Principal Controls Engineer Salary
$74K - $86.5K
4% of jobs
$86.5K - $99K
8% of jobs
$99K - $111.5K
9% of jobs
$116.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$111.5K - $124K
10% of jobs
$124K - $136.5K
10% of jobs
The median wage is $145.4K / yr.
$136.5K - $149K
13% of jobs
$149K - $161.5K
12% of jobs
$169.3K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$161.5K - $174K
14% of jobs
$174K - $186.5K
10% of jobs
$186.5K - $199K
6% of jobs
$199K - $211.5K
3% of jobs
$74K
$147.5K
$212.5K
$147,220
/year
$70.78
/hour
Principal Controls Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$147,220
Columbus
Ohio
$142,200
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How much does a Principal Controls Engineer make?
As of Jul 30, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Controls Engineer in the United States is $147,220 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $70.78 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,831/week or $12,268/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $212,500 and as low as $74,000, the majority of Principal Controls Engineer salaries currently range between $118,500 (25th percentile) to $173,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $196,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Principal Controls Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 54500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Principal Controls Engineer in your area makes on average $142,200 per year, or $5,020 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $147,220. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Principal Controls Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Principal Controls Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Principal Controls Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Principal Controls Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Principal Controls Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Barrow, AK, , with Berkeley, CA, and Berlin Corners, VT, close behind in the second and third positions. Berlin Corners, VT, beats the national average by $32,714 (22.2%), and Barrow, AK, furthers that trend with another $36,182 (24.6%) above the $147,220 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Principal Controls Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Barrow, AK, and Sunnyvale, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Principal Controls Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Barrow, AK | $183,402 | $88.17 |
Berkeley, CA | $180,262 | $86.66 |
Berlin Corners, VT | $179,934 | $86.51 |
Tacoma, WA | $179,008 | $86.06 |
Sitka, AK | $177,353 | $85.27 |
Mountain View, CA | $175,193 | $84.23 |
Palo Alto, CA | $173,497 | $83.41 |
San Francisco, CA | $173,451 | $83.39 |
Red Dog, AK | $172,804 | $83.08 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $172,785 | $83.07 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Principal Controls Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Principal Controls Engineer category.
For example Principal Firmware Engineer jobs pay as much as $20,218 (13.7%) more than the average Principal Controls Engineer salary of $147,220. If you're qualified, finding work as a Principal Firmware Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Principal Controls Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Principal Firmware Engineer | $167,438 | $80.50 |
Principal Process Engineer | $150,082 | $72.15 |
Principal Automation Engineer | $128,153 | $61.61 |
Principal Applications Developer | $120,809 | $58.08 |
Exploitation Engineer | $106,386 | $51.15 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
