Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer

Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer Salary

$60.5K

$158K

$231K

$160,936

/year

$77.37

/hour

Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$160,936

Columbus

Ohio

$155,448

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    How much does a Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer make?

    As of Aug 10, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer in the United States is $160,936 a year.

    Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $77.37 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,094/week or $13,411/month.

    While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $231,000 and as low as $60,500, the majority of Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer salaries currently range between $135,000 (25th percentile) to $181,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $205,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 46000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

    A Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer in your area makes on average $155,448 per year, or $5,488 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $160,936. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer salaries.

    To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Principal Engineer 1 Software 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 Engineer 1 Software Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

    What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer Jobs

    We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Hawaii County, HI, , with Lebanon, NH, and Pennington County, SD, close behind in the second and third positions. Pennington County, SD, beats the national average by $57,815 (35.9%), and Hawaii County, HI, furthers that trend with another $65,403 (40.6%) above the $160,936 average.

    With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

    Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 16% between Hawaii County, HI, and Lindon, UT, , 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 Engineer 1 Software Engineer role.

    City

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Hawaii County, HI

    $226,339

    $108.82

    Lebanon, NH

    $220,637

    $106.08

    Pennington County, SD

    $218,751

    $105.17

    Springfield, VA

    $213,131

    $102.47

    New London, CT

    $202,207

    $97.21

    Chesterbrook, PA

    $202,035

    $97.13

    Nome, AK

    $199,641

    $95.98

    Cupertino, CA

    $198,554

    $95.46

    Sitka, AK

    $193,877

    $93.21

    Lindon, UT

    $191,173

    $91.91

    What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

    Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer job category, we found that Principal Civil Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer jobs.

    Job Title

    Annual Salary

    Hourly Wage

    Principal Civil Engineer

    $147,220

    $70.78

    Civil Estimator

    $106,970

    $51.43

    Utility Engineer

    $96,779

    $46.53

    Eit

    $91,097

    $43.80

    Quality Control Civil Engineer

    $81,001

    $38.94

    About Our Data

    ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

    Infographic detailing Principal Engineer 1 Software Engineer salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $160,936 per year or $77.37 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.