Walt Disney Company and Citi are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average principle engineer salary at companies like CyberCoders and Micron Technology are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Walt Disney Company | $172,801 | $83.08 |
| 2 | Citi | $154,327 | $74.20 |
| 3 | CyberCoders | $143,079 | $68.79 |
| 4 | Micron Technology | $140,513 | $67.55 |
| 5 | Futurewei Technologies | $140,318 | $67.46 |
| 6 | Motion Recruitment | $138,470 | $66.57 |
| 7 | Evariant | $137,338 | $66.03 |
| 8 | Invesco | $135,119 | $64.96 |
| 9 | UTi United States Inc | $134,845 | $64.83 |
| 10 | Samsung Telecommunications America General LLC | $132,943 | $63.91 |
| 11 | Rock Ridge Financial | $132,943 | $63.91 |
| 12 | Amec Foster Wheeler E&C Services Inc | $132,943 | $63.91 |
| 13 | OneSubsea LLC | $132,943 | $63.91 |
| 14 | Greenphire Inc. | $132,888 | $63.89 |
| 15 | *n/a* | $132,785 | $63.84 |
| 16 | SS&C Technologies | $132,513 | $63.71 |
| 17 | Intel | $131,388 | $63.17 |
| 18 | Smiths Interconnect | $131,062 | $63.01 |
| 19 | C&S Wholesale Grocers | $129,629 | $62.32 |
| 20 | Lumentum | $129,239 | $62.13 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Principle Engineer salary by industry
The average principle engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average principle engineer salary in the finance industry is $133,606, the highest of any industry.
- The average principle engineer salary in the finance industry is $114,574.
- Principle engineers in the government industry earn an average salary of $99,205, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for principle engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finance | $133,606 | $64.23 |
| 2 | Technology | $114,574 | $55.08 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $111,772 | $53.74 |
| 4 | Government | $99,205 | $47.69 |
High paying principle engineer jobs
Principle engineer salary trends
The average principle engineer salary has risen by $15,292 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average principle engineer earned $110,851 annually, but today, they earn $126,143 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for principle engineers over the last decade.
Compare principle engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average principle engineer salary over time
Compare principle engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Principle engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $126,000 | $60.65 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $124,000 | $59.48 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $122,000 | $58.77 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $120,000 | $57.77 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $118,000 | $56.63 | +0.7% |
Recently added principle engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIDI Products | Principle Iot/Edge Engineer | Neenah, WI | 06/11/2025 | $140,000 |
| Caci International | Principle for Safety (PFS) Support | Ione, WA | 05/27/2025 | $72,200 |
| Pfizer | Principle Scientist, Protein Engineering & Biotherapeutic Discovery | San Diego, CA | 05/15/2025 | $102,900 |
| Huffman Independent School District | Robotics/Principles of Engineering Teacher | Nome, TX | 05/06/2025 | $59,000 |
| Huffmann Independent School District (Tx | Robotics/Principles of Engineering Teacher | Houston, TX | 05/06/2025 | $59,000 |
| Caci International | Principle for Safety (PFS) Support | Ione, WA | 04/29/2025 | $78,700 |
| Merck | Principle Scientist, Engineering | Rahway, NJ | 04/29/2025 | $169,700 |
| T-Mobile Usa | Princple Engineer T-Cloud SRE | Overland Park, KS | 04/29/2025 | $115,300 |
| Palo Alto Networks | Principle Engineer-Macos-C/C++ (Global Protect) | Santa Clara, CA | 04/27/2025 | $184,000 |
| T-Mobile | Princple Engineer T-Cloud SRE | Frisco, TX | 04/26/2025 | $115,300 |
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