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The differences between senior engineers and senior principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a senior engineer and a senior principal engineer. Additionally, a senior principal engineer has an average salary of $130,642, which is higher than the $108,743 average annual salary of a senior engineer.
The top three skills for a senior engineer include java, python and architecture. The most important skills for a senior principal engineer are python, architecture, and java.
| Senior Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $108,743 | $130,642 |
| Hourly rate | $52.28 | $62.81 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 343,200 | 272,459 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
A senior principal engineer is responsible for leading engineering tasks within an organization and reports project updates to senior management. Senior principal engineers develop strategic methods and principles to improve the technical stability and efficiency of the company's systems, creating business proposals according to clients' specifications, and negotiating contracts with suppliers and other service providers. They also train new staff and identify innovations and business opportunities that would generate more revenue resources for the company.
Senior engineers and senior principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $108,743 | $130,642 |
| Salary range | Between $82,000 And $144,000 | Between $93,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Mateo, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Roku | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Professional |
There are a few differences between a senior engineer and a senior principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior engineers' and senior principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Engineer | Senior Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.1% Female, 10.9% | Male, 88.2% Female, 11.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.1% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 17.2% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |