Hardware Engineer Salary: Your 2025 Guide

Computer hardware engineers design computer hardware, test equipment designs, make design modifications, and oversee the manufacturing process of computer components. In this role, you may work for a computer or equipment manufacturer,  research and development programs, or a government entity like the federal government. Computer hardware engineering jobs are expected to grow 7 percent over the next decade, which is higher than the national average [1].

Discover more about the role of a computer hardware engineer and the salary you can expect depending on factors such as location, industry, experience, and education. 

What is a hardware engineer?

Computer hardware engineers oversee the development and manufacturing of components such as processors, circuit boards, and networks into computer equipment. You’re responsible for making sure the components work together and can process computer software using your engineered hardware design.

You’re also responsible for designing the hardware from its initial idea through manufacturing and testing to ensure the pieces work properly together. Based on testing, you identify issues and modify your plans. 

How much does a hardware engineer make?

Hardware engineers make a median annual salary of $138,080, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The lowest 10 percent of hardware engineers in the US make less than $81,630, and the highest 10 percent earn over $212,770. [1]

According to various job listing sites, the average annual base pay for hardware engineers ranges from $86,238 to $136,240. The salary ranges given by five different organizations that track hardware engineer salaries are as follows:

*All salary data current as of January 2025

Factors that affect a hardware engineer salary

Several factors can affect your salary in the field of hardware engineering. You can typically earn a higher salary based on your experience in the field or education level. Your location may also affect your income depending on the cost of living in your area and the demand for hardware engineers. Particular sectors or fields of hardware engineering can earn you more money, too.

Education

According to Zippia, roughly 69 percent of hardware engineers hold a bachelor’s degree, while 17 percent have a master’s. Another 9 percent have an associate degree [6]. In addition to degrees, you can also consider potential hardware engineer certifications, which can help boost your viability as a job candidate or add to your expected salary. A few certifications to consider include:

• GAQM's Certified Hardware And Technology Engineer (CHTE)

• AppleCare Hardware Certification

• Cisco Certified Technician (CCT)

• BICSI Technician (TECH) Certification

• CompTIA Server+ Certification

Zippia reports the average hardware engineer with a bachelor’s degree earns an average of $102,574, while a professional with a master’s degree earns an average of $112,013 [6].

Experience

Your experience in the field can affect how much you can earn as a hardware engineer, with more experience usually boosting your annual income compared to a hardware engineer entry-level salary. The average estimated base salary you can earn based on your experience, according to Glassdoor, is as follows [3]:

• 0-1year: $92,532

• 1-3 years: $104,408

• 4-6 years: $113,556

• 7-9 years: $120,489

• 10-14 years: $137,554

• 15 or more years: $159,968

Location

Where you live can affect the hardware engineer salaries near you due to the cost of living and the demand for hardware engineers in your area. The five top-paying states and the mean wages paid to hardware engineers based on data collected by BLS are [7]:

• California: $173,270

• Massachusetts: $158,070

• Virginia: $149,690

• Oregon: $146,520

• Washington: $145,670

Some cities could have higher salaries, so you might earn more based on whether you live in a certain city or are flexible with possible relocation to an area with a higher median annual wage for hardware engineers.

Several metropolitan areas in California have the highest mean annual income for hardware engineers, for example. The top five highest-paying metropolitan areas for this career field in the US are [7]:

• San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: $191,300

• Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA: $179,720

• San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA: $178,220

• Durham-Chapel Hill, NC: $166,120

• San Diego-Carlsbad, CA: $165,320

If living in a less densely populated area is more appealing to you, the four nonmetropolitan areas in the US that offer the highest mean annual salary for computer hardware engineers are [7]:

• Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area: $123,250

• Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area: $117,140

Industry

The particular industry you decide to work in can also affect your hardware engineering salary. You can earn a median annual salary of $169,260 in research and development or $128,020 working with the federal government, according to the BLS [1].

Additionally, Glassdoor lists the following as the five highest-paying industries for hardware engineers. Note that Glassdoor calculates total median pay, including base pay, such as the pay calculated by BLS. Salaries also include additional compensation like stocks, cash bonuses, and other benefits [3]:

• Financial services: $218,098

• Health care: $225,721

• Information technology: $141,047

• Manufacturing: $124,475

• Pharmaceutical and biotechnology: $130,636

Related job titles

You can gain additional experience in hardware engineering or find a better-fit job. Two careers to consider are computer network architects and electrical engineers. 

1. Computer network architects

Median annual salary in the US (BLS): $129,840 [8]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 13 percent [8]

As a computer network architect, you will create plans for computer networks. You'd be responsible for building networks, upgrading hardware and software for your company or organization, or developing plans to update workers' technology. 

Read more: A Guide to Network Architectures

2, Electrical engineer

Median annual salary in the US (BLS): $109,010 [9]

Job outlook (projected growth from 2023 to 2033): 9 percent [9]

As an electrical engineer, you will design and develop electrical equipment. You may also be responsible for supervising electrical equipment manufacturing. The electrical engineering field is broad, so common specialties include microelectronics, computer engineering, and power systems, to name a few.

Job outlook

Jobs in computer hardware engineering are expected to grow 7 percent from 2023 to 2033, according to the BLS [1]. That increase is faster than the national average of 4 percent for all occupations. With that, BLS expects the computer hardware engineering field to have an average of 5,000 job openings yearly.

Hardware engineering jobs will likely continue to grow due to increasing demand for designers and manufacturers of products that require hardware engineering experience. You can create hardware for a variety of fields that need innovative designs, such as automobiles, medical devices, and even kitchen appliances.

Getting started as a hardware engineer with Coursera

Hardware engineering is a career that comes with higher than average salaries, which you can maximize by considering the industry you work in, your location, and investing in your education. To learn more about the hardware engineering field or become more competitive,  consider courses and other educational opportunities.

IBM offers IBM IT Support Professional Certificateon Coursera, which covers information technology (IT) and the hardware and operating systems knowledge needed to get a job in the field.

If you want a course focused on a specific area of hardware engineering, try the Embedding Sensors and Motors Specialization from the University of Colorado on Coursera. The course covers how to create new hardware or modify existing hardware.