Principal hardware and robotics engineer salary

The median posted base pay for principal hardware and robotics engineering jobs is $220K a year, from 133 open jobs at 68 companies. The middle half of the jobs is from $203K to $250K. One job in ten has posted pay above $271K.

Data of Nov 10, 2026. This is posted base pay, not total pay. It does not include stock or a bonus.

Median posted base pay: $220K
Middle half of the jobs: $203K to $250K
10th to 90th percentile: $178K to $271K
Open jobs with posted pay: 133
Companies: 68

Hardware and robotics engineer pay by level

Posted base pay for hardware and robotics engineering jobs, by the level in the job title. This page is about the principal level. A level needs 20 or more jobs with posted pay.

Entry level77 jobs$110K$95K to $125K
Level not stated1,132 jobs$150K$128K to $182K
Senior858 jobs$172K$157K to $193K
Staff283 jobs$200K$179K to $220K
Principal133 jobs$220K$203K to $250K
Director+47 jobs$243K$219K to $263K

Each band goes from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The darker part is the middle half of the jobs. The line is the median. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Pay bands by level, hardware and robotics. Posted base pay in US dollars for each year.
Level	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th	Jobs with pay
Entry level	$83K	$95K	$110K	$125K	$136K	77
Level not stated	$110K	$128K	$150K	$182K	$220K	1,132
Senior	$141K	$157K	$172K	$193K	$218K	858
Staff	$168K	$179K	$200K	$220K	$245K	283
Principal	$178K	$203K	$220K	$250K	$271K	133
Director+	$207K	$219K	$243K	$263K	$300K	47

Top-paying companies for principal hardware and robotics engineering jobs

The companies with the highest median posted base pay for principal hardware and robotics engineering jobs. A company name opens its levels in the pay explorer.

1Shield AI$300K5 jobs
2K2 Space $235K11 jobs
3CHAOS Industries$225K5 jobs
4Astera Labs$213K15 jobs

The median posted base pay of each company for principal hardware and robotics engineering jobs. We use the middle point of each posted range. A company needs 5 or more jobs with posted pay. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Principal hardware and robotics engineer pay by US region

The median posted base pay for principal hardware and robotics engineering jobs in each US region, compared with the median of all US jobs.

Bay Area35 jobs+2%$229K
Other US cities78 jobs0%$224K

The median posted base pay for principal hardware and robotics in each US region, compared with the median of all US jobs ($224K). A job that lists two regions counts in each region. A region needs 20 or more jobs. This is posted base pay, not total pay.

Pay by region, principal hardware and robotics. Posted base pay in US dollars for each year.
Region	Median posted base pay	Against the US median	Jobs with pay
Bay Area	$229K	+2%	35
Other US cities	$224K	0%	78
All US jobs	$224K	0%	110

Open jobs

Other levels

By place

Principal hardware and robotics engineer salary in the San Francisco Bay Area

Other job types

How we compute these numbers

We read each job from the job board of the company and check it every day. We use only open jobs that state a yearly pay range in US dollars. One job counts with the middle point of its posted range. The median is the middle value of these amounts: half of the jobs are above it and half are below it.

We do not use a range with a bottom below $15,000, a top above $1,000,000, or a top that is more than four times the bottom. A role page needs 20 or more open jobs with posted pay. In the bar chart, a company needs 5 or more jobs with posted pay.

The numbers are base pay as the company posted it. They are not the pay of a person, and they do not include stock, a bonus or benefits. For the stock and the bonus that people reported, see Reported pay.