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 $130,516, an Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $165,159, an Principal Engineer (7-10 years)earns $190,725, an Engineer VI (10-12 years)earns $220,437, an Engineering Supervisor (12+ years)earns $101,318,

What are the highest paying cities for a Principal Engineer?

Principal Engineer salary varies significantly by city. The top 3 highest paying cities in California for Principal Engineer roles are San Jose $199,688, San Francisco $197,501, Oakland $193,339.

How much do different types of Principal Engineer roles make?

Salaries for Principal Engineer level roles vary by specialization: Principal Data Engineer: $171,174; Principal Database Engineer: $169,223; Principal Electronics Engineer: $167,281; Principal Engineer I: $165,723; Principal Algorithm Engineer: $158,400.

What specialized skills increase a Principal Engineer's salary?

Skills with high demand and low supply, such as Decision Making (up to 6% premium), Insight (up to 5% premium), Team Development (up to 4% premium), directly translate to higher compensation. Employers pay more for these capabilities to gain a competitive edge.

Principal Engineer Salary in Kentfield, CA

How much does a Principal Engineer make in Kentfield, CA?

As of May 01, 2026, the average salary for a Principal Engineer in Kentfield, CA is $191,359 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $92.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $207,800
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $181,508 to $199,964
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $172,539

Compensation Planning

Develop a Job Description

Pay Equity

2025 Compensation Trend

AI-Powered Talent

Smart Recruiting

Salary Salary + Bonus Benefits

View as table

Principal Engineer Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$199,964	$16,664	$3,845	$96
Average	$191,359	$15,947	$3,680	$92
25th Percentile	$181,508	$15,126	$3,491	$87

You may get higher pay by adjusting the following factors:

Change Search Criteria

Check out Principal Engineer Job Openings in Kentfield, CA

Principal Mechanical Engineer (PhD)

AC Future - Irvine, CA

Principal OptoElectronics Applications Engineer

Advanced Technology Search - Fremont, CA

Principal OptoElectronics Applications Engineer

Advanced Technology Search - Alameda, CA

Principal OptoElectronics Applications Engineer

Advanced Technology Search - San Jose, CA

Search More Principal Engineer Jobs in Kentfield, CA

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, skills 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): $130,516
Early Career (1-2 years): $165,159
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $190,725
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $220,437
Expert (over 8 years): $101,318

Levels	Salary
Engineer ... Level Principal Engineer	$130,516
Engineer ... Level Principal Engineer	$165,159
Principal... Level Principal Engineer	$190,725
Engineer ... Level Principal Engineer	$220,437
Engineeri... Level Principal Engineer	$101,318

View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

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: $199,688
San Francisco: $197,501
Oakland: $193,339

San Jose, CA $199,688

San Francisco, CA $197,501

Oakland, CA $193,339

New York, NY $182,287

Paramus, NJ $180,070

Queens Village, NY $180,063

Passaic, NJ $179,912

Bergenfield, NJ $179,898

Stamford, CT $179,550

Huntington, NY $179,485

Newark, NJ $178,315

Bridgeport, CT $177,981

Vallejo, CA $177,666

New Brunswick, NJ $177,602

Petaluma, CA $177,507

Middlesex, NJ $177,206

Somerset, NJ $177,096

Santa Cruz, CA $176,890

Boston, MA $175,924

Monterey, CA $175,368

Seattle, WA $175,006

Santa Rosa, CA $174,974

Los Angeles, CA $174,927

Juneau, AK $174,515

Washington, DC $174,341

Orange, CA $173,777

Santa Ana, CA $173,359

Long Beach, CA $173,201

Anaheim, CA $173,169

Anchorage, AK $173,090

Santa Maria, CA $172,615

Everett, WA $172,584

Danbury, CT $172,026

Bremerton, WA $171,808

Tacoma, WA $171,238

New Suffolk, NY $171,235

Sacramento, CA $171,190

Santa Barbara, CA $171,016

Trenton, NJ $170,842

San Diego, CA $170,842

Brockton, MA $170,668

Fairbanks, AK $170,280

Lompoc, CA $169,876

Lowell, MA $169,748

Ventura, CA $169,718

Nashua, NH $169,686

Stockton, CA $169,670

Modesto, CA $168,515

Poughkeepsie, NY $168,166

Olympia, WA $167,866

Kennewick, WA $167,866

New Haven, CT $167,802

Lawrence, MA $167,232

Hartford, CT $167,074

Riverside, CA $167,042

New Bedford, MA $166,884

Richland, WA $166,884

Bakersfield, CA $166,662

San Bernardino, CA $166,599

New Britain, CT $166,583

Atlantic City, NJ $166,583

New London, CT $166,520

Norwich, CT $166,472

Portsmouth, NH $166,441

Boulder, CO $166,105

Portland, OR $165,887

Worcester, MA $165,871

Minneapolis, MN $165,380

Philadelphia, PA $165,158

Honolulu, HI $164,636

Saint Paul, MN $164,560

Vineland, NJ $164,525

Providence, RI $164,066

Chicago, IL $163,607

Bellingham, WA $163,417

Springfield, MA $163,290

Baltimore, MD $163,243

Chico, CA $162,847

Pittsfield, MA $162,419

Manchester, NH $162,119

Spokane, WA $161,422

Denver, CO $161,406

Albany, NY $160,662

Troy, NY $160,599

Nassau, NY $160,429

Schenectady, NY $160,266

Wilmington, DE $160,140

Burlington, VT $159,918

Salem, OR $159,855

Portland, ME $159,364

Yakima, WA $159,206

Rochester, MN $158,715

Reno, NV $158,636

Fresno, CA $158,636

Milwaukee, WI $158,493

Detroit, MI $158,335

Ann Arbor, MI $158,308

Allentown, PA $158,287

Colorado Springs, CO $158,018

Syracuse, NY $157,939

Carson City, NV $157,939

Houston, TX $157,717

Eugene, OR $157,638

Gary, IN $157,448

Springfield, OR $157,322

Bismarck, ND $157,290

Galveston, TX $157,179

Medford, OR $156,942

Fort Collins, CO $156,878

Concord, NH $156,799

Austin, TX $156,752

Mesa, AZ $156,419

Reading, PA $156,403

Phoenix, AZ $156,388

Dallas, TX $156,340

Saint Cloud, MN $156,188

Madison, WI $155,976

Utica, NY $155,548

Rochester, NY $155,295

Des Moines, IA $155,279

Raleigh, NC $155,263

Atlanta, GA $155,026

Battle Creek, MI $154,978

Salt Lake City, UT $154,931

Lancaster, PA $154,693

Harrisburg, PA $154,472

Kansas City, MO $154,314

Champaign, IL $154,282

Kansas City, KS $154,282

Fort Worth, TX $154,266

Columbus, OH $154,239

Boca Raton, FL $154,203

Pittsburgh, PA $154,139

Richmond, VA $154,076

Indianapolis, IN $154,044

Cleveland, OH $154,029

Las Vegas, NV $153,839

Cincinnati, OH $153,839

Petersburg, VA $153,601

Huntsville, AL $153,364

Lansing, MI $153,258

Lebanon, PA $153,237

Pueblo, CO $153,221

Appleton, WI $153,174

Buffalo, NY $153,110

Dayton, OH $153,063

Racine, WI $153,031

Charlotte, NC $153,015

Saint Louis, MO $152,968

York, PA $152,873

Elkhart, IN $152,873

Gastonia, NC $152,843

Billings, MT $152,805

Beaumont, TX $152,762

Lorain, OH $152,730

Benton Harbor, MI $152,699

Toledo, OH $152,667

Binghamton, NY $152,588

Rock Hill, SC $152,572

Rockford, IL $152,493

Springfield, IL $152,430

Elyria, OH $152,414

Fargo, ND $152,414

Flagstaff, AZ $152,303

Fort Lauderdale, FL $152,208

Duluth, MN $152,113

Miami, FL $152,113

Cheyenne, WY $152,002

Grand Forks, ND $152,002

Bangor, ME $151,654

Cedar Rapids, IA $151,480

Durham, NC $151,413

Louisville, KY $151,400

Grand Rapids, MI $151,369

Hialeah, FL $151,353

Casper, WY $151,131

Scranton, PA $150,941

New Orleans, LA $150,894

Virginia Beach, VA $150,878

Akron, OH $150,799

Peoria, IL $150,593

Sarasota, FL $150,561

Nashville, TN $150,451

Omaha, NE $150,451

Green Bay, WI $150,451

Baton Rouge, LA $150,371

Charleston, SC $150,340

Jamestown, NY $150,261

Davenport, IA $150,261

Tucson, AZ $150,181

Saint Petersburg, FL $150,086

Tampa, FL $150,055

Evansville, IN $149,960

Port Arthur, TX $149,960

Bradenton, FL $149,896

Santa Fe, NM $149,611

Orlando, FL $149,326

Clearwater, FL $149,279

Canton, OH $148,947

La Crosse, WI $148,947

Albuquerque, NM $148,852

Newport News, VA $148,836

High Point, NC $148,788

Ogden, UT $148,725

Corpus Christi, TX $148,598

Norfolk, VA $148,503

Laramie, WY $148,503

Rock Island, IL $148,408

Saginaw, MI $148,377

Jacksonville, FL $148,361

Salisbury, NC $148,329

Boise, ID $148,297

Moline, IL $148,218

Fort Myers, FL $148,171

Memphis, TN $148,139

Tulsa, OK $148,060

Waterloo, IA $147,965

Spartanburg, SC $147,807

Lincoln, NE $147,727

Fort Wayne, IN $147,696

Provo, UT $147,680

Cedar Falls, IA $147,490

San Antonio, TX $147,427

Greensboro, NC $147,363

South Bend, IN $147,347

Savannah, GA $147,173

Muskegon, MI $147,110

Birmingham, AL $147,094

Winston Salem, NC $147,017

Lake Charles, LA $146,635

Anderson, IN $146,603

Lexington, KY $146,556

Augusta, GA $146,508

Greenville, SC $146,508

Lima, OH $146,382

Wichita, KS $146,366

Tuscaloosa, AL $146,366

Columbia, SC $146,223

Springfield, OH $146,192

Asheville, NC $145,938

Bloomington, IN $145,828

Knoxville, TN $145,258

Shreveport, LA $145,242

Wilmington, NC $145,036

Roanoke, VA $145,036

Topeka, KS $144,751

Frankfort, KY $144,734

Oklahoma City, OK $144,624

Chillicothe, OH $144,561

Longview, TX $144,545

Melbourne, FL $144,529

Sioux Falls, SD $144,276

Mobile, AL $144,260

Terre Haute, IN $144,197

Altoona, PA $144,102

Amarillo, TX $143,991

Killeen, TX $143,944

Fayetteville, AR $143,817

Chattanooga, TN $143,769

Sioux City, IA $143,627

Idaho Falls, ID $143,595

Lynchburg, VA $143,469

Gainesville, FL $143,263

Portsmouth, OH $143,184

Little Rock, AR $143,152

Lafayette, LA $143,089

Youngstown, OH $143,089

Daytona Beach, FL $142,994

Clarksville, TN $142,978

Pensacola, FL $142,962

Temple, TX $142,951

Hopkinsville, KY $142,487

Erie, PA $142,455

Florence, SC $142,392

Charleston, WV $142,139

Great Falls, MT $142,060

Macon, GA $141,838

Tallahassee, FL $141,822

Fayetteville, NC $141,790

Waco, TX $141,759

Helena, MT $141,648

Pine Bluff, AR $141,588

Vincennes, IN $141,395

Lubbock, TX $141,331

Alamogordo, NM $141,236

Twin Falls, ID $141,094

Rapid City, SD $141,046

Jackson, MS $140,761

Huntington, WV $140,750

Greenville, MS $140,746

Parkersburg, WV $140,584

Montgomery, AL $140,556

Wichita Falls, TX $140,397

Springfield, MO $140,397

Biloxi, MS $140,318

Monroe, LA $140,160

Johnstown, PA $140,049

Sumter, SC $139,986

Columbus, GA $139,970

Pascagoula, MS $139,669

Abilene, TX $139,669

Kingsport, TN $139,257

Albany, GA $139,257

Gulfport, MS $139,210

Alexandria, LA $138,687

Fort Smith, AR $138,292

El Paso, TX $137,864

Las Cruces, NM $137,152

Harlingen, TX $136,750

Pocatello, ID $136,724

Florence, AL $136,518

Brownsville, TX $136,487

Mcallen, TX $136,154

Dothan, AL $135,933

Columbus, MS $134,992

Altus, OK $134,255

Lawton, OK $133,954

Pierre, SD $133,384

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	$202,840	6%
Insight	$200,927	5%
Team Development	$199,013	4%
Innovation	$199,013	4%
Software Development	$199,013	4%
AWS	$199,013	4%

Get Latest Data

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 May 01, 2026

$181,508

Average $191,359/year

$199,964

$15,126

Average $15,947/month

$16,664

$3,491

Average $3,680/week

$3,845

$87

Average $92/hour

$96

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$199,964	$16,664	$3,845	$96
Average	$191,359	$15,947	$3,680	$92
25th Percentile	$181,508	$15,126	$3,491	$87

Salaries of jobs related to Principal Engineer

Find Your Next Principal Engineer Job

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

For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Cost of Living In Kentfield, CA

Cost of Living in Kentfield, CA is

89.0% Higher

than the National Average

Use Salary.com's Cost of Living Calculator to find out what income you need to maintain your standard of living in a different city and how much more or less money you need to budget for basic expenses.

Explore Cost of Living Calculator

Empower Your Team

Salary.com experts will help you thrive your workplaces.

Find Salary.com Comp Consulting

See Salary Trends in 2025

Salary.com provides salary survey data for thousands of industry Jobs.

Price Your Company Jobs and Make Pay Fair

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
Job and employee pricing reports
Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.

Learn about