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Senior principal engineer salary
Average senior principal engineer salary
$130,642
Understanding the Senior Principal Engineer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Senior Principal Engineer stands at $130,642 per year, translating to approximately $63 per hour. This position typically requires over ten years of experience in engineering and leadership roles, making it one of the highest-paying positions within the engineering sector.
Factors Influencing Salary
Several factors can influence the salary of a Senior Principal Engineer:
- Location: States such as California, Texas, and New York often offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for engineering talent.
- Industry: Engineers in the technology and aerospace sectors generally command higher salaries compared to other industries.
- Experience and Education: Advanced degrees and specialized certifications can lead to increased compensation and advancement opportunities.
Prospective engineers can explore job listings on platforms like Zippia to find openings that match their skill set and salary expectations. Continuous learning and networking within the industry can significantly enhance career growth.
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Where can a Senior Principal Engineer earn more?
Senior principal engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average senior principal engineer salary by state
The average senior principal engineer salary in California, Delaware, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior principal engineer salary states are North Dakota, Kansas, and Montana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior principal engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | $148,239 | $71.27 |
| 2 | District of Columbia | $147,055 | $70.70 |
| 3 | Delaware | $138,703 | $66.68 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $135,832 | $65.30 |
| 5 | Texas | $135,159 | $64.98 |
| 6 | Arizona | $129,271 | $62.15 |
| 7 | New York | $137,658 | $66.18 |
| 8 | New Hampshire | $128,693 | $61.87 |
| 9 | Virginia | $130,702 | $62.84 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $132,238 | $63.58 |
| 11 | Maryland | $129,308 | $62.17 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | $124,661 | $59.93 |
| 13 | Washington | $121,814 | $58.56 |
| 14 | New Mexico | $124,243 | $59.73 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $126,444 | $60.79 |
| 16 | Kentucky | $125,825 | $60.49 |
| 17 | Nevada | $119,592 | $57.50 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $125,098 | $60.14 |
| 19 | Michigan | $119,010 | $57.22 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $124,926 | $60.06 |
| 21 | Vermont | $116,227 | $55.88 |
| 22 | Oregon | $113,888 | $54.75 |
| 23 | Rhode Island | $114,211 | $54.91 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $114,754 | $55.17 |
| 25 | South Carolina | $120,310 | $57.84 |
| 26 | Hawaii | $125,073 | $60.13 |
| 27 | Georgia | $115,378 | $55.47 |
| 28 | Alabama | $112,364 | $54.02 |
| 29 | Florida | $115,156 | $55.36 |
| 30 | Illinois | $112,956 | $54.31 |
| 31 | Maine | $114,835 | $55.21 |
| 32 | Ohio | $109,159 | $52.48 |
| 33 | Colorado | $104,137 | $50.07 |
| 34 | Tennessee | $109,665 | $52.72 |
| 35 | Idaho | $104,340 | $50.16 |
| 36 | Alaska | $111,456 | $53.58 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $104,991 | $50.48 |
| 38 | Utah | $93,424 | $44.92 |
| 39 | Indiana | $98,797 | $47.50 |
| 40 | Wyoming | $95,764 | $46.04 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $104,069 | $50.03 |
| 42 | Minnesota | $93,289 | $44.85 |
| 43 | Missouri | $101,711 | $48.90 |
| 44 | Montana | $90,793 | $43.65 |
| 45 | Oklahoma | $102,056 | $49.07 |
| 46 | North Dakota | $92,569 | $44.50 |
| 47 | Iowa | $92,761 | $44.60 |
| 48 | Kansas | $91,078 | $43.79 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $85,781 | $41.24 |
| 50 | Arkansas | $89,120 | $42.85 |
| 51 | South Dakota | $88,794 | $42.69 |
Highest paying cities for senior principal engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior principal engineers are San Francisco, CA, Washington, DC, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $155,322 | $74.67 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $147,502 | $70.91 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $138,105 | $66.40 |
| 4 | Austin, TX | $136,270 | $65.51 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $135,994 | $65.38 |
| 6 | Richmond, VA | $130,310 | $62.65 |
| 7 | Baltimore, MD | $129,524 | $62.27 |
| 8 | Chandler, AZ | $129,277 | $62.15 |
| 9 | Philadelphia, PA | $125,675 | $60.42 |
| 10 | Seattle, WA | $122,799 | $59.04 |
| 11 | Raleigh, NC | $116,082 | $55.81 |
| 12 | Melbourne, FL | $115,732 | $55.64 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $114,595 | $55.09 |
| 14 | Chicago, IL | $113,536 | $54.58 |
| 15 | Huntsville, AL | $109,220 | $52.51 |
| 16 | Colorado Springs, CO | $105,335 | $50.64 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $98,762 | $47.48 |
| 18 | Saint Paul, MN | $93,307 | $44.86 |
| 19 | Salt Lake City, UT | $92,313 | $44.38 |
| 20 | Bellevue, NE | $86,040 | $41.37 |
Senior principal engineer salary details
A senior principal engineer's salary ranges from $93,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $182,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior principal engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $182,000 | $15,167 | $88 |
| 75th Percentile | $155,000 | $12,917 | $75 |
| Average | $130,642 | $10,887 | $63 |
| 25th Percentile | $109,000 | $9,083 | $52 |
| 10th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
Highest paying senior principal engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior principal engineers are senior staff engineer, principal systems engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Team Lead Engineer | $114,867 | $9,572 | $55.22 | 235,155 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Research Engineer | $96,945 | $8,079 | $46.61 | 136,763 |
| Integration Engineer | $99,674 | $8,306 | $47.92 | 103,437 |
| Lead Engineer | $84,927 | $7,077 | $40.83 | 301,777 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for senior principal engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Michael Rudisill
Department Head and Professor of Engineering Technology, Northern Michigan University
Top companies hiring senior principal engineers now:
Which companies pay senior principal engineers the most?
Senior principal engineer salaries at Airbnb and Citi are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior principal engineer salary at companies like McKinsey & Company Inc and F5 are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airbnb | $194,155 | $93.34 |
| 2 | Citi | $168,105 | $80.82 |
| 3 | McKinsey & Company Inc | $167,699 | $80.62 |
| 4 | F5 | $166,090 | $79.85 |
| 5 | Palo Alto Networks | $161,225 | $77.51 |
| 6 | Fortinet | $159,697 | $76.78 |
| 7 | Apache | $158,690 | $76.29 |
| 8 | BNY Mellon | $157,850 | $75.89 |
| 9 | Microsoft | $157,364 | $75.66 |
| 10 | Genentech | $156,972 | $75.47 |
| 11 | Amazon | $156,690 | $75.33 |
| 12 | Intuit | $156,449 | $75.22 |
| 13 | Ampere | $154,614 | $74.33 |
| 14 | Convergent Science | $152,478 | $73.31 |
| 15 | Slalom | $152,171 | $73.16 |
| 16 | Micron Technology | $151,671 | $72.92 |
| 17 | Rambus | $150,820 | $72.51 |
| 18 | QLogic | $150,353 | $72.29 |
| 19 | Qualys | $150,352 | $72.28 |
| 20 | Velodyne Lidar | $149,438 | $71.85 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior principal engineer salary trends
The average senior principal engineer salary has risen by $15,838 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior principal engineer earned $114,804 annually, but today, they earn $130,642 a year. That works out to a 7% change in pay for senior principal engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior principal engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior principal engineer salary over time
Compare senior principal engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior principal engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $131,000 | $62.81 | +1.9% |
| 2024 | $128,000 | $61.60 | +1.2% |
| 2023 | $127,000 | $60.87 | +1.7% |
| 2022 | $124,000 | $59.83 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $122,000 | $58.65 | +0.7% |
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