Salaries//San Francisco, CA//Principal Software Engineer

Principal Software Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA

Average Base Salary in San Francisco, CA

$211,552
$33,636
Additional Cash Compensation
$245,188
Total Compensation
Median: 206,000
Min: $150K
Max: $325K

How Much Does a Principal Software Engineer Make in San Francisco, CA?

The average salary for a Principal Software Engineer in San Francisco, CA is $211,552. The average additional cash compensation for a Principal Software Engineer in San Francisco, CA is $33,636. The average total compensation for a Principal Software Engineer in San Francisco, CA is $245,188. Principal Software Engineer salaries are based on responses gathered by Built In from anonymous Principal Software Engineer employees in San Francisco, CA.

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

best-paying cities for Principal Software Engineer

The metropolitan areas that pay the highest salaries for software engineers are Colorado Springs, Remote, San Francisco, Miami and Seattle.
City NameAverage SalaryCompared to National Average
Colorado Springs$213,000
+ 24% (160,901)
Remote$212,199
+ 24% (160,901)
San Francisco, CA$211,552
+ 24% (160,901)
Miami, FL$201,200
+ 20% (160,901)
Seattle, WA$187,580
+ 14% (160,901)
Colorado, CO$177,983
+ 10% (160,901)
San Diego, CA$175,000
+ 8% (160,901)
Charlotte, NC$173,375
+ 7% (160,901)
Hartford, CT$173,286
+ 7% (160,901)
Los Angeles, CA$172,482
+ 7% (160,901)

Principal Software Engineer Salary by gender

The average Principal Software Engineer salary for women is $325,000 and the average Principal Software Engineer salary for men is $206,393.

Principal Software Engineer Salary by Years of Experience

The average salary for a Principal Software Engineer with 7+ years of experience is $227,300.

Principal Software Engineer Salary ranges

The most common Principal Software Engineer salary in San Francisco, CA is between $190k - $200k.

Average Dev + Engineer salaries in San Francisco, CA

Job TitleAverage SalarySalary Range
Implementation Specialist$87,650
Min: $70K
Max: $165K
QA Analyst$110,190
Min: $90K
Max: $166K
Junior Software Engineer$111,784
Min: $75K
Max: $190K
Automation Engineer$120,500
Min: $105K
Max: $170K
Android Developer$122,000
Min: $92K
Max: $178K
Salesforce Developer$122,059
Min: $100K
Max: $180K
Software Test Engineer$129,912
Min: $90K
Max: $175K
QA Engineer$137,443
Min: $100K
Max: $230K
Systems Engineer$140,667
Min: $120K
Max: $155K
Front End Developer$142,903
Min: $105K
Max: $260K
iOS Developer$143,450
Min: $108K
Max: $200K
QA Manager$154,529
Min: $142K
Max: $180K
Sales Engineer$154,940
Min: $96K
Max: $275K
Back End Developer$159,600
Min: $95K
Max: $215K
Data Engineer$159,792
Min: $105K
Max: $300K
Software Developer$160,000
Min: $160K
Max: $160K
Java Developer$160,000
Min: $160K
Max: $160K
Game Developer$160,667
Min: $140K
Max: $200K
Database Administrator$163,000
Min: $151K
Max: $175K
Security Engineer$164,972
Min: $128K
Max: $280K
Hardware Engineer$165,400
Min: $100K
Max: $220K
Data Architect$168,344
Min: $145K
Max: $237K
Site Reliability Engineer$169,600
Min: $153K
Max: $185K
DevOps Engineer$173,674
Min: $120K
Max: $220K
Software Engineer$176,027
Min: $80K
Max: $325K
Full Stack Developer$177,444
Min: $100K
Max: $260K
Design Engineer$177,500
Min: $170K
Max: $185K
Data Engineering Manager$178,000
Min: $120K
Max: $230K
Lead Software Engineer$189,627
Min: $154K
Max: $265K
Machine Learning Engineer$192,815
Min: $120K
Max: $271K
Senior Software Engineer$194,243
Min: $130K
Max: $366K
Senior Software Developer$195,000
Min: $175K
Max: $215K
Senior Data Engineer$203,079
Min: $145K
Max: $254K
Principal Software Engineer$211,552
Min: $150K
Max: $325K
Engineering Manager$216,286
Min: $160K
Max: $380K
Director of Software Engineering$219,419
Min: $170K
Max: $285K
Robotics Engineer$240,900
Min: $180K
Max: $302K
CTO (Chief Technology Officer)$254,227
Min: $150K
Max: $390K
Vice President of Engineering$290,400
Min: $216K
Max: $385K

FAQ

Q:

What is a principal software engineer?

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 Francisco, CA is $211,552.

Career Info

Principal Software Engineer jobs in San Francisco, CA

Skills that affect Principal Software Engineer salaries in San Francisco, 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 1,000+ employees, earning $280,000 on average.

Recent Principal Software Engineer salaries in San Francisco, CA

$285,500
Yearly Salary
A Principal engineer reported a yearly salary of $285,500
5-7 Years of Experience
Other
1,000+ Employees
San Francisco, CA
$233,200
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $233,200
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
1,000+ Employees
San Francisco, CA
$233,200
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $233,200
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
1,000+ Employees
San Francisco, CA
$233,200
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $233,200
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
1,000+ Employees
San Francisco, CA
$275,000
Yearly Salary
A Senior Principal Engineer reported a yearly salary of $275,000
7+ Years of Experience
Prefer not to say
501-1,000 Employees
San Francisco, CA
$225,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Architect reported a yearly salary of $225,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
201-500 Employees
San Francisco, CA
$250,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Systems Engineer reported a yearly salary of $250,000 with +$50,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
201-500 Employees
San Francisco, CA
$190,000
Yearly Salary
A Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $190,000 with +$10,000 in additional cash compensation
7+ Years of Experience
Male
11-50 Employees
San Francisco, CA
$277,000
Yearly Salary
A Principal Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $277,000
7+ Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
San Francisco, CA
$165,000
Yearly Salary
A Software Engineer reported a yearly salary of $165,000
5-7 Years of Experience
Male
51-200 Employees
San Francisco, CA