Principal Software Engineer salary in San Diego, CA
Average Base Salary in San Diego, CA
$175,000
$500,000
Additional Cash Compensation
$675,000
Total Compensation
Median: 155,000
Min: $150K
Max: $250K
How Much Does a Principal Software Engineer Make in San Diego, CA?
The average salary for a Principal Software Engineer in San Diego, CA is $175,000. The average additional cash compensation for a Principal Software Engineer in San Diego, CA is $500,000. The average total compensation for a Principal Software Engineer in San Diego, CA is $675,000. Principal Software Engineer salaries are based on responses gathered by Built In from anonymous Principal Software Engineer employees in San Diego, CA.
Add your Principal Software Engineer in San Diego, CA salary info
Principal Software Engineer
Account Executive Account Manager Accountant Aerospace Engineer AI Engineer Analytics Manager Android Developer App Developer Application Engineer Art Director Associate Product Manager Automation Engineer AWS Developer Back End Developer Big Data Engineer Blockchain Developer Brand Manager Budget Analyst Business Analyst Business Development Manager Business Development Representative Business Intelligence Analyst Business Intelligence Developer Business Intelligence Developer Business Intelligence Manager CCO (Chief Creative Officer) CFO (Chief Financial Officer) Chief Information Officer Chief People Officer CIO (Chief Information Officer) Client Success Manager Cloud Engineer Cloud Security Engineer CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) Community Manager Content Manager Content Marketing Manager Content Strategist Controller COO (Chief Operating Officer) Copywriter CPO (Chief Product Officer) Creative Chief Officer Creative Director CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) CTO (Chief Technology Officer) Customer Support Manager Customer Support Rep Cybersecurity Engineer Data Analyst Data Architect Data Engineer Data Engineering Manager Data Scientist Database Administrator Database Developer Design Director Design Engineer Desktop Support DevOps Engineer Digital Marketing Manager Director of Analytics Director of Customer Success Director of Marketing Director of Operations Director of Product Management Director of Product Marketing Director of Software Engineering Editor Email Marketing Manager Engineering Manager Event Planner Finance Director Financial Analyst Front End Developer Full Stack Developer Game Designer Game Developer Graphic Designer Hardware Engineer HR Coordinator HR Director HR Manager HR Specialist Implementation Manager Implementation Specialist Inside Sales Manager Inside Sales Representative Instructional Designer iOS Developer IT Engineer Java Developer Javascript Developer Junior Business Analyst Junior Data Analyst Junior Data Scientist Junior Software Developer Junior Software Engineer Junior Web Developer Lead Software Engineer Machine Learning Engineer Market Research Analyst Marketing Analyst Marketing Assistant Marketing Associate Marketing Coordinator Marketing Manager Marketing Operations Manager Marketing Project Manager Marketing Specialist Network Engineer Office Manager Operations Associate Operations Manager Power BI Developer Principal Software Engineer Product Analyst Product Designer Product Manager Product Marketing Manager Product Owner Project Coordinator Project Manager Public Relations Manager Public Relations Specialist Python Developer QA Analyst QA Engineer QA Manager Quant Developer React Developer Recruiter Robotics Engineer RPA Developer Sales Associate Sales Coordinator Sales Development Representative Sales Director Sales Engineer Sales Manager Sales Operations Analyst Sales Operations Manager Salesforce Developer Scrum Master Security Engineer Senior Accountant Senior Business Analyst Senior Data Analyst Senior Data Engineer Senior Data Scientist Senior Financial Analyst Senior Graphic Designer Senior Marketing Manager Senior Product Designer Senior Product Manager Senior Product Marketing Manager Senior Project Manager Senior Recruiter Senior Software Developer Senior Software Engineer Senior Systems Engineer Senior Technical Writer Senior UI Designer Senior UX Designer SEO Manager SEO Specialist Site Reliability Engineer Social Media Manager Software Developer Software Engineer Software Sales Representative Software Test Engineer SQL Developer Systems Engineer Tableau Developer Tech Sales Representative Technical Product Manager Technical Project Manager Technical Recruiter Technical Support Technical Writer Test Engineer UI Designer UX Designer UX Researcher Vice President of Care Vice President of Engineering Vice President of Finance Vice President of Human Resources Vice President of Marketing Vice President of Operations Vice President of People Vice President of Product Vice President of Sales Vice President of Talent Acquisition Visual Designer Web Designer Web Developer Wordpress Developer
San Diego, CA
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Salary Insights
Principal Software Engineer Salary by gender
Principal Software Engineer Salary by Years of Experience
The average salary for a Principal Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience is $245,000.
Principal Software Engineer Salary ranges
The most common Principal Software Engineer salary in San Diego, CA is between $160k - $170k.
Average Dev + Engineer salaries in San Diego, CA
| Job Title | Average Salary | Salary Range |
|---|---|---|
| Wordpress Developer | $72,634 | Min: $73K Max: $73K |
| Junior Web Developer | $72,934 | Min: $73K Max: $73K |
| QA Analyst | $80,857 | Min: $65K Max: $97K |
| Web Developer | $80,984 | Min: $81K Max: $81K |
| Network Engineer | $83,319 | Min: $83K Max: $83K |
| Junior Software Developer | $83,362 | Min: $83K Max: $83K |
| IT Engineer | $83,444 | Min: $83K Max: $83K |
| RPA Developer | $83,936 | Min: $84K Max: $84K |
| Test Engineer | $85,746 | Min: $86K Max: $86K |
| Implementation Specialist | $85,857 | Min: $65K Max: $110K |
| App Developer | $86,607 | Min: $87K Max: $87K |
| QA Engineer | $86,750 | Min: $80K Max: $99K |
| Application Engineer | $87,055 | Min: $87K Max: $87K |
| Tableau Developer | $90,049 | Min: $90K Max: $90K |
| Blockchain Developer | $92,521 | Min: $93K Max: $93K |
| SQL Developer | $93,307 | Min: $93K Max: $93K |
| React Developer | $94,094 | Min: $94K Max: $94K |
| Design Engineer | $95,407 | Min: $95K Max: $95K |
| Javascript Developer | $96,205 | Min: $96K Max: $96K |
| Android Developer | $96,375 | Min: $85K Max: $108K |
| Full Stack Developer | $97,590 | Min: $98K Max: $98K |
| AWS Developer | $98,053 | Min: $98K Max: $98K |
| Junior Software Engineer | $98,375 | Min: $80K Max: $109K |
| Software Developer | $98,568 | Min: $99K Max: $99K |
| Robotics Engineer | $98,743 | Min: $99K Max: $99K |
| Power BI Developer | $99,817 | Min: $100K Max: $100K |
| Database Developer | $100,074 | Min: $100K Max: $100K |
| Cloud Security Engineer | $100,715 | Min: $101K Max: $101K |
| Back End Developer | $101,808 | Min: $102K Max: $102K |
| Software Test Engineer | $104,667 | Min: $85K Max: $150K |
| Cloud Engineer | $105,120 | Min: $105K Max: $105K |
| Python Developer | $105,179 | Min: $105K Max: $105K |
| Front End Developer | $110,194 | Min: $85K Max: $146K |
| Cybersecurity Engineer | $110,530 | Min: $111K Max: $111K |
| iOS Developer | $110,750 | Min: $98K Max: $129K |
| Senior Systems Engineer | $113,780 | Min: $114K Max: $114K |
| Software Engineer | $115,057 | Min: $88K Max: $180K |
| AI Engineer | $117,556 | Min: $118K Max: $118K |
| Data Engineer | $117,917 | Min: $87K Max: $135K |
| Sales Engineer | $121,300 | Min: $110K Max: $153K |
| Game Developer | $122,143 | Min: $90K Max: $165K |
| Security Engineer | $122,500 | Min: $110K Max: $139K |
| Systems Engineer | $124,375 | Min: $115K Max: $167K |
| Senior Software Developer | $124,731 | Min: $125K Max: $125K |
| Salesforce Developer | $125,571 | Min: $110K Max: $150K |
| DevOps Engineer | $126,250 | Min: $115K Max: $178K |
| Site Reliability Engineer | $128,375 | Min: $110K Max: $175K |
| Quant Developer | $130,306 | Min: $130K Max: $130K |
| Automation Engineer | $135,714 | Min: $100K Max: $159K |
| Senior Data Engineer | $141,000 | Min: $125K Max: $158K |
| QA Manager | $141,571 | Min: $120K Max: $170K |
| Lead Software Engineer | $142,500 | Min: $125K Max: $200K |
| Data Architect | $143,222 | Min: $135K Max: $162K |
| Hardware Engineer | $146,222 | Min: $120K Max: $162K |
| Database Administrator | $147,889 | Min: $130K Max: $199K |
| Engineering Manager | $148,750 | Min: $145K Max: $155K |
| Machine Learning Engineer | $154,857 | Min: $139K Max: $175K |
| Senior Software Engineer | $157,225 | Min: $124K Max: $230K |
| Data Engineering Manager | $164,900 | Min: $155K Max: $185K |
| Principal Software Engineer | $175,000 | Min: $150K Max: $250K |
| Director of Software Engineering | $197,429 | Min: $175K Max: $247K |
| CIO (Chief Information Officer) | $227,500 | Min: $225K Max: $230K |
| Vice President of Engineering | $237,625 | Min: $195K Max: $306K |
| CTO (Chief Technology Officer) | $253,429 | Min: $195K Max: $334K |
FAQ
Q:
A.
A principal software engineer leads engineering teams in developing and testing software projects, working to guarantee software projects meet quality standards and are completed on time.
Q:
How to become a principal software engineer?
A.
To become a principal software engineer, you will likely need at least 10 years of software development experience as well as a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field like computer science. Preparation for this position includes extensive coding and programming expertise, as well as management experience.
Q:
How much does a principal software engineer make?
A.
The salary range for a principal software engineer is $55K-$305K. The average salary for a Principal Software Engineer in San Diego, CA is $175,000.
Career Info
Principal Software Engineer jobs in San Diego, CA
Software Tech Lead, Build & Tools (R1659)
+48
Introduction to Shield AI
Founded in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense technology company whose mission is to protect service members and civilians with intelligent systems. In pursuit of this mission, Shield AI is building the world’s best AI pilot. Its AI pilot, Hivemind, has flown a fighter jet (F-16), a vertical takeoff and landing drone (V-BAT), and a quadcopter (Nova). The company has offices in San Diego, Dallas, Washington DC and
Principal Software Engineer - Cybersecurity
San Diego, CA
4 days ago
Careers that Change Lives Security needs to be "baked in" to a system architecture, you know how to do it. What if you could use your Cyber and analytical skills to create, deploy and monitor security for medical devices for patients living with Diabetes? We're looking for an engineer who can wants to be on the frontlines of this emerging specialty.
Be a technical leader within a team responsible for solutions for Medtronic's medical devices
Principal Software Engineer - Cybersecurity (Finance)
San Diego, CA
4 days ago
Principal Software Engineer - Cybersecurity (Finance)
Careers that Change Lives Security needs to be "baked in" to a system architecture, you know how to do it. What if you could use your Cyber and analytical skills to create, deploy and monitor security for medical devices for patients living with Diabetes? We're looking for an engineer who can wants to be on the frontlines of this emerging specialty. Be a technical leader within a team
Skills that affect Principal Software Engineer salaries in San Diego, CA
1
Java
1% have this skill
2
.NET
1% have this skill
3
Javascript
1% have this skill
4
Python
0% have this skill
5
SQL
0% have this skill
6
C#
0% have this skill
Average Principal Software Engineer Salary by Company Size
People with the job title Principal Software Engineer make the most at companies with 51-200 employees, earning $181,667 on average.
Recent Principal Software Engineer salaries in San Diego, CA
$250,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $250,000 with +$500,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
1,000+ Employees
San Diego, CA
$240,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Engineer reported a yearly salary of $240,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
San Diego, CA
$160,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $160,000
1,000+ Employees
San Diego, CA
$160,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $160,000
1,000+ Employees
San Diego, CA
$155,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $155,000
1,000+ Employees
San Diego, CA
$155,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $155,000
1,000+ Employees
San Diego, CA
$150,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $150,000
11-50 Employees
San Diego, CA
$155,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $155,000
51-200 Employees
San Diego, CA
$150,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $150,000
51-200 Employees
San Diego, CA