Principal Engineer Salary in Chicago, Illinois

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How much does a Principal Engineer make in Chicago, IL? The average Principal Engineer salary in Chicago, IL is $174,511 as of April 01, 2025, but the salary range typically falls between $159,397 and $190,870. Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, including education, certifications, additional skills, the number of years you have spent in your profession. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target. 

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25% $159,397 10% $145,638 90% $205,765 75% $190,870 $174,511 50%(Median)
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Principal Engineer

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Job Openings for Principal Engineer in Chicago, IL
Principal Engineer I
SPECTRUM - GREENWOOD VILLAGE , CO
Spectrum's Product and Technology team creates, develops, and operates the nation's fastest mobile service, most reliable internet service, most viewed live TV
- 1 day ago
Principal Engineer I
SPECTRUM - GREENWOOD VILLAGE , CO
TITLE. Principal Engineer I. LOCATION. Greenwood Village, CO. JOB SUMMARY. Design and develop innovative capabilities for applications and systems utilized with
- 1 day ago
Principal Engineer I
SPECTRUM - MARYLAND HEIGHTS , MO
TITLE. Principal Engineer I. LOCATION. Maryland Heights, MO. JOB SUMMARY. Implement ETL (Extract- Transform- Load) scripts against high volume databases in Orac
- 1 day ago
Principal Engineer I - PON Architecture
SPECTRUM - ENGLEWOOD , CO
The Principal Engineer I for PON Architecture will be responsible for engineering activities that maintain and enhance the company's telecommunications and sign
- 1 day ago
Principal Software Engineer I
SPECTRUM - GREENWOOD VILLAGE , CO
This posting has been extended beyond it's anticipated closing date. Spectrum's Product and Technology team creates, develops, and operates the nation's fastest
- 1 day ago
Principal Security Engineer I
SPECTRUM - AUSTIN , TX
Are you a security engineering expert ready to identify and resolve potential threats and vulnerabilities. You can do that. Do you want to lead the improvement
- 1 day ago

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Understand the total compensation opportunity for a Principal Engineer, base salary plus other pay elements

Average Base Salary

Core compensation

 
 
 
159397
190870
174511

Average Total Cash Compensation

Includes base and annual incentives

 
 
 
170602
209450
188726
These charts show the average base salary (core compensation), as well as the average total cash compensation for the job of Principal Engineer in Chicago, IL. The base salary for Principal Engineer ranges from $159,397 to $190,870 with the average base salary of $174,511. The total cash compensation, which includes base, and annual incentives, can vary anywhere from $170,602 to $209,450 with the average total cash compensation of $188,726.

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159397
190870

 

About Chicago, Illinois    Chicago (/ʃɪˈkɑːɡoʊ/ (listen), locally also /-ˈkɔː-/), officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in Illinois, as well as the third mos....More

Chicago, Illinois  area prices were up 0.8% from a year ago

Principal Engineer Salary in popular cities: Aurora, Rockford, Joliet

Skills associated with Principal Engineer: Design, 3Scale

Recently searched related titles: Engineering Team Lead, Managing Associate

Learn more about: Compensation Packages, Employee Flight Risk, Gender Pay Gap, Job Openings for This Role