Principal Software Engineer
Hampshire > Southampton
The median Principal Software Engineer salary in Southampton is £65,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 1 March 2026.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 1 Mar 2026 |
Same period 2025 | Same period 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 48 | 45 | 76 |
| Rank change year-on-year | -3 | +31 | - |
| Permanent jobs requiring a Principal Software Engineer | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in Southampton | 0.36% | 1.08% | 0.15% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.37% | 1.11% | 0.15% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 10th Percentile | - | £70,375 | - |
| 25th Percentile | - | £70,938 | £73,750 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £65,000 | £72,500 | £77,500 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -10.34% | -6.45% | - |
| 75th Percentile | - | £73,750 | £81,250 |
| 90th Percentile | - | - | - |
| Hampshire median annual salary | £85,000 | £72,500 | £77,500 |
| % change year-on-year | +17.24% | -6.45% | +14.81% |
All Permanent IT Job Roles
Southampton
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job vacancies in Southampton. Most job vacancies include a discernible job title that can be normalized. As such, the figures in the second row provide an indication of the number of permanent jobs in our overall sample.
| Permanent vacancies in Southampton with a recognized job title | 536 | 360 | 661 |
| % of permanent jobs with a recognized job title | 96.58% | 96.77% | 96.78% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 392 | 269 | 586 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,000 | £32,750 | £27,375 |
| 25th Percentile | £37,500 | £42,500 | £31,250 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £50,000 | £55,000 | £45,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -9.09% | +22.22% | -10.00% |
| 75th Percentile | £62,500 | £63,750 | £62,500 |
| 90th Percentile | £90,000 | £72,500 | £75,000 |
| Hampshire median annual salary | £50,000 | £55,000 | £50,000 |
| % change year-on-year | -9.09% | +10.00% | -7.67% |
Principal Software Engineer
Job Vacancy Trend in Southampton
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings featuring 'Principal Software Engineer' in the job title relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised in Southampton.
Principal Software Engineer
Salary Trend in Southampton
Salary distribution trend for Principal Software Engineer job vacancies in Southampton.
Principal Software Engineer Skill Set
Top 3 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Southampton
For the 6 months to 1 March 2026, Principal Software Engineer job roles required the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number of co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent job ads across the Southampton region featuring Principal Software Engineer in the job title.
|
Principal Software Engineer Skill Set
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities in Southampton by Category
The following tables expand on the one above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. They cover the same employment type, locality and period, with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each category:
|
|
|||||||||||||||