Side-by-side distribution
Principal Engineer
$223,100
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 45.9%
- Live roles
- 1,769
Psychiatrist
$358,800
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 36%
- Live roles
- 1,081
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Software Engineer
Distinguished Engineer
Staff / Principal Data Engineer
Principal Engineer (Payments)
Principal Engineer
Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Ads Delivery
Principal Engineer, Agentic AI Systems
Principal Research Engineer, Model Training & Post-Training
Staff / Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Serving - USA
Principal Engineer, AI Platform
Highest-paying jobs
Psychiatrist (MD / DO)
Psychiatrist
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist Supervisor
Psychiatrist - Intellectual & Developmental Disability
Psychiatrist | General Adult | Coastal regional WA
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Roblox
|
$320,145 | 42 |
| AL Astera Labs | $207,500 | 22 |
Motional
|
$285,000 | 19 |
Elastic
|
$134,329 | 18 |
| SE Sezzle | $111,000 | 16 |
Anduril Industries
|
$256,000 | 13 |
Snowflake
|
$321,750 | 12 |
STR
|
$244,500 | 12 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Lifestance
|
$369,500 | 208 |
Serenity Mental Health Centers
|
$500,000 | 118 |
|
Mediix
|
$448,012 | 10 |
Greenlife Healthcare Staffing
|
$353,600 | 10 |
Array Behavioral Care
|
$358,800 | 8 |
|
Gotham Enterprises Ltd
|
$520,000 | 6 |
Amae Health
|
$315,000 | 6 |
| PH Pulse Healthcare | $149,408 | 4 |
Principal Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $282,500 | 70 |
| New York | $262,000 | 56 |
| Boston | $255,000 | 43 |
| Seattle | $232,188 | 32 |
| Austin | $232,000 | 10 |
| Chicago | $228,075 | 16 |
| Los Angeles | $225,000 | 31 |
| Toronto | $210,000 | 16 |
| London | $199,724 | 16 |
| Denver | $190,000 | 17 |
Principal Engineer vs Psychiatrist: which pays more?
The median for Principal Engineer is $223,100 per year (typically $188,116–$276,000), versus $358,800 for Psychiatrist ($335,000–$397,250). That puts Psychiatrist about 61% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Principal Engineer and Psychiatrist are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.