Principal Process Engineer
Principal Process Engineer Salary
$87K - $95.5K
1% of jobs
$95.5K - $104K
4% of jobs
$104K - $112.5K
5% of jobs
$112.5K - $121K
10% of jobs
$128.7K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$121K - $129.5K
5% of jobs
$129.5K - $138K
6% of jobs
$138K - $146.5K
6% of jobs
The median wage is $153.9K / yr.
$146.5K - $155K
15% of jobs
$155K - $163.5K
18% of jobs
$166.2K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$163.5K - $172K
16% of jobs
$172K - $180.5K
14% of jobs
$87K
$156K
$182K
$150,082
/year
$72.15
/hour
Principal Process Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$150,082
Columbus
Ohio
$144,964
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How much does a Principal Process Engineer make?
As of Jun 16, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Process Engineer in the United States is $150,082 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $72.15 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,886/week or $12,506/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $182,000 and as low as $87,000, the majority of Principal Process Engineer salaries currently range between $130,000 (25th percentile) to $169,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $178,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Principal Process Engineer varies little (about 39500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Principal Process Engineer in your area makes on average $144,964 per year, or $5,118 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $150,082. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Principal Process Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Principal Process 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 Process Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Principal Process Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Principal Process Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Barrow, AK, , with Nome, AK, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $33,685 (22.4%), and Barrow, AK, furthers that trend with another $36,886 (24.6%) above the $150,082 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Principal Process 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 Barrow, AK, and San Jose, 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 Process Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Barrow, AK | $186,968 | $89.89 |
Nome, AK | $186,176 | $89.51 |
Berkeley, CA | $183,767 | $88.35 |
Sitka, AK | $180,801 | $86.92 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $178,554 | $85.84 |
San Francisco, CA | $176,823 | $85.01 |
Union Hill-Novelty Hill, WA | $176,814 | $85.01 |
Santa Clara, CA | $176,262 | $84.74 |
Livermore, CA | $176,045 | $84.64 |
San Jose, CA | $175,895 | $84.56 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Principal Process Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Principal Process Engineer job category, we found that Principal Process Safety Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Principal Process Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Principal Process Safety Engineer | $150,082 | $72.15 |
Inductive Automation | $121,854 | $58.58 |
Intermediate Electrical Engineer | $111,091 | $53.41 |
Photonics Engineer | $106,386 | $51.15 |
Chemical Engineer Pe | $87,487 | $42.06 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
