What are the main factors that influence a Principal Engineer's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

How does experience change A Principal Engineer's salary?

A Principal Engineer's salary grows with experience: an Engineer III (4-7 years)earns $107,990, an Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $136,638, an Principal Engineer (7-10 years)earns $157,804, an Engineer VI (10-12 years)earns $182,383, an Engineering Supervisor (12+ years)earns $83,843,

What are the highest paying states for a Principal Engineer?

Principal Engineer salary varies significantly by state. The top 3 highest paying states for Principal Engineer roles are District of Columbia $175,301, California $174,636, Massachusetts $172,308. These tech hubs typically pay 10-15% above the national average.

How much do different types of Principal Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Principal Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Principal Data Engineer: $171,146; Principal Database Engineer: $169,194; Principal Electronics Engineer: $167,288; Principal Engineer I: $165,733; Principal Algorithm Engineer: $158,400.

How do different companies affect a Principal Engineer's salary?

Company size, industry, and compensation structure create significant salary variations for Principal Engineer roles. Large, established industry leaders like C R Bard Inc ($128,509) and Henry Schein Canada ($124,697) offer base salaries 35-40% above the national average. In contrast, smaller firms or startups may offer closer to $82,041.

Principal Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does a Principal Engineer make in the United States?

As of March 01, 2026, the average salary for a Principal Engineer in the United States is $158,328 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $76.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $171,957
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $150,186 to $165,462
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $142,773

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Principal Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$165,462	$13,789	$3,182	$80
Average	$158,328	$13,194	$3,045	$76
25th Percentile	$150,186	$12,516	$2,888	$72

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Key Factors That Influence Principal Engineer Salaries

A Principal 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, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Principal Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Principal 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): $107,990
Early Career (1-2 years): $136,638
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $157,804
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $182,383
Expert (over 8 years): $83,843

Levels	Salary
Engineer ... Level Principal Engineer	$107,990
Engineer ... Level Principal Engineer	$136,638
Principal... Level Principal Engineer	$157,804
Engineer ... Level Principal Engineer	$182,383
Engineeri... Level Principal Engineer	$83,843

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Principal Engineer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Principal Engineers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

District of Columbia: $175,301.
California: $174,636.
Massachusetts: $172,308.

District of Columbia $175,301 California $174,636 Massachusetts $172,308 Washington $171,675 New Jersey $171,612 Alaska $171,390 Connecticut $169,205 New York $168,318

Hawaii $165,484 Rhode Island $164,154 Maryland $163,252 Minnesota $162,017 Colorado $161,542 Illinois $161,384 Oregon $160,782 Delaware $160,339

New Hampshire $160,060 Virginia $159,436 Pennsylvania $157,616 Nevada $156,697 North Dakota $156,396 Michigan $155,921 Wisconsin $155,747 Vermont $155,399

Texas $154,433 Maine $154,370 Arizona $154,275 Ohio $154,164 Georgia $152,707 Indiana $151,979 Wyoming $151,837 Utah $151,615

Iowa $151,520 Kansas $150,760 Louisiana $150,538 North Carolina $150,459 Missouri $150,427 Florida $149,810 Montana $149,477 Nebraska $149,161

Kentucky $148,987 South Carolina $148,353 Tennessee $147,958 Idaho $147,799 New Mexico $146,643 Oklahoma $146,390 Alabama $145,456 South Dakota $143,888

Arkansas $143,034 West Virginia $142,574 Mississippi $141,197

Top Paying Cities for Principal 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: $199,699
San Francisco: $197,736
Oakland: $193,350

San Jose, CA $199,699

San Francisco, CA $197,736

Oakland, CA $193,350

New York, NY $183,486

Queens Village, NY $182,299

Paramus, NJ $181,032

Passaic, NJ $180,874

Bergenfield, NJ $180,716

Stamford, CT $180,478

Huntington, NY $180,320

Newark, NJ $179,291

Bridgeport, CT $178,974

New Brunswick, NJ $178,451

Vallejo, CA $178,119

Middlesex, NJ $178,024

Somerset, NJ $177,882

Petaluma, CA $177,517

Santa Cruz, CA $176,900

Boston, MA $176,583

Monterey, CA $175,792

Fairbanks, AK $175,681

Los Angeles, CA $175,380

Washington, DC $175,301

Seattle, WA $175,016

Santa Rosa, CA $174,984

Juneau, AK $174,525

Orange, CA $174,002

Anchorage, AK $173,717

Anaheim, CA $173,607

Santa Ana, CA $173,369

Nassau, NY $173,274

Long Beach, CA $173,211

Danbury, CT $173,163

Santa Maria, CA $172,625

Everett, WA $172,593

Bremerton, WA $171,818

Trenton, NJ $171,517

Sacramento, CA $171,453

San Diego, CA $171,374

Brockton, MA $171,311

Tacoma, WA $171,248

Santa Barbara, CA $171,026

Lowell, MA $170,393

New Suffolk, NY $170,329

Nashua, NH $170,139

Lompoc, CA $169,886

Ventura, CA $169,728

Stockton, CA $169,680

New Haven, CT $169,363

Atlantic City, NJ $168,952

Hartford, CT $168,603

Modesto, CA $168,524

Poughkeepsie, NY $168,176

New Britain, CT $168,097

Olympia, WA $167,875

Kennewick, WA $167,875

New London, CT $167,844

Norwich, CT $167,796

Lawrence, MA $167,717

Bakersfield, CA $167,274

Riverside, CA $167,052

New Bedford, MA $167,052

Richland, WA $166,894

Portsmouth, NH $166,767

Vineland, NJ $166,735

San Bernardino, CA $166,609

Boulder, CO $166,165

Worcester, MA $166,039

Portland, OR $165,896

Saint Paul, MN $165,706

Minneapolis, MN $165,706

Philadelphia, PA $165,484

Honolulu, HI $164,645

Springfield, MA $164,091

Providence, RI $164,075

Chicago, IL $163,616

Bellingham, WA $163,426

Baltimore, MD $163,252

Chico, CA $162,856

Wilmington, DE $162,587

Pittsfield, MA $162,429

Manchester, NH $162,128

Spokane, WA $161,431

Denver, CO $161,415

Albany, NY $160,671

Troy, NY $160,608

Schenectady, NY $160,275

Burlington, VT $159,927

Portland, ME $159,373

Salem, OR $159,246

Yakima, WA $159,215

Ann Arbor, MI $159,167

Rochester, MN $158,724

Fresno, CA $158,645

Reno, NV $158,645

Milwaukee, WI $158,502

Detroit, MI $158,344

Allentown, PA $158,296

Carson City, NV $158,281

Houston, TX $158,043

Colorado Springs, CO $158,027

Syracuse, NY $157,948

Eugene, OR $157,647

Bismarck, ND $157,457

Gary, IN $157,457

Galveston, TX $157,457

Springfield, OR $157,331

Medford, OR $156,951

Fort Collins, CO $156,887

Austin, TX $156,761

Mesa, AZ $156,428

Phoenix, AZ $156,396

Dallas, TX $156,349

Reading, PA $156,254

Saint Cloud, MN $156,191

Concord, NH $156,048

Madison, WI $155,985

Utica, NY $155,557

Raleigh, NC $155,431

Las Vegas, NV $155,415

Rochester, NY $155,304

Des Moines, IA $155,288

Atlanta, GA $155,035

Battle Creek, MI $154,987

Salt Lake City, UT $154,940

Lancaster, PA $154,702

Champaign, IL $154,671

Harrisburg, PA $154,481

Durham, NC $154,338

Kansas City, MO $154,322

Kansas City, KS $154,291

Fort Worth, TX $154,275

Boca Raton, FL $154,211

Cleveland, OH $154,196

Columbus, OH $154,164

Pittsburgh, PA $154,148

Richmond, VA $154,085

Indianapolis, IN $154,053

Cincinnati, OH $153,847

Petersburg, VA $153,610

Billings, MT $153,262

Lansing, MI $153,262

Huntsville, AL $153,262

Lebanon, PA $153,246

Dayton, OH $153,230

Pueblo, CO $153,230

Appleton, WI $153,182

Buffalo, NY $153,119

Racine, WI $153,040

Charlotte, NC $153,024

Saint Louis, MO $152,977

Springfield, IL $152,913

Elkhart, IN $152,882

York, PA $152,882

Gastonia, NC $152,866

Benton Harbor, MI $152,866

Beaumont, TX $152,771

Lorain, OH $152,739

Toledo, OH $152,676

Binghamton, NY $152,597

Rock Hill, SC $152,581

Rockford, IL $152,502

Fargo, ND $152,422

Elyria, OH $152,422

Flagstaff, AZ $152,312

Fort Lauderdale, FL $152,217

Miami, FL $152,122

Duluth, MN $151,868

Bangor, ME $151,662

Cedar Rapids, IA $151,488

Louisville, KY $151,409

Grand Rapids, MI $151,377

Hialeah, FL $151,362

Casper, WY $151,140

Scranton, PA $150,950

New Orleans, LA $150,902

Virginia Beach, VA $150,887

Akron, OH $150,807

Peoria, IL $150,602

Sarasota, FL $150,570

Green Bay, WI $150,459

Baton Rouge, LA $150,380

Charleston, SC $150,348

Nashville, TN $150,301

Jamestown, NY $150,269

Davenport, IA $150,269

Tucson, AZ $150,190

Cheyenne, WY $150,142

Saint Petersburg, FL $150,095

Tampa, FL $150,063

Omaha, NE $150,032

Port Arthur, TX $149,968

Evansville, IN $149,968

Bradenton, FL $149,905

Santa Fe, NM $149,620

Orlando, FL $149,462

Clearwater, FL $149,287

Canton, OH $148,955

La Crosse, WI $148,955

Grand Forks, ND $148,907

Albuquerque, NM $148,860

Tulsa, OK $148,860

Newport News, VA $148,844

High Point, NC $148,797

Ogden, UT $148,733

Corpus Christi, TX $148,607

Laramie, WY $148,512

Norfolk, VA $148,512

Rock Island, IL $148,417

Saginaw, MI $148,385

Jacksonville, FL $148,369

Salisbury, NC $148,338

Memphis, TN $148,306

Moline, IL $148,227

Fort Myers, FL $148,179

Waterloo, IA $147,973

Spartanburg, SC $147,815

Lincoln, NE $147,736

Fort Wayne, IN $147,704

Birmingham, AL $147,530

Cedar Falls, IA $147,498

Provo, UT $147,483

Springfield, OH $147,467

San Antonio, TX $147,435

Greensboro, NC $147,372

South Bend, IN $147,356

Winston Salem, NC $147,340

Boise, ID $147,293

Savannah, GA $147,182

Muskegon, MI $146,897

Lima, OH $146,707

Lake Charles, LA $146,643

Anderson, IN $146,612

Lexington, KY $146,564

Augusta, GA $146,517

Greenville, SC $146,517

Wichita, KS $146,374

Tuscaloosa, AL $146,374

Columbia, SC $146,232

Bloomington, IN $145,836

Roanoke, VA $145,741

Asheville, NC $145,535

Knoxville, TN $145,266

Shreveport, LA $145,250

Wilmington, NC $145,044

Frankfort, KY $144,743

Oklahoma City, OK $144,633

Chillicothe, OH $144,569

Longview, TX $144,553

Topeka, KS $144,506

Mobile, AL $144,268

Terre Haute, IN $144,205

Erie, PA $144,189

Altoona, PA $144,110

Melbourne, FL $144,063

Amarillo, TX $143,999

Killeen, TX $143,952

Fayetteville, AR $143,825

Sioux Falls, SD $143,714

Chattanooga, TN $143,619

Idaho Falls, ID $143,603

Gainesville, FL $143,271

Portsmouth, OH $143,192

Little Rock, AR $143,160

Lynchburg, VA $143,160

Lafayette, LA $143,097

Youngstown, OH $143,097

Temple, TX $143,034

Daytona Beach, FL $143,002

Clarksville, TN $142,986

Pensacola, FL $142,970

Hopkinsville, KY $142,495

Charleston, WV $142,479

Florence, SC $142,400

Sioux City, IA $142,305

Macon, GA $141,846

Tallahassee, FL $141,830

Fayetteville, NC $141,799

Waco, TX $141,767

Wichita Falls, TX $141,767

Pine Bluff, AR $141,704

Vincennes, IN $141,403

Lubbock, TX $141,339

Great Falls, MT $141,244

Alamogordo, NM $141,229

Abilene, TX $141,102

Rapid City, SD $140,896

Monroe, LA $140,896

Albany, GA $140,801

Huntington, WV $140,785

Jackson, MS $140,769

Greenville, MS $140,754

Parkersburg, WV $140,595

Montgomery, AL $140,564

Johnstown, PA $140,532

Springfield, MO $140,405

Biloxi, MS $140,326

Sumter, SC $139,994

Columbus, GA $139,978

Twin Falls, ID $139,883

Pascagoula, MS $139,677

Kingsport, TN $139,265

Gulfport, MS $139,218

Alexandria, LA $138,695

Fort Smith, AR $138,300

El Paso, TX $137,872

Helena, MT $137,666

Las Cruces, NM $137,160

Harlingen, TX $136,716

Pocatello, ID $136,574

Florence, AL $136,526

Brownsville, TX $136,495

Dothan, AL $136,241

Mcallen, TX $136,162

Columbus, MS $134,990

Altus, OK $134,262

Lawton, OK $133,961

Pierre, SD $133,391

What Skills Can Increase a Principal Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

Analysis (Mentioned in 5.06% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
AWS (Mentioned in 2.1% Job Postings): Amazon Web Services, Inc. is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing platforms and APIs to individuals, companies, and governments, on a metered pay-as-you-go basis.
AutoCAD (Mentioned in 1.6% Job Postings): AutoCAD is a commercial computer-aided design and drafting software application. Developed and marketed by Autodesk, AutoCAD was first released in December 1982 as a desktop app running on microcomputers with internal graphics controllers.

See More Skills

Skills	Demand Percentage
Analysis	5.06%
AWS	2.1%
AutoCAD	1.6%

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 Engineer's salary.

Decision Making: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Team Development: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.

Skill	Salary	Salary % Increase
Decision Making	$167,828	6%
Insight	$166,244	5%
Team Development	$164,661	4%
Innovation	$164,661	4%
Software Development	$164,661	4%
AWS	$164,661	4%

Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Principal Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Principal Engineers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Principal Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $158,563 and $166,852).

Principal Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Principal Engineer

No Diploma 0.3%

High School 2.8%

Associates 2.3%

Bachelors 33.6%

Masters 43.0%

Doctorate 17.9%

view as table

Degree Level	% of user with this level of education
No Diploma	0.3%
High School	2.8%
Associates	2.3%
Bachelors	33.6%
Masters	43.0%
Doctorate	17.9%

view as graph

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

Understanding how a Principal 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 March 01, 2026

$150,186

Average $158,328/year

$165,462

$12,516

Average $13,194/month

$13,789

$2,888

Average $3,045/week

$3,182

$72

Average $76/hour

$80

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$165,462	$13,789	$3,182	$80
Average	$158,328	$13,194	$3,045	$76
25th Percentile	$150,186	$12,516	$2,888	$72

Salaries of jobs related to Principal Engineer

Salary Trends for Principal Engineer

Salaries for a Principal Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $155,578 in 2023 to around $150,317 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Principal Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Principal Engineer Over Time

2022

$???

2023

$155,578

2024

$152,609

2025

$150,317

2026

$???

2027

$???

Year	Average Annual Salary
2022	View More
2023	$155,578
2024	$152,609
2025	$150,317
2026	View More
2027	View More

Most common benefits for Principal Engineer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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