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The differences between senior facilities engineers and 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 facilities engineer and a principal engineer. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $94,175 average annual salary of a senior facilities engineer.
The top three skills for a senior facilities engineer include project management, HVAC and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Senior Facilities Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $94,175 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $45.28 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 2% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 92,261 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A senior facilities engineer must plan, design, and oversee equipment and machinery. They provide both office service and field service. They look after the engineering operations to maximize the efficiency of a company, and they determine labor and material costs to set budgets.
A principal engineer is responsible for monitoring the overall design phase of the construction process, including coordinating with the client for progress and updates, as well as performing adjustments as needed based on clients' specifications and requirements. Principal engineers also inspect the materials and resources used to ensure that the project stays within the budget goals and set timeframe. They should have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in preparing reports and training new staff.
Senior facilities engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Facilities Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $94,175 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $137,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Antonio, TX | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | Chevron | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior facilities engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Facilities Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Mechanical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior facilities engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Facilities Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 10.3% White, 72.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 16.6% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 5% |