Principal Test Engineer Salary
$74K - $86.5K
4% of jobs
$86.5K - $99K
8% of jobs
$99K - $111.5K
9% of jobs
$116.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$111.5K - $124K
10% of jobs
$124K - $136.5K
10% of jobs
The median wage is $145.4K / yr.
$136.5K - $149K
13% of jobs
$149K - $161.5K
12% of jobs
$169.3K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$161.5K - $174K
14% of jobs
$174K - $186.5K
10% of jobs
$186.5K - $199K
6% of jobs
$199K - $211.5K
3% of jobs
$74K
$147.5K
$212.5K
$147,220
/year
$70.78
/hour
Principal Test Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$147,220
Columbus
Ohio
$142,200
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How much does a Principal Test Engineer make?
As of Aug 13, 2026, the average annual pay for a Principal Test Engineer in the United States is $147,220 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $70.78 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,831/week or $12,268/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $212,500 and as low as $74,000, the majority of Principal Test Engineer salaries currently range between $118,500 (25th percentile) to $173,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $196,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Principal Test Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 54500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Principal Test Engineer in your area makes on average $142,200 per year, or $5,020 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $147,220. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Principal Test Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Principal Test 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 Test Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Principal Test Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Principal Test Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Two Rivers, WI, , with Barrow, AK, and Cupertino, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Cupertino, CA, beats the national average by $34,412 (23.4%), and Two Rivers, WI, furthers that trend with another $51,431 (34.9%) above the $147,220 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Principal Test Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 13% between Two Rivers, WI, 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 Test Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Two Rivers, WI | $198,651 | $95.51 |
Barrow, AK | $183,402 | $88.17 |
Cupertino, CA | $181,632 | $87.32 |
Phoenix, AZ | $181,224 | $87.13 |
Berlin Corners, VT | $179,934 | $86.51 |
Tacoma, WA | $179,008 | $86.06 |
Sitka, AK | $177,353 | $85.27 |
Mountain View, CA | $173,672 | $83.50 |
San Francisco, CA | $173,451 | $83.39 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $173,313 | $83.32 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Principal Test Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Principal Test Engineer job category, we found that Senior Hardware Design Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Principal Test Engineer jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Hardware Design Engineer | $139,020 | $66.84 |
Optimization Engineer | $124,067 | $59.65 |
Senior Network Design Engineer | $123,786 | $59.51 |
Aerospace Chief Engineer | $92,945 | $44.69 |
Junior Platform Engineer | $71,799 | $34.52 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
