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The differences between senior instrumentation engineers and principal engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a senior instrumentation engineer, becoming a principal engineer takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a principal engineer has an average salary of $130,213, which is higher than the $91,301 average annual salary of a senior instrumentation engineer.
The top three skills for a senior instrumentation engineer include data acquisition, PLC and capital projects. The most important skills for a principal engineer are java, architecture, and python.
| Senior Instrumentation Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $91,301 | $130,213 |
| Hourly rate | $43.89 | $62.60 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 2% |
| Number of jobs | 26,206 | 312,683 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 6 |
Senior instrumentation engineers and principal engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Instrumentation Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average salary | $91,301 | $130,213 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $115,000 | Between $95,000 And $177,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Mateo, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Grubhub |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between a senior instrumentation engineer and a principal engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Instrumentation Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Michigan Technological University | Michigan Technological University |
Here are the differences between senior instrumentation engineers' and principal engineers' demographics:
| Senior Instrumentation Engineer | Principal Engineer | |
| Average age | 45 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 92.6% Female, 7.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 11.4% Asian, 16.6% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 6% | 5% |