Principal Software Developer
UK
The median Principal Software Developer salary in the UK is £87,500 per year, according to job vacancies posted during the 6 months leading to 2 May 2025.
The table below provides salary benchmarking and summary statistics, comparing them to the same period in the previous two years.
| 6 months to 2 May 2025 |
Same period 2024 | Same period 2023 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | 690 | 886 | 974 |
| Rank change year-on-year | +196 | +88 | +215 |
| Permanent jobs requiring a Principal Software Developer | 1 | 16 | 9 |
| As % of all permanent jobs advertised in the UK | 0.002% | 0.016% | 0.009% |
| As % of the Job Titles category | 0.002% | 0.017% | 0.009% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 10th Percentile | - | - | £64,375 |
| 25th Percentile | £86,250 | - | £65,313 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £87,500 | £80,000 | £73,750 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +9.38% | +8.47% | -2.19% |
| 75th Percentile | £88,750 | - | £85,313 |
| 90th Percentile | - | £83,750 | £88,125 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £87,500 | £80,000 | £73,750 |
| % change year-on-year | +9.38% | +8.47% | +13.46% |
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 | 46,967 | 93,227 | 95,240 |
| % of permanent jobs with a recognized job title | 90.30% | 94.63% | 91.55% |
| Number of salaries quoted | 27,330 | 66,890 | 59,886 |
| 10th Percentile | £30,000 | £28,500 | £32,500 |
| 25th Percentile | £42,000 | £38,500 | £45,000 |
| Median annual salary (50th Percentile) | £57,500 | £52,900 | £60,000 |
| Median % change year-on-year | +8.70% | -11.83% | - |
| 75th Percentile | £75,000 | £71,250 | £81,250 |
| 90th Percentile | £97,500 | £90,000 | £100,000 |
| UK excluding London median annual salary | £52,000 | £50,000 | £52,500 |
| % change year-on-year | +4.00% | -4.76% | +5.00% |
Principal Software Developer
Job Vacancy Trend
Job postings that featured Principal Software Developer in the job title as a proportion of all IT jobs advertised.
Principal Software Developer
Salary Trend
3-month moving average salary quoted in jobs citing Principal Software Developer.
Principal Software Developer
Top 4 Job Locations
The table below looks at the demand and provides a guide to the median salaries quoted in IT jobs citing Principal Software Developer within the UK over the 6 months to 2 May 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK excluding London | +200 | 1 | £87,500 | +9.38% | 2 |
| Work from Home | +176 | 1 | £87,500 | +2.94% | 1 |
| England | +160 | 1 | £87,500 | +9.38% | 4 |
| South West | +113 | 1 | £87,500 | +9.38% |
Principal Software Developer Skill Set
Top 14 Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities
For the 6 months to 2 May 2025, Principal Software Developer job roles required the following skills and capabilities in order of popularity. The figures indicate the absolute number co-occurrences and as a proportion of all permanent job ads featuring Principal Software Developer in the job title.
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Principal Software Developer Skill Set
Co-occurring Skills and Capabilities by Category
The follow tables expand on the table above by listing co-occurrences grouped by category. The same employment type, locality and period is covered with up to 20 co-occurrences shown in each of the following categories:
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