Principal Software Engineer Developer Salaries

2481 verified profiles
Last updated on November 6, 2026
Average Annual Total Compensation is $316k

Employees as Principal Software Engineer Developer earn an average of $316k, mostly ranging from $211k to $1003k based on 2481 profiles.

Average total compvs top-paid
Asian
$321k n=282
100%
Multi-ethnic
$305k n=30
95%
Black
$300k n=9
93%
White
$277k n=322
86%
Hispanic
$220k n=22
69%
Overall average $295k6figr.com
For every $100 paid to Asian employees, Hispanics are paid $69
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Salary Profiles
Company
Title(Level)
Annual Salary
Experience
School
Degree
Location
Skills
Principal Software Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $241k

Stocks: $54k

(Today) (10.7%) $60k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$343k

(Today) (1.7%) $349k

13yrs
NA
Masters

Works in New York, NY

Backend engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $190k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (10.3%) $43k

Bonus: $29k

TC:$258k

(Today) (1.6%) $262k

18yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Atlanta, GA

Backend engineer (Principal Software Engineer)
Male

Base: $263k

Stocks: $147k

(Today) (92.4%) $283k

Bonus: $35k

TC:$445k

(Today) (30.5%) $581k

23yrs
NA
Associate

Works in Dallas, TX

Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $274k

Stocks: $647k

(Today) (16.7%) $755k

Bonus: -

TC:$921k

(Today) (11.7%) $1029k

20yrs
NA
Phd

Works in San Francisco, CA

Research Scientist (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $78k

(Today) (12.6%) $88k

Bonus: $59k

TC:$343k

(Today) (2.9%) $353k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Machine Learning Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $255k

Stocks: $75k

(Today) (11.8%) $83k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$378k

(Today) (2.3%) $387k

9yrs
NA
Masters

Works in San Francisco, CA

Software Engineer (Principal Software Engineer)
Male

Base: $151k

Stocks: $29k

Bonus: -

TC:$180k

15yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Los Angeles, CA

Base: $216k

Stocks: $39k

Bonus: $43k

TC:$298k

18yrs
NA
Bachelors

Works in Irving, TX

Base: $157k

Stocks: $49k

Bonus: $49k

TC:$255k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Durham, NC

Production Engineer (Principal SDE)
Male

Base: $206k

Stocks: $39k

(Today) (9.4%) $43k

Bonus: $39k

TC:$284k

(Today) (1.3%) $288k

10yrs
NA
Masters

Works in Redmond, WA

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Frequently asked questions
How much do Principal Software Engineer Developer employees make?

Employees as Principal Software Engineer Developer earn an average of $316k, mostly ranging from $211k per year to $1003k per year based on 2481 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $537k per year.

What is the average salary of Principal Software Engineer Developer?

Average salary of an employee as Principal Software Engineer Developer is $316k.

What is the highest salary offered as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

Highest reported salary offered as Principal Software Engineer Developer is $2086k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $537k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $1003k per year.

What are the most common skills required as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

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

What are the highest paying jobs as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

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

  • hardware engineer - $458k per year

  • software engineer ii - $359k per year

  • software engineer - $320k per year

  • software engineering manager - $289k per year

  • principal software engineer - $220k per year

What are the new grad salaries as Principal Software Engineer Developer?
  • software engineer - $190k per year

What is the median salary offered as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $266k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

3% of employees lie between 31-36 yrs . 2% of the employees fall in the age group of 36-41 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

4% hold a Graduate degree. 4% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working as Principal Software Engineer Developer went to?

0% of employees studied at University of Madras . 0% studied at North Carolina State University .

Frequently asked questions
How much do Principal Software Engineer Developer employees make?

Employees as Principal Software Engineer Developer earn an average of $316k, mostly ranging from $211k per year to $1003k per year based on 2481 profiles. The top 10% of employees earn more than $537k per year.

What is the average salary of Principal Software Engineer Developer?

Average salary of an employee as Principal Software Engineer Developer is $316k.

What is the highest salary offered as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

Highest reported salary offered as Principal Software Engineer Developer is $2086k. The top 10% of employees earn more than $537k per year. The top 1% earn more than a whopping $1003k per year.

What are the most common skills required as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

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

What are the highest paying jobs as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

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

  • hardware engineer - $458k per year

  • software engineer ii - $359k per year

  • software engineer - $320k per year

  • software engineering manager - $289k per year

  • principal software engineer - $220k per year

What are the new grad salaries as Principal Software Engineer Developer?
  • software engineer - $190k per year

What is the median salary offered as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

The median salary approximately calculated from salary profiles measured so far is $266k per year.

How is the age distributed among employees as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

3% of employees lie between 31-36 yrs . 2% of the employees fall in the age group of 36-41 yrs .

What qualifications do employees have as Principal Software Engineer Developer?

4% hold a Graduate degree. 4% hold a PostGraduate degree.

Which schools do employees working as Principal Software Engineer Developer went to?

0% of employees studied at University of Madras . 0% studied at North Carolina State University .

Salary Brackets
< 100 k: 1%100-200 k: 31%200-300 k: 27%300-400 k: 20%400-500 k: 8%> 500 k: 13%
  • < 100 k
  • 100-200 k
  • 200-300 k
  • 300-400 k
  • 400-500 k
  • > 500 k
Age Brackets
26-31 yrs: 17%31-36 yrs: 50%36-41 yrs: 33%
  • 26-31 yrs
  • 31-36 yrs
  • 36-41 yrs
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