Principal Mechanical Engineer Salary in California
$84.9K - $92.3K
1% of jobs
$92.3K - $99.7K
1% of jobs
$99.7K - $107.1K
2% of jobs
$107.1K - $114.5K
1% of jobs
$114.5K - $121.9K
4% of jobs
$121.9K - $129.3K
10% of jobs
$133.2K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$129.3K - $136.7K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $143.8K / yr.
$136.7K - $144.1K
20% of jobs
$144.1K - $151.5K
24% of jobs
$151.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$151.5K - $158.9K
19% of jobs
$158.9K - $166.3K
6% of jobs
$84.9K
$145.1K
$167.8K
$143,176
/year
$68.83
/hour
Principal Mechanical Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$145,075
California
California
$143,176
Do you get a good deal as a Principal Mechanical Engineer?
Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.
Take The Breakroom Quiz
How much does a Principal Mechanical Engineer make in California?
As of May 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Mechanical Engineer in California is $143,176 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $68.83 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,753/week or $11,931/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $167,774 and as low as $84,874, the majority of Principal Mechanical Engineer salaries currently range between $134,200 (25th percentile) to $154,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $161,358 annually in California. The average pay range for a Principal Mechanical Engineer varies little (about 19800), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
California ranks number 50 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 in California
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Principal Mechanical Engineer job is above the average in California in California. Topping the list is Cupertino, , with South San Francisco, and Santa Clara, close behind in the second and third positions. Santa Clara, beats the average in California by $28,155 (19.7%), and Cupertino, furthers that trend with another $35,810 (25.0%) above the $143,176 average.
With these 10 cities paying on average above the average for California, 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 6% between Cupertino, and Santa Cruz, , 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 |
|---|---|---|
Cupertino | $178,986 | $86.05 |
South San Francisco | $174,183 | $83.74 |
Santa Clara | $171,331 | $82.37 |
San Francisco | $170,924 | $82.17 |
San Francisco Bay Area | $170,924 | $82.17 |
Novato | $170,328 | $81.89 |
Sunnyvale | $170,268 | $81.86 |
Livermore | $170,172 | $81.81 |
San Jose | $170,027 | $81.74 |
Santa Cruz | $167,513 | $80.54 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Principal Mechanical Engineer Jobs in California
Analyzing similar jobs related to the Principal Mechanical Engineer job category in California, we found 5 that were relevant. However, none pay more than the $143176 state average for Principal Mechanical Engineer jobs.
Nevertheless Mechanical Project Manager, Work From Home Mechanical Engineer, or Mechanical Field Engineer may still be interesting positions to explore.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Mechanical Project Manager | $104,323 | $50.16 |
Work From Home Mechanical Engineer | $101,531 | $48.81 |
Mechanical Field Engineer | $84,950 | $40.84 |
Mechanic Engineer | $78,767 | $37.87 |
Stationary Engineer | $76,237 | $36.65 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
