Median salary
$220,000
per year · annualized USD
Typical range
$200k – $271k
25th–75th percentile
Disclosing pay
85.5%
141 of 165 roles
Live roles
165
open right now
Salary trend
median · annualized USDSalary distribution
annualized USD · disclosed rolesHighest-paying jobs
Distinguished Machine Learning Engineer, AISWP (Hybrid)
Senior Principal Presales Systems Engineer, Cloud and AI Networking
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Principal Software Development Engineer (Loyalty)
Principal Scientist - Data Pipeline Engineer
Principal AI Engineer, AI Agent Development
Principal AI Engineer, Chatbot Development
Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| AL Astera Labs | $209,000 | 35 |
Cadence Design Systems
|
$220,000 | 23 |
| MT Micron Technology | $238,000 | 14 |
|
Cisco
|
$306,600 | 9 |
SK hynix memory solutions America Inc.
|
$160,000 | 9 |
Samsung Semiconductor
|
$285,000 | 8 |
Bloom Energy
|
$190,000 | 8 |
| AD Analog Devices | $273,125 | 7 |
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How much do Principal Engineer roles in San Jose pay?
The median salary for Principal Engineer roles in San Jose is $220,000 per year. Most pay falls between $200,000 (25th percentile) and $271,000 (75th percentile), with the broader 10th–90th percentile band running from $175,310 to $306,280.
These figures are computed live from 165 active Principal Engineer roles in San Jose on JobsRadar, of which 141 (85.5%) publish a salary range. Pay is normalized to annualized USD so roles can be compared on equal terms; the highest-paying roles listed above show their original posted currency. Numbers refresh every few hours as new roles are posted and older ones close.
Employers currently hiring well-paid Principal Engineer roles in San Jose include Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Micron Technology and Expedia Group.
Salary transparency varies by employer and region, so the disclosing share above reflects only roles that publish pay — not every open position. Use it as a directional benchmark rather than an exact offer.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average Principal Engineer salary in San Jose?
- The median is $220,000 per year, with most pay between $200,000 and $271,000 (25th–75th percentile), based on 141 live listings that disclose pay on JobsRadar.
- What is the Principal Engineer salary range in San Jose?
- Pay ranges from about $175,310 to $306,280 per year (10th–90th percentile) around a median of $220,000. Figures are annualized USD from live listings, refreshed every few hours.