Principal Data Engineer
UK
The median Principal Data Engineer salary in the UK is £85,000 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 21 December 2025.
The table below compares current salary benchmarking and summary statistics with the previous two years.
| 6 months to 21 Dec 2025 |
Same period 2024 | Same period 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 628 | 716 | 667 |
| Rank change year-on-year | +88 | -49 | +282 |
| Permanent jobs requiring a Principal Data Engineer | 16 | 8 | 24 |
| As % of all permanent jobs in the UK | 0.027% | 0.014% | 0.050% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.030% | 0.015% | 0.052% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 9 | 7 | 13 |
| 10th Percentile | - | £52,500 | - |
| 25th Percentile | £74,500 | £68,750 | £87,049 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £85,000 | £95,000 | £92,169 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -10.53% | +3.07% | +8.43% |
| 75th Percentile | £92,500 | £98,125 | £105,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £104,000 | £109,750 | £119,500 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £82,000 | £90,000 | £92,169 |
| % change year-on-year | -8.89% | -2.35% | +36.55% |
All Permanent IT Job Vacancies
UK
For comparison with the information above, the following table provides summary statistics for all permanent IT job vacancies. 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 the UK with a recognized job title | 53,377 | 52,658 | 46,149 |
| % of permanent jobs with a recognized job title | 90.36% | 93.53% | 95.25% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 32,887 | 28,141 | 35,810 |
| 10th Percentile | £28,500 | £33,000 | £31,250 |
| 25th Percentile | £36,250 | £43,911 | £42,500 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £55,000 | £60,000 | £60,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | -8.33% | - | - |
| 75th Percentile | £75,000 | £78,000 | £80,000 |
| 90th Percentile | £92,750 | £97,500 | £97,500 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £49,000 | £52,500 | £52,500 |
| % change year-on-year | -6.67% | - | - |
Principal Data Engineer
Job Vacancy Trend
Historical trend showing the proportion of permanent IT job postings featuring 'Principal Data Engineer' in the job title relative to all permanent IT jobs advertised.
Principal Data Engineer
Salary Trend
Salary distribution trend for Principal Data Engineer job vacancies in the UK.
Principal Data Engineer
Salary Histogram
Salary distribution for jobs citing Principal Data Engineer over the 6 months to 21 December 2025.
Principal Data Engineer
Top 8 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Principal Data Engineer within the UK over the 6 months to 21 December 2025. The 'Rank Change' column provides an indication of the change in demand within each location based on the same 6 month period last year.
| Location | Rank Change on Same Period Last Year |
Matching Permanent IT Job Ads |
Median Salary Past 6 Months |
Median Salary % Change on Same Period Last Year |
Live Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | +86 | 10 | £85,000 | -10.53% | 4 |
| UK excluding London | +63 | 8 | £82,000 | -8.89% | 6 |
| Work from Home | +61 | 7 | £89,750 | +17.70% | 2 |
| North of England | +21 | 6 | £82,000 | +49.09% | 3 |
| Yorkshire | - | 4 | £79,000 | - | |
| London | +61 | 2 | £87,000 | -10.77% | |
| South East | +39 | 2 | - | - | |
| North West | +35 | 2 | £88,750 | +61.36% | 3 |
Principal Data Engineer Skill Set
Top 30 Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities
For the 6 months to 21 December 2025, Principal Data 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 featuring Principal Data Engineer in the job title.
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Principal Data Engineer Skill Set
Co-Occurring Skills & Capabilities 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: