Principal Engineer Software H-1B salary at Palo Alto Networks — 139 certified filings (FY2020–FY2026)
- 53
- Filings · FY2025
- $215k
- Median base · FY2025
- $212k–$216k
- Middle 50% · FY2025
- +28%
- vs market median · all years
Palo Alto Networks filed 53 certified H-1B LCAs for Principal Engineer Software in FY2025, with a median base salary of $215k and the middle 50% of offers between $212k and $216k. Across all years its $209k median is 28% above the $163k market median for Principal Engineer Software. It has filed 139 Principal Engineer Software LCAs since FY2020, most often in Santa Clara, CA.
How much does Palo Alto Networks pay a Principal Engineer Software?
Certified base salary for Principal Engineer Software at Palo Alto Networks by fiscal year: each box is the p25–p75 range, the heavy line the median, the whiskers reach p10–p90. $215k median in FY2025. Base pay only — hover a year for its figures.
Does Palo Alto Networks pay Principal Engineer Softwares above the market?
Palo Alto Networks's all-years median against every employer's certified Principal Engineer Software LCAs — 28% above the market. Same cleaned DOL title, same base-salary definition, so the two rows compare like for like.
| Base salary for this title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|
| Palo Alto Networks | 139 | $209k |
| All employers · Principal Engineer Software | 183 | $163k |
How has Palo Alto Networks's Principal Engineer Software hiring changed by year?
3 certified Principal Engineer Software filings in FY2020 → 28 in FY2026. The change column is each year against the one before.
| Fiscal year | Filings | vs prior FY | Median base |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2026 | 28 | −47% | $213k |
| FY2025 | 53 | +104% | $215k |
| FY2024 | 26 | +136% | $208k |
| FY2023 | 11 | 0% | $198k |
| FY2022 | 11 | +57% | $191k |
| FY2021 | 7 | +133% | $184k |
| FY2020 | 3 | — | $171k |
Which wage levels does Palo Alto Networks file for Principal Engineer Software?
DOL prevailing-wage levels I–IV approximate experience tiers (I = entry, IV = fully competent). 89% of Palo Alto Networks's Principal Engineer Software filings sit at Level III–IV. Higher levels earn more entries in the wage-weighted H-1B lottery.
Share of 38 Principal Engineer Software filings with a wage level · all years
- Level II10.5%4
- Level III10.5%4
- Level IV78.9%30
Where does Palo Alto Networks hire H-1B Principal Engineer Softwares?
Worksite states and cities on the certified filings for this title, all years, with the median base salary at each.
| State | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| California | 133 | $210k |
| Texas | 2 | $149k |
| Massachusetts | 1 | $146k |
| Maryland | 1 | $174k |
| New Jersey | 1 | $190k |
| Washington | 1 | $189k |
| City | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Clara, CA | 126 | $212k |
| San Francisco, CA | 3 | $203k |
| Irvine, CA | 2 | $176k |
| Apt 12 C, MA | 1 | $146k |
| Austin, TX | 1 | $180k |
| Bayonne, NJ | 1 | $190k |
| Clarksburg, MD | 1 | $174k |
| Dublin, CA | 1 | $206k |
Also filed as
Palo Alto Networks's other sponsored titles, and the employers that file the most Principal Engineer Software LCAs. All years.
Other titles at Palo Alto Networks
| Job title | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| Principal Software Engineer | 163 | $204k |
| Senior Staff Software Engineer | 139 | $178k |
| Staff Software Engineer | 114 | $143k |
| Software Engineer | 107 | $130k |
| Technical Support Engineer | 101 | $87k |
| Senior Staff Engineer Software | 99 | $178k |
| Senior Software Engineer | 70 | $165k |
| Senior Product Manager | 62 | $194k |
| Senior Staff Engineer | 61 | $160k |
| Software QA Engineer | 61 | $130k |
Top Principal Engineer Software sponsors
| Employer | Filings | Median base |
|---|---|---|
| T-Mobile USA | 126 | $166k |
| Carefusion Resources | 8 | $105k |
| Carmax Enterprise Services | 6 | $170k |
| Verint Americas | 4 | $110k |
| Carmax Enterprise Services Llc “ces” | 3 | $150k |
| F5 | 3 | $201k |
| Harman Becker Automotive Systems | 3 | $123k |
| Mattel HQ | 3 | $175k |
| Usa Waste - Management Resources | 3 | $150k |
| Hill-Rom | 2 | $130k |
Common questions about Principal Engineer Software H-1B pay at Palo Alto Networks
- How much does Palo Alto Networks pay a Principal Engineer Software on an H-1B?
- Palo Alto Networks's median certified H-1B base salary for Principal Engineer Software is $215k in FY2025, from 53 filings; the middle 50% of offers fall between $212k and $216k. Across all years the median is $209k.
- How many Principal Engineer Software H-1B LCAs has Palo Alto Networks filed?
- Palo Alto Networks has 139 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Principal Engineer Software on record (FY2020–FY2026), 28 of them in FY2026. That is 4% of its 3,836 certified filings across all titles.
- Does Palo Alto Networks pay Principal Engineer Softwares above the market?
- Palo Alto Networks's all-years median of $209k is 28% above the $163k median for Principal Engineer Software across all H-1B employers (183 certified filings).
- Where does Palo Alto Networks hire H-1B Principal Engineer Softwares?
- Palo Alto Networks's Principal Engineer Software LCAs name worksites mostly in California, Texas, Massachusetts; the top cities are Santa Clara, CA, San Francisco, CA, Irvine, CA.
- Does a certified LCA mean an H-1B visa was approved?
- No. A Labor Condition Application (LCA) is the Department of Labor attestation an employer must have certified before filing an H-1B petition with USCIS. It records the job, worksite and offered wage, but not whether the petition was filed, selected in the lottery, or approved. Filing counts measure intent to sponsor, not headcount.
- What salary do these figures show?
- The base annual wage offered on the certified LCA, converted to a yearly amount. Bonus, equity, overtime and benefits are not included, so total compensation is typically higher. Figures are medians and percentiles over certified filings; wages above $5,000,000 a year are excluded as data-entry errors.
- What do prevailing-wage levels I–IV mean?
- The Department of Labor assigns each LCA an OES wage level from I (entry) to IV (fully competent) for the occupation and area. Under the FY2027 wage-weighted H-1B lottery rule, a higher level earns more selection entries, so an employer's level mix is a proxy for how senior its sponsored roles are.
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Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification — certified LCA disclosure data through June 2026 (FY2020–FY2026). An LCA is not an approved visa; pay figures are base salary and exclude bonus and equity. Methodology →