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SALARIES · 215 POSTED PAY RANGES

Principal salaries

Pay ranges employers published in 215 open job postings for Principal roles at 61 companies, updated Sep 30, 2026.

Posted base pay ranges from job listings, not total compensation. Figures are in USD; 4 more postings in CAD (median CA$183K), 1 more posting in EUR. How these figures are made

Pay distribution

Principal: postings by posted pay210 postings by the midpoint of their pay range, in 16 bands from $110K to $270K. Median $186K; middle half $158K–$215K.Median $186K$110K$270K

Postings per pay band: $110K–$120K: 15; $120K–$130K: 10; $130K–$140K: 8; $140K–$150K: 6; $150K–$160K: 17; $160K–$170K: 13; $170K–$180K: 17; $180K–$190K: 35; $190K–$200K: 16; $200K–$210K: 9; $210K–$220K: 25; $220K–$230K: 4; $230K–$240K: 9; $240K–$250K: 2; $250K–$260K: 8; $260K–$270K: 16.

Pay by level

  1. Principal$186K median · $158K–$215K typical · 208 postingsPrincipal: middle half $158K–$215K, median $186K

Companies hiring

  1. The Options Clearing Corporation$160K median · $149K–$190K typical · 34 postingsThe Options Clearing Corporation: middle half $149K–$190K, median $160K
  2. Walmart$215K median · $198K–$215K typical · 28 postingsWalmart: middle half $198K–$215K, median $215K
  3. Eli Lilly and Company$119K median · $119K–$119K typical · 18 postingsEli Lilly and Company: middle half $119K–$119K, median $119K
  4. Introba Inc.$158K median · $158K–$205K typical · 11 postingsIntroba Inc.: middle half $158K–$205K, median $158K

Top-paying companies

  1. Hpe · $277K median · 5 postings
  2. PayPal, Inc. · $271K median · 3 postings
  3. IQVIA · $252K median · 6 postings
  4. Palo Alto Networks · $252K median · 8 postings
  5. Transamerica · $233K median · 3 postings

By location

  1. United States$186K median · $157K–$215K typical · 185 postingsUnited States: middle half $157K–$215K, median $186K
  2. California$215K median · $215K–$224K typical · 29 postingsCalifornia: middle half $215K–$224K, median $215K
  3. Illinois$180K median · $149K–$190K typical · 26 postingsIllinois: middle half $149K–$190K, median $180K
  4. Chicago, IL$180K median · $149K–$190K typical · 26 postingsChicago, IL: middle half $149K–$190K, median $180K
  5. Remote$188K median · $183K–$225K typical · 31 postingsRemote: middle half $183K–$225K, median $188K

Remote vs on-site

Remote: $188K median, $183K–$225K typical, from 29 postings. On-site: $182K median, $150K–$215K typical, from 138 postings.

By years of experience

  1. 5–7 years$198K median · $159K–$215K typical · 7 postings5–7 years: middle half $159K–$215K, median $198K
  2. 8+ years$186K median · $158K–$223K typical · 17 postings8+ years: middle half $158K–$223K, median $186K

Newest Principal postings

  1. Principal - Site Reliability Engineer (SRE)AT&T · Remote · $174K–$261K/yr · Posted Sep 30, 2026ApplyView posting
  2. Associate Principal, Network EngineeringTheocc · Remote · $109K–$155K/yr · Posted Sep 30, 2026ApplyView posting
  3. Principal, Corporate ActuarialJoinroot · Remote · $175K–$200K/yr · Posted Sep 30, 2026ApplyView posting
  4. (USA) Principal, Software EngineerWalmart · Hoboken, NJ · $132K–$264K/yr · Posted Sep 29, 2026ApplyView posting
  5. (USA) Principal, Software EngineerWalmart · Sunnyvale, CA · $143K–$286K/yr · Posted Sep 29, 2026ApplyView posting
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Systems Engineer / Sr Principal Systems EngineerSoftware Engineer PrincipalSystems Engineer/Principal Systems EngineerPrincipal/ Sr. Principal Systems EngineerConsulting/Principal AWS Network Infrastructure Engineer

Questions and answers

How much does a Principal make?

The median posted base pay for Principal jobs is $186K a year, from 215 job postings with pay at 61 companies.

What is the typical Principal pay range?

The middle half of postings list $158K–$215K. The top 10% list $252K a year or more, and the lowest 10% $126K or less.

Which companies pay the most for Principal jobs?

By median posted pay: Hpe ($277K), PayPal, Inc. ($271K), IQVIA ($252K).

Do remote Principal jobs pay more?

Remote postings list a median of $188K (29 postings) against $182K for on-site jobs (138 postings).

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