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Average Principal Software Engineer Salary 2026

Live Principal Software Engineer salary and pay data from the DeUnemployment index (measured 19 Oct 2026) — refreshed with the daily data build.

How much does a Principal Software Engineer make?

$174,000median, per year (model estimate)
$130,000–$241,000typical range (10th–90th pct)
17,001live Principal Software Engineer postings
2%remote-friendly

DeUnemployment currently indexes 17,001 live Principal Software Engineer jobs and estimates that a typical Principal Software Engineer earns roughly $130,000–$241,000/yr, with a median model estimate of $174,000/yr. About 2% of current postings are remote-friendly.

Where the Principal Software Engineer jobs are

The places with the most live openings right now: California (519) · New York (460) · Texas (395) · Massachusetts (319) · Wisconsin (259) · North Carolina (190) · New Jersey (172) · Florida (170). Top 8 of 14 places.

Who is hiring Principal Software Engineers

Employers with the most live Principal Software Engineer postings right now: JobsForHumanity, JYSK, Xboxgaming, Solarvest, Sapsol Technologies Inc 7.

A sample of live Principal Software Engineer openings

Principal Software Engineer (SRE & Architecture)Apply ↗

Sophia Genetics
Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Do you bring deep full-stack software engineering experience and the judgment to identify, design and deliver the right solutions? Are you comfortable using AI-assisted development to improve the resilience, performance

Principal Software EngineersApply ↗

JobsForHumanity
Tennessee, Tennessee, United States

Company Description Jobs for Humanity is collaborating with Upwardly Global and with Amazon to build an inclusive and just employment ecosystem. We support individuals coming from all walks of life. Company Name: Amazon

Senior Software Engineer, WorkdayApply ↗

Wawa
WAWA - Wawa, Inc. - Corporate Office

Job Description Job Title: Senior Software Engineer, Workday Location: Corporate Department: Information Technology Job Summary : The Senior Software Engineer, Workday designs, develops, tests, implements, upgrades, docu

Senior AI Software EngineerApply ↗

Sophia Genetics
Rolle, Vaud, Switzerland

Do you like hard technical challenges solved with modern technology - cloud, microservices, and applied AI/LLM systems? Join our team to use develop and deliver web modules and microservices for a globally distributed pl

Principal EngineerApply ↗

Solirius Consulting 1
London, England, United Kingdom

About Us: Solirius Reply , part of the Reply Group , is a technology consultancy and digital transformation partner that helps organisations solve complex challenges through strategy, design, engineering, and delivery. W

Senior Data Ops Engineer, Data Activation & Products - ActivisionApply ↗

Xboxgaming
Santa Monica

Job Title: Senior Data Ops Engineer, Data Activation & Products - Activision Requisition ID: R028025 Job Description: Your Mission We are looking for a Site Reliability Engineer to help improve the reliability, observabi

How the Principal Software Engineer pay estimate is built

The range above is a model estimate, not employer-reported pay. Of the 922 most relevant Principal Software Engineer postings we sampled, 922 carried enough pay information to be estimated (100%): the bottom of the range is the 10th percentile of those estimates and the top the 90th. Postings that hide pay are still counted in the job totals, but they cannot move the estimate. How we get the numbers.

Salary questions about Principal Software Engineer jobs

How much do Principal Software Engineers earn?

Typical pay for a Principal Software Engineer currently runs roughly $130,000–$241,000/yr, with a median around $174,000/yr. This is a model estimate and varies by location and experience.

How many Principal Software Engineer jobs are there?

There are currently 17,001 live Principal Software Engineer jobs listed on DeUnemployment, refreshed daily.

What is the average pay for a Principal Software Engineer?

The median pay for a Principal Software Engineer is about $174,000/yr, based on our live index of 17,001 postings — a model estimate from those postings, not employer-reported pay.

What is the Principal Software Engineer pay scale?

The Principal Software Engineer pay scale runs from roughly $130,000 at the 10th percentile to $241,000/yr at the 90th -- entry-level roles sit at the bottom of that range and senior or specialist roles at the top.

Are there remote Principal Software Engineer jobs?

About 2% of current Principal Software Engineer postings are remote-friendly. Use the search filters to show only remote roles.

Related salary pages

Lead Software Engineer · Software Engineer · Software Development Engineer · Staff Software Engineer

Salary figures are model estimates from DeUnemployment’s live index of public job postings, refreshed daily, and vary by location and experience.

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