Microsoft Principal Scientist Salaries

61 verified profiles
Last updated on March 21, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $325k

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Scientist earn an average of $325k, mostly ranging from $299k to $620k based on 61 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 $370k Male
Average Salary : $ 370 k
👩‍💻 Female $321k Female
Average Salary : $ 321 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $87
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (19.8%) $63k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$343k

(Today) (4.5%) $328k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

Principal Data Scientist (Principal Data Scientist)
Female

Base: $220k

Stocks: $63k

(Today) (25.0%) $47k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$321k

(Today) (4.9%) $306k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Base: $291k

Stocks: $364k

(Today) (24.7%) $274k

Bonus: $209k

TC:$863k

(Today) (10.4%) $774k

9yrs
NA
Phd

Works in San Francisco, CA

Principal Data Scientist (Principal Data Scientist)
Male

Base: $213k

Stocks: $35k

(Today) (5.4%) $33k

Bonus: $43k

TC:$291k

(Today) (0.7%) $289k

12yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $215k

Stocks: $64k

(Today) (6.4%) $60k

Bonus: $61k

TC:$340k

(Today) (1.2%) $336k

14yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Data Scientist (Principal Data Scientist)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $63k

Bonus: $41k

TC:$309k

11yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Seattle, WA

Applied Scientist (Principal Data Scientist)
Male

Base: $203k

Stocks: $76k

Bonus: $48k

TC:$327k

10yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Seattle, WA

Base: $243k

Stocks: $90k

Bonus: $17k

TC:$349k

10yrs
NA
Phd

Works in San Francisco, CA

Data Scientist (Principal Data Scientist)
Male

Base: $202k

Stocks: $89k

Bonus: $52k

TC:$343k

9yrs
NA
Phd

Works in Redmond, WA

Base: $196k

Stocks: $49k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$284k

13yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Showing only 50 profiles out of 61. Upgrade to view elite profiles
Level
Experience
Avg
25th
50th
75th
90th
95th
7 to 16 yrs
$300k
$288k
$297k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
7 to 16 yrs
$322k
$294k
$321k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
6 to 14 yrs
$345k
$318k
$342k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
7 to 13 yrs
$407k
$377k
$423k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
9 to 9 yrs
$863k
$863k
$863k
$NaNk
$NaNk
$NaNk
Level
Experience
7 to 16 yrs
Base
$206k
Stocks / Yr
$58k
Bonus
$47k
Total Salary
$300k
Level
Experience
7 to 16 yrs
Base
$212k
Stocks / Yr
$75k
Bonus
$46k
Total Salary
$322k
Level
Experience
6 to 14 yrs
Base
$209k
Stocks / Yr
$96k
Bonus
$47k
Total Salary
$345k
Level
Experience
7 to 13 yrs
Base
$225k
Stocks / Yr
$134k
Bonus
$49k
Total Salary
$407k
Level
Experience
9 to 9 yrs
Base
$291k
Stocks / Yr
$364k
Bonus
$209k
Total Salary
$863k
Microsoft Principal Scientist salary levels ranges from 65 (Data Scientist) upto 67 (Software Engineer), with 67 (Software Engineer) level earning average salary of $863k along with $364k worth of stock options.

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Scientist earn an average of $325k, mostly ranging from $299k per year to $620k per year based on 61 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $410k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Scientist?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Scientist is $325k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Scientist is $863k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $410k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $620k per year.

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

3% of employees have skills in engineering . 3% also know information systems . 3% also know mathematics .

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

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

  • software engineer - $419k per year

  • data scientist - $317k per year

Which are the top locations?
What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Scientist?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $321k per year.

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

3% of employees lie between 26-31 yrs . 3% of the employees fall in the age group of 31-36 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal Scientist?

5% hold a PostGraduate degree. 3% hold a Graduate degree.

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

2% of employees studied at Case Western Reserve University . 2% studied at Gautam Buddh Technical University .

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

Employees at Microsoft as Principal Scientist earn an average of $325k, mostly ranging from $299k per year to $620k per year based on 61 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $410k per year.

What is the average salary of Microsoft Principal Scientist?

Average salary of an employee at Microsoft as Principal Scientist is $325k.

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

Highest reported salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Scientist is $863k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $410k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $620k per year.

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

3% of employees have skills in engineering . 3% also know information systems . 3% also know mathematics .

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

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

  • software engineer - $419k per year

  • data scientist - $317k per year

Which are the top locations?
What is the median salary offered at Microsoft as Principal Scientist?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $321k per year.

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

3% of employees lie between 26-31 yrs . 3% of the employees fall in the age group of 31-36 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have at Microsoft as Principal Scientist?

5% hold a PostGraduate degree. 3% hold a Graduate degree.

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

2% of employees studied at Case Western Reserve University . 2% studied at Gautam Buddh Technical University .

Salary Brackets
Percentage
< 100 k < 100 k
Percentage : 2
100-200 k 100-200 k
Percentage : 7
200-300 k 200-300 k
Percentage : 26
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 49
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 11
> 500 k > 500 k
Percentage : 2
Age Brackets
Percentage
26-31 yrs 26-31 yrs
Percentage : 3
31-36 yrs 31-36 yrs
Percentage : 3
36-41 yrs 36-41 yrs
Percentage : 2
Skills
Trending
engineering
3 %
information systems
3 %
mathematics
3 %
statistics
3 %
hadoop
2 %
physics
2 %
python
2 %
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