Principal Mechanical Engineer Salary in Washington, DC
$97.9K - $106.5K
1% of jobs
$106.5K - $115K
1% of jobs
$115K - $123.5K
2% of jobs
$123.5K - $132.1K
1% of jobs
$132.1K - $140.6K
4% of jobs
$140.6K - $149.2K
10% of jobs
$153.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$149.2K - $157.7K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $165.9K / yr.
$157.7K - $166.2K
20% of jobs
$166.2K - $174.8K
24% of jobs
$175K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$174.8K - $183.3K
19% of jobs
$183.3K - $191.8K
6% of jobs
$97.9K
$167.4K
$193.6K
$165,185
/year
$79.42
/hour
Principal Mechanical Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$145,075
Washington
District of Columbia
$165,185
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How much does a Principal Mechanical Engineer make in Washington, District of Columbia?
As of May 28, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Mechanical Engineer in Washington is $165,185 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $79.42 an hour. This is the equivalent of $3,176/week or $13,765/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing salaries as high as $193,563 and as low as $97,921, the majority of Principal Mechanical Engineer salaries currently range between $154,900 (25th percentile) to $177,600 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $186,163 annually in Washington. The average pay range for a Principal Mechanical Engineer varies little (about 22700), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
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 5 Best Paying Related Principal Mechanical Engineer Jobs in Washington
We found a few jobs that pay more than jobs in the Principal Mechanical Engineer category in Washington, DC.
Nevertheless Mechanical Project Manager, Mechanical Field Engineer, or Mechanic Engineer may still be interesting positions to explore.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Mechanical Project Manager | $119,723 | $57.56 |
Mechanical Field Engineer | $97,455 | $46.85 |
Mechanic Engineer | $90,395 | $43.46 |
Stationary Engineer | $87,223 | $41.93 |
Mechanical Drafter | $63,481 | $30.52 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
