Salary data · Updated daily
Principal engineering salaries in the United States
Median $238k a year across 368 live postings that publish pay; the middle half runs from $188k to $285k. 90% of the 407 live postings in this segment publish a band at all.
The middle half: $188k to $285k. The ends are folded into the outer bars.
- Internship$80k
- Entry level$128k
- Mid level$163k
- Senior$190k
- Staff$230k
- Principal (this page)$238k
- Manager$238k
- Director$255k
- Executive$222k
Bars are the middle half of published bands; the tick is the median.
Highest-paying employers
OpenAImedian of 4 published bands$458k
Anthropicmedian of 5 published bands$403k
Waymomedian of 2 published bands$390k
Snowflakemedian of 16 published bands$322k
Robloxmedian of 43 published bands$320k
Crusoemedian of 5 published bands$300k
GitLabmedian of 5 published bands$300k
Databricksmedian of 7 published bands$294k
Hiring the most right now
By job title
| Title | Median | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Principal Software Engineer | $263k | 16 |
| Principal Software Engineer (Platform Team) | $243k | 6 |
| Principal Electrical Engineer | $185k | 5 |
| Principal Engineer | $238k | 5 |
| Principal Design Verification Engineer (Silicon Engineering) | $273k | 4 |
| Principal Security Engineer | $231k | 4 |
| Principal Security Software Engineer (Starlink) | $240k | 4 |
| Distinguished Engineer / Technical Fellow | $261k | 3 |
The best-paid openings in this segment
- Principal Software Engineer, Full Stack - CodexOpenAI · San Francisco$459k to $536k
- Principal Software Engineer, ChatGPT Education and LearningOpenAI · San Francisco$459k to $536k
- Distinguished Engineer, Content PlatformRoblox · San Mateo, CA, United States$399k to $458k
- Principal Software Engineer, Infrastructure SecurityOpenAI · Remote$347k to $490k
- Principal Security Engineer, Infrastructure SecurityOpenAI · Remote$347k to $490k
- Principal Security Engineer, Enterprise SecurityRoblox · San Mateo, CA, United States$385k to $443k
Looking for one of these
See which of the 368 openings behind this number fit you, ranked against your own history.
No account needed to see where you stand.
Pricing an offer
Hiring for this? Find the people, not just the number.
500 free credits on sign-up. No card.
Principal engineering elsewhere
Other salaries in the United States
Questions this data answers
What is the median salary for principal engineering roles in the United States?
$238k a year in base pay, across 368 live postings that publish a salary band. The middle half of those bands runs from $188k to $285k.
What do the best-paid principal engineering roles in the United States offer?
One in ten published bands has a midpoint above $322k, and one in ten sits below $159k.
How many principal engineering job posts publish a salary?
90% of the 407 live postings in this segment state a pay range. The figures here are drawn only from those.
Do remote engineering roles in the United States pay less?
Remote postings publish a median of $240k against $238k for on-site and hybrid ones, from 81 and 287 postings respectively.
Which companies pay the most for principal engineering roles in the United States?
Among employers with at least two published bands, the highest medians right now are at OpenAI ($458k), Anthropic ($403k), Waymo ($390k).
Where does this data come from?
Base pay only, as employers publish it in their own job posts: the midpoint of each annual range, in the currency most postings use. Equity, bonus and commission are not in it. Updated daily.
Base pay only, as employers publish it in their own job posts: the midpoint of each annual range, in the currency most postings use. Equity, bonus and commission are not in it. Read off the live postings on Refolk's job board, where an employer is only counted while the posting is open. Updated daily.