Principal Database Engineer Salary
$91K - $100K
7% of jobs
$100K - $109K
8% of jobs
$109K - $118K
7% of jobs
$120.2K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$118K - $127K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $134.4K / yr.
$127K - $136K
19% of jobs
$136K - $145K
16% of jobs
$149.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$145K - $154K
11% of jobs
$154K - $163K
10% of jobs
$163K - $172K
5% of jobs
$172K - $181K
2% of jobs
$181K - $190K
2% of jobs
$91K
$136K
$192K
$138,529
/year
$66.60
/hour
Principal Database Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$138,529
Columbus
Ohio
$133,806
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How much does a Principal Database Engineer make?
As of Jul 27, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Database Engineer in the United States is $138,529 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $66.60 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,664/week or $11,544/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $192,000 and as low as $91,000, the majority of Principal Database Engineer salaries currently range between $121,500 (25th percentile) to $154,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $172,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Principal Database Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 33000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Principal Database Engineer in your area makes on average $133,806 per year, or $4,723 (3.409%) less than the national average annual salary of $138,529. Ohio ranks number 38 out of 50 states nationwide for Principal Database Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Principal Database 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 Database Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Principal Database Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Principal Database Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Kentville, NS, , with Carcross, YT, and Haines Junction, YT, close behind in the second and third positions. Haines Junction, YT, beats the national average by $49,103 (35.4%), and Kentville, NS, furthers that trend with another $51,062 (36.9%) above the $138,529 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Principal Database Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 4% between Kentville, NS, and West Kelowna, BC, , 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 Database Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Kentville, NS | $189,591 | $91.15 |
Carcross, YT | $188,275 | $90.52 |
Haines Junction, YT | $187,632 | $90.21 |
North Cowichan, BC | $187,079 | $89.94 |
Duncan, BC | $186,360 | $89.60 |
Victoria, BC | $185,233 | $89.05 |
Alberton, PE | $183,504 | $88.22 |
Saint John, NB | $181,807 | $87.41 |
Kelowna, BC | $181,426 | $87.22 |
West Kelowna, BC | $181,393 | $87.21 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Principal Database Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Principal Database Engineer job category, we found that Reverse Engineering jobs have average salaries similar than Principal Database Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Reverse Engineering | $136,286 | $65.52 |
Senior Cybersecurity Engineer | $132,641 | $63.77 |
Avionics Electrical Engineer | $116,287 | $55.91 |
Raytheon Technologies Engineer | $111,632 | $53.67 |
Security Forces Officer | $35,678 | $17.15 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
