Principal Software Engineer
H-1B Salary Data · 1,021 certified filings
$178,120Avg. Salary
$84,500Minimum
$411,170Maximum
According to TheRealSalaries.com analysis of official US Department of Labor filings (October 2024 - December 2025), the average H-1B salary for Principal Software Engineer is $178,120 — 47% above the national median H-1B salary of $121,514. Based on 1,021 certified filings across all employers.
Section 1
What is the average H-1B salary for Principal Software Engineer?
The average H-1B salary for Principal Software Engineer is $178,120 based on 1,021 certified filings with the US Department of Labor. Salaries range from $84,500 to $411,170.
$178,120
Average
$84,500
Minimum
$411,170
Maximum
1,021
Filings
Top Companies Hiring Principal Software Engineer
| Company | Avg. Salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| WAL-MART ASSOCIATES, INC. | $165,389 | 52 |
| Palo Alto Networks, Inc. | $209,865 | 35 |
| Mastercard Technologies, LLC | $166,855 | 30 |
| Citizens Financial Group, Inc. | $147,636 | 25 |
| The MathWorks, Inc. | $175,545 | 25 |
| Cadence Design Systems, Inc. | $168,669 | 19 |
| Intuit Inc. | $254,786 | 19 |
| Roblox Corporation | $344,601 | 14 |
| INNOVA SOLUTIONS, INC. | $118,696 | 14 |
| REI Systems Inc. | $145,621 | 13 |
| The Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation | $158,538 | 12 |
| Medtronic, Inc. | $148,368 | 12 |
| CBRE, INC. | $163,401 | 12 |
| PeerIslands U.S. Inc. | $135,860 | 12 |
| Atlassian US, Inc. | $219,833 | 12 |
Section 2
Principal Software Engineer Salaries by City
| City | Avg. Salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| San Mateo, CA | $324,360 | 17 |
| Glendale, CA | $257,367 | 5 |
| Mountain View, CA | $249,024 | 24 |
| Bellevue, WA | $243,172 | 14 |
| Fremont, CA | $239,423 | 8 |
| San Ramon, CA | $227,016 | 6 |
| Santa Clara, CA | $218,699 | 57 |
| San Francisco, CA | $214,245 | 16 |
| Pleasanton, CA | $211,779 | 10 |
| San Jose, CA | $204,944 | 36 |
| Redmond, WA | $194,404 | 5 |
| Redwood City, CA | $193,805 | 10 |
| Norwalk, CT | $193,701 | 5 |
| Alpharetta, GA | $190,077 | 6 |
| San Diego, CA | $187,511 | 13 |
Related Roles
Etl Developer ($107,667)
Senior Release Engineer ($157,152)
Staff Engineer 2 ($122,886)
Enterprise Act Engineer Ii ($144,902)
Principal Application Developer ($155,437)
Python Developer ($104,320)
Business Intel Engineer II ($136,529)
Domain Architect ($139,781)
Senior Firmware Engineer ($152,621)
Senior Technical Support Engineer ($114,464)
Section 3
Pay for this role varies by DOL wage level — see the H-1B wage levels I–IV explained with prevailing wage data per level.
Source: US Department of Labor LCA Disclosure Data. Category: Engineering. Updated: Q1 FY2025.