United States
Job
Principal Systems Engineer

Average Experienced Principal Systems Engineer with Engineering Design Skills Salary in Chicago, Illinois

Pay
Job Details
Skills
Job Listings
How should I pay?Price a Job
What am I worth?Find market worth
$123,607
/ year

Avg. Base Salary (USD)
25%
$98k
MEDIAN
$124k
75%
$131k

The average salary for a Principal Systems Engineer is $123,607 in 2025

Base Salary
$98k - $131k
Bonus
$0 - $10k
Total Pay
$100k - $135k
Based on 6 salary profiles (last updated Jun 24 2019)
Is Average Experienced Principal Systems Engineer with Engineering Design Skills Salary in Chicago, Illinois your job title? Find out what you should be paid
Use our tool to get a personalized report on your market worth.What's this?
United States (change)
How it works:
1
Enter city & years of experience
2
Add pay factors like skills & education
3
Find your market worth with a report tailored to you
EXPLORE BY:
Systems EngineeringAll
Don't see what you are looking for?
Get A Free Custom Salary Report »
Project Manager, (Unspecified Type / General)Mechanical EngineerElectrical EngineerSoftware EngineerProject EngineerSenior Systems EngineerSystems AdministratorInformation Technology (IT) ManagerOperations ManagerSenior Mechanical Engineer
Don't see what you are looking for?
Get A Free Custom Salary Report »

Featured Content

‹
Remote Work
New research shows how to set pay for remote employees
Gender Pay Gap
New research shows that each woman experiences the disparity of gender pay gap in different ways, depending on her position, age, race and education.
Compensation Best Practices Report
From compensation planning to variable pay to pay equity analysis, we surveyed 4,900+ organizations on how they manage compensation.
Salary Budget Survey Report
See how organizations are shifting their salary budgets this year.
Retention Report
Get strategies you can use to retain top talent and learn how impactful employee retention really is.
Variable Pay Playbook
Before you decide whether variable pay is right for your org, get a deeper understanding of the variable pay options and the cultural impact of pay choices.
›

What Do Principal Systems Engineers Do?

Principal Systems Engineer Tasks
  • Plan, develop and lead systems engineering projects and efforts.
  • May also interact with customers, make business assessments and mentor other engineers.
  • Develop, configure and oversee the upgrade, enhancements and fixes of applicable systems.
Find your market worth – how it works:

Common Health Benefits for a Principal Systems Engineer

Medical
100%
Dental
100%
Vision
80%

Gender Breakdown for Principal Systems Engineers

Male
75.0%
Female
25.0%
This data is based on 4 survey responses. Learn more about the gender pay gap.
benefits-icon

FAQs About Principal Systems Engineers

What is the highest pay for Principal Systems Engineers in Chicago?

Our data indicates that the highest pay for a Principal Systems Engineer in Chicago is $NaN / year

What is the lowest pay for Principal Systems Engineers in Chicago?

Our data indicates that the lowest pay for a Principal Systems Engineer in Chicago is $NaN / year

How can Principal Systems Engineers increase their salary?

Increasing your pay as a Principal Systems Engineer is possible in different ways. Change of employer: Consider a career move to a new employer that is willing to pay higher for your skills. Level of Education: Gaining advanced degrees may allow this role to increase their income potential and qualify for promotions. Managing Experience: If you are a Principal Systems Engineer that oversees more junior Principal Systems Engineers, this experience can increase the likelihood to earn more.

WHAT AM I WORTH?
What your skills are worth in the job market is constantly changing.
United States (change)