Principal Java Software Engineer Salary
$83K - $94K
3% of jobs
$94K - $105K
3% of jobs
$105K - $116K
3% of jobs
$116K - $127K
12% of jobs
$129.5K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$127K - $138K
15% of jobs
$138K - $149K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $149.8K / yr.
$149K - $160K
21% of jobs
$165.2K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$160K - $171K
12% of jobs
$171K - $182K
2% of jobs
$182K - $193K
14% of jobs
$193K - $204K
3% of jobs
$83K
$150.5K
$202K
$149,680
/year
$71.96
/hour
Principal Java Software Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$149,680
Columbus
Ohio
$144,576
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How much does a Principal Java Software Engineer make?
As of Jun 19, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Java Software Engineer in the United States is $149,680 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $71.96 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,878/week or $12,473/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $202,000 and as low as $83,000, the majority of Principal Java Software Engineer salaries currently range between $128,500 (25th percentile) to $165,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $187,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Principal Java Software Engineer varies little (about 36500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Principal Java Software Engineer in your area makes on average $144,576 per year, or $5,104 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $149,680. Ohio ranks number 43 out of 50 states nationwide for Principal Java Software Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Principal Java 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 Java Software Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Principal Java Software Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Principal Java Software Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Pennington County, SD, , with Milford, CT, and Midland, MI, close behind in the second and third positions. Midland, MI, beats the national average by $65,761 (43.9%), and Pennington County, SD, furthers that trend with another $85,049 (56.8%) above the $149,680 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Principal Java Software Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 23% between Pennington County, SD, and Nome, AK, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Principal Java Software Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Pennington County, SD | $234,729 | $112.85 |
Milford, CT | $221,486 | $106.48 |
Midland, MI | $215,441 | $103.58 |
Iselin, NJ | $215,385 | $103.55 |
Burleigh County, ND | $211,855 | $101.85 |
Spearfish, SD | $210,799 | $101.35 |
King of Prussia, PA | $210,558 | $101.23 |
Warrensville Heights, OH | $200,214 | $96.26 |
Douglas County, NE | $195,890 | $94.18 |
Nome, AK | $185,677 | $89.27 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Principal Java Software Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Principal Java Software Engineer job category, we found that Software Engineer Manager jobs have average salaries greater than Principal Java Software Engineer jobs.
Significantly, Software Engineer Manager jobs pay $19,701 (13.2%) more than the average Principal Java Software Engineer salary of $149,680. If you're qualified, finding work as a Software Engineer Manager may help you make more money than that of the average Principal Java Software Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Software Engineer Manager | $169,381 | $81.43 |
Kotlin Developer | $127,151 | $61.13 |
Embedded Linux Developer | $110,439 | $53.10 |
Requirements Engineer | $109,226 | $52.51 |
Radar | $72,187 | $34.71 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
