Principal Engineer salaries in Chicago.
What Principal Engineer roles in Chicago pay, from live listings on JobsRadar.
Compare with anotherMedian salary
$200,850
per year · annualized USD
Typical range
$157.8k – $221.7k
25th–75th percentile
Disclosing pay
90.6%
48 of 53 roles
Live roles
53
open right now
Salary trend
median · annualized USDSalary distribution
annualized USD · disclosed rolesHighest-paying jobs
Distinguished Engineer
Principal Forward Deployed Engineer - Okta for AI Agents
Principal AI Systems Engineer — C++ / Applied AI
Principal Software Engineer, Full Stack
Principal Solution Engineer
Principal, R&D Engineer
Principal Software Development Engineer
Principal Full Stack Engineer, AI Platform & Agents (US/Canada Hybrid/Remote)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Early Warning Services
|
$201,500 | 7 |
| CG Cboe Global Markets | $202,125 | 3 |
Northern Trust
|
$185,500 | 3 |
BMO
|
$160,600 | 3 |
| CN CNA | $143,000 | 3 |
Conagra Brands
|
$134,000 | 3 |
DriveWealth
|
$245,000 | 2 |
OCC
|
$187,350 | 2 |
See every Principal Engineer role
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How much do Principal Engineer roles in Chicago pay?
The median salary for Principal Engineer roles in Chicago is $200,850 per year. Most pay falls between $157,800 (25th percentile) and $221,650 (75th percentile), with the broader 10th–90th percentile band running from $134,000 to $263,842.
These figures are computed live from 53 active Principal Engineer roles in Chicago on JobsRadar, of which 48 (90.6%) 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 Chicago include Elevance Health, Okta, Adobe and Salesforce.
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 Chicago?
- The median is $200,850 per year, with most pay between $157,800 and $221,650 (25th–75th percentile), based on 48 live listings that disclose pay on JobsRadar.
- What is the Principal Engineer salary range in Chicago?
- Pay ranges from about $134,000 to $263,842 per year (10th–90th percentile) around a median of $200,850. Figures are annualized USD from live listings, refreshed every few hours.