Principal Design Engineer Salary in Bennett, NC

How much does a Principal Design Engineer make in Bennett, NC?

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Principal Design Engineer in Bennett, NC is $106,298 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $51.

However, a Principal Design Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $129,128
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $97,963 to $118,248
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $90,374
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View as table View as graph 25% $97,963 10% $90,374 90% $129,128 75% $118,248 $106,298 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Principal Design Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $118,248 $9,854 $2,274 $57
Average $106,298 $8,858 $2,044 $51
25th Percentile $97,963 $8,164 $1,884 $47
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Family Practice Physician Assistant

Fast Pace Health - Bennett, NC

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Key Factors That Influence Principal Design Engineer Salaries

A Principal Design Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, skills and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Principal Design Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Principal Design Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here’s how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $74,344
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $84,327
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $105,419
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $128,719
  • Expert (over 8 years): $150,785
Levels Salary
Product D... Level Principal Design Engineer$74,344
Product D... Level Principal Design Engineer$84,327
Principal... Level Principal Design Engineer$105,419
Product D... Level Principal Design Engineer$128,719
Product D... Level Principal Design Engineer$150,785
$74,344 0 yr
$84,327 < 2 yrs
$105,419 2-4 yrs
$128,719 5-8 yrs
$150,785 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Principal Design Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $146,118
  • San Francisco: $144,518
  • Oakland: $141,472

What Skills Can Increase a Principal Design Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Customer Service (Mentioned in 18.12% Job Postings): Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 0.72% Job Postings): A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
  • Brand Design (Mentioned in 0.41% Job Postings): It refers to key brand elements such as the logo, color scheme, typography, and other design components that makes a brand stand out from competitors, and recognizable to consumers.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Customer Service 18.12%
Continuous Improvement 0.72%
Brand Design 0.41%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Principal Design Engineer's salary.
  • Floor Care: Can increase your salary by up to 13%.
  • Square: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Customer Relationship: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Floor Care
$120,116
13%
Square
$112,676
6%
Customer Relationship
$111,613
5%
Brand Design
$111,613
5%
Networking
$111,613
5%
Creativity
$109,487
3%
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Principal Design Engineer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Principal Design Engineer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 180% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Healthcare and MFG Nondurable sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 90% above the average. In contrast, Principal Design Engineer positions in Hospitality & Leisure or Pharmaceuticals typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Principal Design Engineer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Principal Design Engineer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$201,966$97.090%
MFG Nondurable$191,336$92.080%
Construction$180,706$87.070%
Media$170,076$82.060%
Aerospace & Defense$159,447$77.050%

Principal Design Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Principal Design Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026

Find Your Next Principal Design Engineer Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Principal Design Engineer job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
  • MD Staff, LLC

    Bennett, NC

    MD Staff, LLC | Bennett, NC

    General Medicine physician needed for a locum practice in North Carolina ASAP - ongoing Block-time availability is preferred but willing to accept provider... more

    4 Days Ago

  • SOUTHERN HEALTH PARTNERS INC

    Bennett, NC

    SOUTHERN HEALTH PARTNERS INC | Bennett, NC

    Southern Health Partners Inc seeks a dedicated LPN for evening shifts, Monday–Friday, providing direct patient care in correctional facilities. You’ll admi... more

    5 Days Ago

  • SOUTHERN HEALTH PARTNERS INC

    Bennett, NC

    LPN

    SOUTHERN HEALTH PARTNERS INC | Bennett, NC

    Southern Health Partners Inc seeks a Licensed Practical Nurse to provide evening care Monday–Friday in a correctional facility setting. The LPN will perfor... more

    5 Days Ago

  • Epes Transport

    Bennett, NC

    Epes Transport | Bennett, NC

    Exciting Opportunity with a NEW PAY INCREASE effective 10/5/25. Join our team and take advantage of PERFORMANCE BASED PAY. Earn up to $.09 per mile in perf... more

    8 Days Ago

  • Earn Haus

    Bennett, NC

    Earn Haus | Bennett, NC

    Job description. We are urgently looking for people interested in taking online surveys for Fortune 500 brands. If you are a self-starter, looking for flex... more

    21 Days Ago

  • Avanos Medical

    ALPHARETTA, GA

    Avanos Medical | ALPHARETTA, GA

    Avanos Medical seeks a Principal Design Quality Assurance Engineer to lead design transfer of medical devices from development to manufacturing. In this ro... more

    5 Days Ago

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