Principal Engineer Salaries

6909 verified profiles
Last updated on March 3, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $303k

Employees as Principal Engineer earn an average of $303k, mostly ranging from $196k to $1050k based on 6909 profiles.

👨‍💻 Male $293k Male
Average Salary : $ 293 k
👩‍💻 Female $281k Female
Average Salary : $ 281 k
🧑 Non-binary $264k Non-binary
Average Salary : $ 264 k
For every $100 paid to men, women are paid $96
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills

Base: $215k

Stocks: -

Bonus: -

TC:$215k

28.9yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in San Diego, CA

Base: $227k

Stocks: -

Bonus: -

TC:$227k

23.8yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Base: $194k

Stocks: $149k

(Today) (15.6%) $126k

Bonus: -

TC:$343k

(Today) (6.8%) $320k

15.3yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Key West, Florida, United States

Base: $150k

Stocks: -

Bonus: $17k

TC:$167k

25.3yrs
Masters in applied mathematics

Works in Bedminster, New Jersey, United States

Base: $216k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (3.3%) $41k

Bonus: $43k

TC:$298k

(Today) (0.4%) $299k

18yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Irving, TX

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Backend engineer (Principal Software Engineer)
Male

Base: $263k

Stocks: $147k

(Today) (16.9%) $122k

Bonus: $35k

TC:$445k

(Today) (5.6%) $420k

23yrs
NA
Associate

Works in Dallas, TX

Analog Engineer (T5)
Female

Base: $186k

Stocks: $98k

(Today) (4.8%) $93k

Bonus: $29k

TC:$314k

(Today) (1.5%) $309k

20yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Santa Clarita, CA

Base: $157k

Stocks: $49k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$255k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Durham, NC

Software Engineer (IC-4)
Male

Base: $165k

Stocks: $243k

Bonus: -

TC:$407k

14yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Seattle, WA

Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $241k

Stocks: $54k

(Today) (17.7%) $45k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$343k

(Today) (2.8%) $334k

13yrs
NA
Masters

Works in New York, NY

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Frequently asked questions
How much do Principal Engineer employees make?

Employees as Principal Engineer earn an average of $303k, mostly ranging from $196k per year to $1050k per year based on 6909 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $504k per year.

What is the average salary of Principal Engineer?

Average salary of an employee as Principal Engineer is $303k.

What is the highest salary offered as Principal Engineer?

Highest reported salary offered as Principal Engineer is $2086k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $504k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $1050k per year.

What are the most common skills required as Principal Engineer?

1% of employees have skills in engineering . 1% also know mathematics . 0% also know information systems .

What are the highest paying jobs as Principal Engineer?

The top 5 highest paying jobs as Principal Engineer with reported salaries are:

  • software engineer ii - $359k per year

  • principal engineer - $334k per year

  • venture capitalist - $326k per year

  • security analyst - $319k per year

  • software engineer - $315k per year

What are the new grad salaries as Principal Engineer?
  • software engineer - $198k per year

  • mechanical engineer - $105k per year

What is the median salary offered as Principal Engineer?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $252k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees as Principal Engineer?

9% of employees lie between 31-36 yrs . 6% of the employees fall in the age group of 36-41 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have as Principal Engineer?

12% hold a Graduate degree. 11% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working as Principal Engineer went to?

1% of employees studied at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University . 1% studied at University of Madras .

Frequently asked questions
How much do Principal Engineer employees make?

Employees as Principal Engineer earn an average of $303k, mostly ranging from $196k per year to $1050k per year based on 6909 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $504k per year.

What is the average salary of Principal Engineer?

Average salary of an employee as Principal Engineer is $303k.

What is the highest salary offered as Principal Engineer?

Highest reported salary offered as Principal Engineer is $2086k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $504k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $1050k per year.

What are the most common skills required as Principal Engineer?

1% of employees have skills in engineering . 1% also know mathematics . 0% also know information systems .

What are the highest paying jobs as Principal Engineer?

The top 5 highest paying jobs as Principal Engineer with reported salaries are:

  • software engineer ii - $359k per year

  • principal engineer - $334k per year

  • venture capitalist - $326k per year

  • security analyst - $319k per year

  • software engineer - $315k per year

What are the new grad salaries as Principal Engineer?
  • software engineer - $198k per year

  • mechanical engineer - $105k per year

What is the median salary offered as Principal Engineer?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $252k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees as Principal Engineer?

9% of employees lie between 31-36 yrs . 6% of the employees fall in the age group of 36-41 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have as Principal Engineer?

12% hold a Graduate degree. 11% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working as Principal Engineer went to?

1% of employees studied at Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University . 1% studied at University of Madras .

Salary Brackets
Percentage
< 100 k < 100 k
Percentage : 1
100-200 k 100-200 k
Percentage : 28
200-300 k 200-300 k
Percentage : 19
300-400 k 300-400 k
Percentage : 14
400-500 k 400-500 k
Percentage : 7
> 500 k > 500 k
Percentage : 9
Age Brackets
Percentage
21-26 yrs 21-26 yrs
Percentage : 0
26-31 yrs 26-31 yrs
Percentage : 4
31-36 yrs 31-36 yrs
Percentage : 9
36-41 yrs 36-41 yrs
Percentage : 6
> 41 yrs > 41 yrs
Percentage : 3
Skills
Trending
engineering
1 %
mathematics
1 %
information systems
0 %
information technology
0 %
java
0 %
javascript
0 %
python
0 %
Schools
Top
Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
1 %
University of Madras
1 %
Visveswaraiah Technological University
1 %
Anna University
1 %
University of Pune
0 %
Osmania University
0 %
Bharathidasan University
0 %
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