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The differences between software development engineers lead and principal software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a software development engineer lead and a principal software engineer. Additionally, a principal software engineer has an average salary of $134,230, which is higher than the $119,557 average annual salary of a software development engineer lead.
The top three skills for a software development engineer lead include java, API and python. The most important skills for a principal software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,557 | $134,230 |
| Hourly rate | $57.48 | $64.53 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 343,868 | 345,893 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Lead software development engineers take responsibility for providing technical mentorship and guidance to a team consisting of software engineers. The engineers implement codes with high quality in a test-driven and agile environment. They develop software development plans and assign related tasks to their team members. It is their job to lead different aspects regarding application development such as requirements application, and database design, implementation, and gathering. Also, they develop access/usage and sales analytic reports.
A Principal Software Engineer is responsible for the technical aspects of an organization's projects. They diagnose, document, and troubleshoot systems to resolve problems identified through testing, as well as implement strategies to improve integration and efficiency.
Software development engineers lead and principal software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,557 | $134,230 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $155,000 | Between $98,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | PitchBook Data | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a software development engineer lead and a principal software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Harvard University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between software development engineers lead' and principal software engineers' demographics:
| Software Development Engineer Lead | Principal Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2% | Male, 87.5% Female, 12.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 52.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |