Principal Mechanical Engineer Salary
$86K - $93.5K
1% of jobs
$93.5K - $101K
1% of jobs
$101K - $108.5K
2% of jobs
$108.5K - $116K
1% of jobs
$116K - $123.5K
4% of jobs
$123.5K - $131K
10% of jobs
$134.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$131K - $138.5K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $145.7K / yr.
$138.5K - $146K
20% of jobs
$146K - $153.5K
24% of jobs
$153.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$153.5K - $161K
19% of jobs
$161K - $168.5K
6% of jobs
$86K
$147K
$170K
$145,075
/year
$69.75
/hour
Principal Mechanical Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$145,075
Columbus
Ohio
$140,128
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How much does a Principal Mechanical Engineer make?
As of May 27, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Mechanical Engineer in the United States is $145,075 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $69.75 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,789/week or $12,089/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $170,000 and as low as $86,000, the majority of Principal Mechanical Engineer salaries currently range between $136,000 (25th percentile) to $156,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $163,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Principal Mechanical Engineer varies little (about 20000), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Principal Mechanical Engineer in your area makes on average $140,128 per year, or $4,947 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $145,075. Ohio ranks number 41 out of 50 states nationwide for Principal Mechanical Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Principal Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Principal Mechanical Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Principal Mechanical Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Barrow, AK, , with Nome, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $33,911 (23.4%), and Barrow, AK, furthers that trend with another $35,656 (24.6%) above the $145,075 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Principal Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Barrow, AK | $180,731 | $86.89 |
Nome, AK | $179,965 | $86.52 |
Cupertino, CA | $178,986 | $86.05 |
Sitka, AK | $174,769 | $84.02 |
South San Francisco, CA | $174,183 | $83.74 |
Santa Clara, CA | $171,331 | $82.37 |
San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $170,924 | $82.17 |
San Francisco, CA | $170,924 | $82.17 |
Novato, CA | $170,328 | $81.89 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $170,268 | $81.86 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Principal Mechanical Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Principal Mechanical Engineer job category, we found that Mechanical Project Manager jobs have average salaries similar than Principal Mechanical Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Mechanical Project Manager | $105,707 | $50.82 |
Mechanical Field Engineer | $86,077 | $41.38 |
Mechanic Engineer | $79,812 | $38.37 |
Stationary Engineer | $77,249 | $37.14 |
Entry Mechanical Engineer | $69,055 | $33.20 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
