Microsoft Principal Architect Salaries

58 verified profiles
Last updated on February 27, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $315k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Architect earn an average of $315k, mostly ranging from $298k to $467k based on 58 profiles.

Employee Count
massive
Equity Vest
3.5 yrs ; 29% , 29% , 29% , 13%
Signing Bonus
$25k - $50k
  30,761 people laid off in the last year.
👨‍💻 Male $319k Male
Average Salary : $ 319 k
👩‍💻 Female $334k Female
Average Salary : $ 334 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $105
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Principal Solution Engineer (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $210k

Stocks: $101k

(Today) (17.5%) $83k

Bonus: $85k

TC:$396k

(Today) (4.5%) $378k

22yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Reston, VA

Base: $244k

Stocks: $204k

(Today) (22.5%) $158k

Bonus: $74k

TC:$522k

(Today) (8.8%) $476k

30yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Solution Architect (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $178k

Stocks: $62k

(Today) (13.4%) $54k

Bonus: $50k

TC:$291k

(Today) (2.9%) $283k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Baltimore, MD

Solution Architect (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $184k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (9.3%) $70k

Bonus: $62k

TC:$324k

(Today) (2.2%) $317k

24yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Austin, TX

Cloud Architect (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $200k

Stocks: $102k

(Today) (11.6%) $90k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$361k

(Today) (3.3%) $349k

20yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in New York, NY

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Sr Architect (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $184k

Stocks: $97k

Bonus: $63k

TC:$344k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Austin, TX

Solution Architect (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $183k

Stocks: $70k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$301k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in St. Louis, MO

Principal (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $204k

Stocks: $55k

Bonus: $40k

TC:$299k

20yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Principal (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $170k

Stocks: $63k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$281k

23yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Solution Architect (Principal Solution Architect)
Male

Base: $182k

Stocks: $64k

Bonus: $64k

TC:$320k

16yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Washington, DC

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 58. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
15 to 24 yrs
$316k
$302k
$305k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
15 to 15 yrs
$317k
$317k
$317k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
15 to 23 yrs
$318k
$295k
$309k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
23 to 23 yrs
$339k
$339k
$339k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
30 to 30 yrs
$522k
$522k
$522k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
15 to 24 yrs
Base
$185k
Stocks / Yr
$71k
Bonus
$59k
Total Salary
$316k
Level
Experience
15 to 15 yrs
Base
$187k
Stocks / Yr
$12k
Bonus
$118k
Total Salary
$317k
Level
Experience
15 to 23 yrs
Base
$189k
Stocks / Yr
$71k
Bonus
$57k
Total Salary
$318k
Level
Experience
23 to 23 yrs
Base
$228k
Stocks / Yr
$57k
Bonus
$54k
Total Salary
$339k
Level
Experience
30 to 30 yrs
Base
$244k
Stocks / Yr
$204k
Bonus
$74k
Total Salary
$522k
Microsoft Principal Architect salary levels ranges from 65 (Solution Architect) upto 67 (Product Manager), with 67 (Product Manager) level earning average salary of $522k along with $204k worth of stock options.

Frequently asked questions
How much do Microsoft Principal Architect employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Architect earn an average of $315k, mostly ranging from $298k per year to $467k per year based on 58 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $366k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Architect?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Architect is $315k.

What is the highest salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Architect is $522k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $366k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $467k per year.

What are the most common skills required at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

3% of employees have skills in azure . 2% also know artificial intelligence (ai) . 2% also know cloud computing .

What are the highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

The top 5 highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal Architect with reported salaries are:

  • hardware engineer - $370k per year

  • solution architect - $309k per year

  • principal architect - $301k per year

What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $304k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

3% of employees lie between > 41 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

3% hold a Graduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Architect went to?

2% of employees studied at Helsinki Institute of Technology . 2% studied at Tampere University of Technology .

Frequently asked questions
How much do Microsoft Principal Architect employees make?

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Architect earn an average of $315k, mostly ranging from $298k per year to $467k per year based on 58 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $366k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Architect?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Architect is $315k.

What is the highest salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Architect is $522k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $366k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $467k per year.

What are the most common skills required at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

3% of employees have skills in azure . 2% also know artificial intelligence (ai) . 2% also know cloud computing .

What are the highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

The top 5 highest paying jobs at Microsoft as Principal Architect with reported salaries are:

  • hardware engineer - $370k per year

  • solution architect - $309k per year

  • principal architect - $301k per year

What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $304k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

3% of employees lie between > 41 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal Architect?

3% hold a Graduate degree.

Which schools do employees working at Microsoft as Principal Architect went to?

2% of employees studied at Helsinki Institute of Technology . 2% studied at Tampere University of Technology .

Salary Brackets
Percentage
200-300 k 200-300 k
Percentage : 36
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 55
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 3
> 500 k > 500 k
Percentage : 2
Age Brackets
Percentage
> 41 yrs > 41 yrs
Percentage : 3
Skills
Trending
azure
3 %
artificial intelligence (ai)
2 %
cloud computing
2 %
data center
2 %
disaster recovery
2 %
enterprise software
2 %
gen ai
2 %
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