Principal Advisor Salary in the United States

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

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Principal Advisor in the United States is $179,885 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $86.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $213,578
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $162,354 to $197,521
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $146,393
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View as table View as graph 25% $162,354 10% $146,393 90% $213,578 75% $197,521 $179,885 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Principal Advisor Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $197,521 $16,460 $3,798 $95
Average $179,885 $14,990 $3,459 $86
25th Percentile $162,354 $13,530 $3,122 $78
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Key Factors That Influence Principal Advisor Salaries

A Principal Advisor'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 Advisor Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Principal Advisor'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): $75,306
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $99,331
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $136,327
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $178,589
  • Expert (over 8 years): $246,058
Levels Salary
Customer ... Level Principal Advisor$75,306
Customer ... Level Principal Advisor$99,331
Customer ... Level Principal Advisor$136,327
Principal... Level Principal Advisor$178,589
VP of Cus... Level Principal Advisor$246,058
$75,306 0 yr
$99,331 < 2 yrs
$136,327 2-4 yrs
$178,589 5-8 yrs
$246,058 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

How Do Principal Advisor 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 Advisors. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $199,169.
  • California: $198,413.
  • Massachusetts: $195,769.

Top Paying Cities for Principal Advisors

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: $226,889
  • San Francisco: $224,658
  • Oakland: $219,676

What Skills Can Increase a Principal Advisor's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 15.82% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Supply Chain (Mentioned in 1.15% Job Postings): A supply chain encompasses everything from the delivery of source materials from the supplier to the manufacturer through to its eventual delivery to the end user.
  • Continuous Improvement (Mentioned in 1.01% 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.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 15.82%
Supply Chain 1.15%
Continuous Improvement 1.01%
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 Advisor's salary.
  • Patient Care: Can increase your salary by up to 21%.
  • Risk Management: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Digital Marketing: Can increase your salary by up to 8%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Patient Care
$217,661
21%
Risk Management
$196,075
9%
Digital Marketing
$194,276
8%
Agile
$192,477
7%
Accounting
$192,477
7%
Change Management
$190,678
6%
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How Education impacts a Principal Advisor's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Principal Advisors 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 Advisor with a Bachelor's Degree is between $168,257 and $181,174).

Principal Advisor Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Principal Advisor
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.9%
High School 16.3%
Associates 10.6%
Bachelors 47.2%
Masters 23.7%
Doctorate 1.2%
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Principal Advisor Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Principal Advisor'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 April 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Principal Advisor

Salaries for a Principal Advisor can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $147,162 in 2023 to around $145,784 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Principal Advisor salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Principal Advisor Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$147,162
2024
$147,454
2025
$145,784
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $147,162
2024 $147,454
2025 $145,784
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Principal Advisor

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Principal Advisor

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

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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.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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