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Senior principle engineer salary
Average senior principle engineer salary
$121,825
Understanding the Senior Principle Engineer Salary
The average salary for a Senior Principle Engineer is $121,825 per year, translating to approximately $59 per hour. This figure varies based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and industry sector. For instance, senior engineers in technology hubs tend to earn more due to higher demand and living costs.
Salary by State
States such as California and New York lead in offering higher salaries for Senior Principle Engineers, reflecting the concentration of tech companies and engineering firms. In contrast, states with a lower cost of living may offer salaries closer to the national average.
Career Advancement
Many Senior Principle Engineers enhance their earning potential by advancing into managerial roles or by specializing in high-demand areas, such as software architecture or systems engineering. Understanding these dynamics can help you strategically navigate your career path.
Job Opportunities
In addition to competitive salaries, the demand for Senior Principle Engineers is projected to grow. By leveraging job boards like Zippia, candidates can access a variety of openings tailored to their skills and aspirations.
Let Zippia find your next senior principle engineer job
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Where can a Senior Principle Engineer earn more?
Average senior principle engineer salary by state
The average senior principle engineer salary in Washington, California, and Louisiana are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior principle engineer salary states are Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior principle engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $154,071 | $74.07 |
| 2 | California | $146,582 | $70.47 |
| 3 | Arizona | $136,997 | $65.86 |
| 4 | Wyoming | $130,427 | $62.71 |
| 5 | Nevada | $139,243 | $66.94 |
| 6 | New Jersey | $137,137 | $65.93 |
| 7 | Texas | $123,098 | $59.18 |
| 8 | Louisiana | $145,714 | $70.05 |
| 9 | Michigan | $119,655 | $57.53 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $133,754 | $64.30 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $120,659 | $58.01 |
| 12 | Idaho | $122,450 | $58.87 |
| 13 | Massachusetts | $120,507 | $57.94 |
| 14 | Utah | $115,593 | $55.57 |
| 15 | Illinois | $119,914 | $57.65 |
| 16 | Ohio | $116,019 | $55.78 |
| 17 | Oklahoma | $124,588 | $59.90 |
| 18 | Montana | $119,982 | $57.68 |
| 19 | Connecticut | $117,583 | $56.53 |
| 20 | Colorado | $114,983 | $55.28 |
| 21 | Florida | $114,247 | $54.93 |
| 22 | Hawaii | $129,969 | $62.49 |
| 23 | District of Columbia | $113,770 | $54.70 |
| 24 | Alabama | $109,018 | $52.41 |
| 25 | Mississippi | $114,617 | $55.10 |
| 26 | Georgia | $112,575 | $54.12 |
| 27 | Virginia | $110,829 | $53.28 |
| 28 | Missouri | $115,328 | $55.45 |
| 29 | North Dakota | $112,309 | $53.99 |
| 30 | Tennessee | $112,160 | $53.92 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $112,566 | $54.12 |
| 32 | Indiana | $108,076 | $51.96 |
| 33 | Delaware | $107,348 | $51.61 |
| 34 | North Carolina | $105,689 | $50.81 |
| 35 | Maryland | $106,922 | $51.40 |
| 36 | Oregon | $104,561 | $50.27 |
| 37 | New Hampshire | $103,235 | $49.63 |
| 38 | New York | $107,263 | $51.57 |
| 39 | Rhode Island | $103,241 | $49.64 |
| 40 | West Virginia | $103,304 | $49.67 |
| 41 | Maine | $104,717 | $50.34 |
| 42 | Pennsylvania | $99,626 | $47.90 |
| 43 | Alaska | $101,900 | $48.99 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $101,371 | $48.74 |
| 45 | Iowa | $102,763 | $49.41 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $99,648 | $47.91 |
| 47 | Nebraska | $98,884 | $47.54 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $100,307 | $48.22 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $94,969 | $45.66 |
| 50 | Vermont | $91,327 | $43.91 |
| 51 | Kansas | $98,180 | $47.20 |
Highest paying cities for senior principle engineers
The highest-paying cities for senior principle engineers are San Francisco, CA, Las Vegas, NV, and Jersey City, NJ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $154,564 | $74.31 |
| 2 | Las Vegas, NV | $138,614 | $66.64 |
| 3 | Jersey City, NJ | $137,020 | $65.88 |
| 4 | Chandler, AZ | $136,912 | $65.82 |
| 5 | Oklahoma City, OK | $125,934 | $60.55 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $123,443 | $59.35 |
| 7 | Cambridge, MA | $120,473 | $57.92 |
| 8 | East Hartford, CT | $117,218 | $56.35 |
| 9 | West Valley City, UT | $115,408 | $55.48 |
| 10 | Aurora, CO | $114,630 | $55.11 |
| 11 | Washington, DC | $113,813 | $54.72 |
| 12 | Clarksville, TN | $111,482 | $53.60 |
| 13 | Indianapolis, IN | $108,136 | $51.99 |
| 14 | Baltimore, MD | $107,017 | $51.45 |
| 15 | Huntsville, AL | $106,245 | $51.08 |
| 16 | Allentown, PA | $99,614 | $47.89 |
Senior principle engineer salary details
A senior principle engineer's salary ranges from $92,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $160,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior principle engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $160,000 | $13,333 | $77 |
| 75th Percentile | $140,000 | $11,667 | $67 |
| Average | $121,825 | $10,152 | $59 |
| 25th Percentile | $105,000 | $8,750 | $50 |
| 10th Percentile | $92,000 | $7,667 | $44 |
Highest paying senior principle engineer jobs
The highest paying types of senior principle engineers are senior staff engineer, principal systems engineer, and senior principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lead Systems Engineer | $119,705 | $9,975 | $57.55 | 186,392 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Quality Engineer | $79,672 | $6,639 | $38.30 | 96,838 |
| Product Support Engineer | $90,379 | $7,532 | $43.45 | 201,554 |
| Staff Engineer | $107,530 | $8,961 | $51.70 | 277,011 |
| Production Engineer | $89,727 | $7,477 | $43.14 | 94,789 |
Top companies hiring senior principle engineers now:
Which companies pay senior principle engineers the most?
Senior principle engineer salaries at Citi and Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior principle engineer salary at companies like BeiGene and Novartis are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citi | $144,247 | $69.35 |
| 2 | Semiconductor Components Industries, LLC | $133,869 | $64.36 |
| 3 | BeiGene | $126,769 | $60.95 |
| 4 | Novartis | $126,028 | $60.59 |
| 5 | PDS Tech | $125,574 | $60.37 |
| 6 | WMSN FOX 47 News, Madison | $123,930 | $59.58 |
| 7 | Carrier | $122,969 | $59.12 |
| 8 | AngioDynamics | $122,178 | $58.74 |
| 9 | TEKsystems | $120,777 | $58.07 |
| 10 | Trane | $120,465 | $57.92 |
| 11 | Caterpillar | $120,120 | $57.75 |
| 12 | Air Products | $120,094 | $57.74 |
| 13 | FormFactor | $116,470 | $56.00 |
| 14 | BAE Systems | $110,408 | $53.08 |
| 15 | TreeHouse Foods | $107,184 | $51.53 |
| 16 | Mallinckrodt | $106,564 | $51.23 |
| 17 | Northrop Grumman | $102,388 | $49.23 |
| 18 | Cardinal Health | $101,482 | $48.79 |
| 19 | Raytheon Technologies | $95,526 | $45.93 |
| 20 | UnitedHealth Group | $85,165 | $40.94 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior principle engineer salary trends
The average senior principle engineer salary has risen by $16,038 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior principle engineer earned $105,787 annually, but today, they earn $121,825 a year. That works out to a 6% change in pay for senior principle engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior principle engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior principle engineer salary over time
Compare senior principle engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior principle engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $122,000 | $58.57 | +1.0% |
| 2024 | $121,000 | $57.96 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $119,000 | $57.31 | +1.3% |
| 2022 | $118,000 | $56.55 | +1.8% |
| 2021 | $115,000 | $55.51 | +1.0% |
Recently added senior principle engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cetera Financial Group | Senior Principle, Financial Data & Analytics | San Diego, CA | 06/19/2025 | $135,000 |
| Terrapower | Senior/Principle Engineer, System Design | Bellevue, WA | 05/28/2025 | $125,257 |
| Northrop Grumman | SR Principle Electrical Engineer-Electrical Systems and C&DH-Dulles/Gilbert | Gilbert, AZ | 04/29/2025 | $118,600 |
| St. Engineering North America | SR. Principle Process Engineer | Baltimore, MD | 04/10/2025 | $119,000 |
| Northrop Grumman | SR Principle Electrical Engineer-Electrical Systems and C&DH-Dulles/Gilbert | Dulles Town Center, VA | 04/09/2025 | $118,600 |
| Bae Systems | Electronic Attack Senior Principle Systems ENG (ON Site) | Nashua, NH | 02/25/2025 | $130,355 |
| Bae Systems Plc | Senior Principle Electrical Engineering-Hybrid | Merrimack, NH | 01/21/2025 | $126,610 |
| Nomura | Senior Principle PM | New York, NY | 12/10/2024 | $234,788 |
| Atrilogy Solutions Group | SR. Principle Electrical Engineer-Electrical Engineer | Indianapolis, IN | 10/24/2024 | $187,830 |
| Massgenics, Inc. | SR. Principle Electrical Engineer-Electrical Engineer-Analysts | Indianapolis, IN | 09/27/2024 | $187,830 |
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