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Best states for a senior principal engineer
Quoted expert
Jared Wilson
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Senior principal engineer opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for senior principal engineers, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for senior principal engineers.In order to help you decide which state is the best for senior principal engineers, we ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia from best to worst for senior principal engineer jobs.
To that end, we dove into our dataset of job and salary numbers to figure out which states have the best opportunities for senior principal engineers. California is the best state for senior principal engineers, where the median salary is $148,239.If you are currently seeking employment as a senior principal engineer, you can find open job positions using Zippia's search tools.
10 best states for senior principal engineers in 2025
1. California
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 15,428 Average annual salary: $148,239 Lowest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $210,000 Location Quotient: 1.572. District of Columbia
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 965 Average annual salary: $147,055 Lowest 10 percent earn: $104,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $207,000 Location Quotient: 1.713. Delaware
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 430 Average annual salary: $138,703 Lowest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $195,000 Location Quotient: 1.024. Massachusetts
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 4,010 Average annual salary: $135,832 Lowest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $190,000 Location Quotient: 1.35. Texas
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 6,534 Average annual salary: $135,159 Lowest 10 percent earn: $94,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $192,000 Location Quotient: 0.966. Arizona
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 2,262 Average annual salary: $129,271 Lowest 10 percent earn: $90,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $185,000 Location Quotient: 1.157. New York
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 4,617 Average annual salary: $137,658 Lowest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $194,000 Location Quotient: 1.078. New Hampshire
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 671 Average annual salary: $128,693 Lowest 10 percent earn: $91,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $180,000 Location Quotient: 1.149. Virginia
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 4,929 Average annual salary: $130,702 Lowest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $184,000 Location Quotient: 1.5610. Connecticut
Total senior principal engineer jobs: 1,042 Average annual salary: $132,238 Lowest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $186,000 Location Quotient: 0.94
Senior principal engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a senior principal engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a senior principal engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $148,239 | $104,000 | 39,536,653 | 15,428 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $147,055 | $104,000 | 693,972 | 965 |
| 3 | Delaware | $138,703 | $98,000 | 961,939 | 430 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $135,832 | $96,000 | 6,859,819 | 4,010 |
| 5 | Texas | $135,159 | $94,000 | 28,304,596 | 6,534 |
| 6 | Arizona | $129,271 | $90,000 | 7,016,270 | 2,262 |
| 7 | New York | $137,658 | $97,000 | 19,849,399 | 4,617 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $128,693 | $91,000 | 1,342,795 | 671 |
| 9 | Virginia | $130,702 | $92,000 | 8,470,020 | 4,929 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $132,238 | $93,000 | 3,588,184 | 1,042 |
| 11 | Maryland | $129,308 | $91,000 | 6,052,177 | 3,013 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $124,661 | $87,000 | 12,805,537 | 3,436 |
| 13 | Washington | $121,814 | $82,000 | 7,405,743 | 3,630 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $124,243 | $86,000 | 2,088,070 | 528 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $126,444 | $88,000 | 1,815,857 | 253 |
| 16 | Kentucky | $125,825 | $88,000 | 4,454,189 | 652 |
| 17 | Nevada | $119,592 | $82,000 | 2,998,039 | 613 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $125,098 | $88,000 | 9,005,644 | 2,198 |
| 19 | Michigan | $119,010 | $83,000 | 9,962,311 | 1,892 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $124,926 | $87,000 | 4,684,333 | 444 |
| 21 | Vermont | $116,227 | $82,000 | 623,657 | 255 |
| 22 | Oregon | $113,888 | $76,000 | 4,142,776 | 2,323 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $114,211 | $81,000 | 1,059,639 | 467 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $114,754 | $81,000 | 10,273,419 | 3,134 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $120,310 | $85,000 | 5,024,369 | 809 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $125,073 | $95,000 | 1,427,538 | 217 |
| 27 | Georgia | $115,378 | $82,000 | 10,429,379 | 2,564 |
| 28 | Alabama | $112,364 | $79,000 | 4,874,747 | 1,141 |
| 29 | Florida | $115,156 | $80,000 | 20,984,400 | 4,159 |
| 30 | Illinois | $112,956 | $78,000 | 12,802,023 | 3,742 |
| 31 | Maine | $114,835 | $82,000 | 1,335,907 | 248 |
| 32 | Ohio | $109,159 | $76,000 | 11,658,609 | 2,531 |
| 33 | Colorado | $104,137 | $72,000 | 5,607,154 | 2,717 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $109,665 | $77,000 | 6,715,984 | 973 |
| 35 | Idaho | $104,340 | $70,000 | 1,716,943 | 527 |
| 36 | Alaska | $111,456 | $87,000 | 739,795 | 172 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $104,991 | $73,000 | 5,795,483 | 1,250 |
| 38 | Utah | $93,424 | $63,000 | 3,101,833 | 1,582 |
| 39 | Indiana | $98,797 | $69,000 | 6,666,818 | 1,630 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $95,764 | $66,000 | 579,315 | 160 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $104,069 | $73,000 | 2,984,100 | 244 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $93,289 | $65,000 | 5,576,606 | 2,311 |
| 43 | Missouri | $101,711 | $71,000 | 6,113,532 | 1,254 |
| 44 | Montana | $90,793 | $63,000 | 1,050,493 | 420 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $102,056 | $71,000 | 3,930,864 | 412 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $92,569 | $66,000 | 755,393 | 223 |
| 47 | Iowa | $92,761 | $65,000 | 3,145,711 | 723 |
| 48 | Kansas | $91,078 | $64,000 | 2,913,123 | 723 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $85,781 | $60,000 | 1,920,076 | 616 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $89,120 | $62,000 | 3,004,279 | 591 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $88,794 | $62,000 | 869,666 | 181 |
Highest paying states for senior principal engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Senior Principal Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $148,239 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $147,055 |
| 3 | Delaware | $138,703 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $135,832 |
| 5 | Texas | $135,159 |
| 6 | Arizona | $129,271 |
| 7 | New York | $137,658 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $128,693 |
| 9 | Virginia | $130,702 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $132,238 |
| 11 | Maryland | $129,308 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $124,661 |
| 13 | Washington | $121,814 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $124,243 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $126,444 |
| 16 | Kentucky | $125,825 |
| 17 | Nevada | $119,592 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $125,098 |
| 19 | Michigan | $119,010 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $124,926 |
| 21 | Vermont | $116,227 |
| 22 | Oregon | $113,888 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $114,211 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $114,754 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $120,310 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $125,073 |
| 27 | Georgia | $115,378 |
| 28 | Alabama | $112,364 |
| 29 | Florida | $115,156 |
| 30 | Illinois | $112,956 |
| 31 | Maine | $114,835 |
| 32 | Ohio | $109,159 |
| 33 | Colorado | $104,137 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $109,665 |
| 35 | Idaho | $104,340 |
| 36 | Alaska | $111,456 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $104,991 |
| 38 | Utah | $93,424 |
| 39 | Indiana | $98,797 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $95,764 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $104,069 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $93,289 |
| 43 | Missouri | $101,711 |
| 44 | Montana | $90,793 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $102,056 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $92,569 |
| 47 | Iowa | $92,761 |
| 48 | Kansas | $91,078 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $85,781 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $89,120 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $88,794 |
Expert opinions on the best states for senior principal engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for senior principal engineers to find work opportunities?
Jared Wilson
Assistant Professor and Faculty Coordinator, East Tennessee State University
Within the field of land surveying and related employment opportunities, work is available. However, in my experience, work may not be in the exact location a person wishes to live. So, a move may be necessary, or potentially traveling to where the work is located. Should a graduate, or person for that matter, want to work, work is available.
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Updated January 8, 2025