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Job outlook for firmware engineers in the United States
Firmware engineer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected firmware engineer job growth rate is 21% from 2018-2028.
About 284,100 new jobs for firmware engineers are projected over the next decade.
Firmware engineer salaries have increased 9% for firmware engineers in the last 5 years.
There are over 4,440 firmware engineers currently employed in the United States.
There are 99,014 active firmware engineer job openings in the US.
The average firmware engineer salary is $97,183.
Are firmware engineer jobs in demand?
Firmware engineer job and salary trends over time
Firmware engineer jobs over time
Firmware engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,440 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 35,480 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 5,041 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 34,383 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 33,463 | 0.01% |
Average firmware engineer salary over time
Firmware engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $97,183 | $46.72 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $93,981 | $45.18 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $91,853 | $44.16 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $89,849 | $43.20 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | $89,231 | $42.90 | +1.2% |
Firmware engineer jobs by state
Most common states for firmware engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 585 | 84% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,731 | 32% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,829 | 30% |
| 4 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,452 | 26% |
| 5 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,697 | 23% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,602 | 23% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 222 | 23% |
| 8 | California | 39,536,653 | 7,960 | 20% |
| 9 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 830 | 20% |
| 10 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 198 | 19% |
| 11 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 553 | 18% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 216 | 16% |
| 13 | Vermont | 623,657 | 97 | 16% |
| 14 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 105 | 14% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 709 | 13% |
| 16 | Indiana | 6,666,818 | 803 | 12% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 225 | 12% |
| 18 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 71 | 12% |
| 19 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 550 | 11% |
| 20 | Alaska | 739,795 | 81 | 11% |
Most common cities for firmware engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cupertino | 14 | 23% | $118,016 |
| 2 | Annapolis | 3 | 8% | $85,930 |
| 3 | Gloucester | 2 | 7% | $86,129 |
| 4 | Derry | 2 | 6% | $84,296 |
| 5 | Irvine | 7 | 3% | $104,275 |
| 6 | Boulder | 3 | 3% | $79,948 |
| 7 | Beaverton | 2 | 2% | $93,915 |
| 8 | Columbia | 2 | 2% | $85,715 |
| 9 | San Diego | 15 | 1% | $103,226 |
| 10 | San Jose | 15 | 1% | $117,815 |
| 11 | Austin | 6 | 1% | $87,488 |
| 12 | Indianapolis | 5 | 1% | $77,222 |
| 13 | Minneapolis | 3 | 1% | $78,294 |
| 14 | Baton Rouge | 2 | 1% | $75,415 |
| 15 | Boston | 3 | 0% | $86,380 |
| 16 | Los Angeles | 3 | 0% | $105,189 |
| 17 | Denver | 2 | 0% | $79,744 |
Firmware Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of firmware engineer experts
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Gannon University
Bakersfield College
Portland State University
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
University of New Hampshire
Allegheny College
Saint Xavier University
Taylor University
Pennsylvania State University - Great Valley
John Brown University
Rider University
Union University
Defiance College
Seminole State College of Florida
Harding University
Travis Mandel Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
Department of Computer Science
What soft skills should all Firmware Engineers possess?
Travis Mandel Ph.D.: Although computer science seems like a highly technical field, soft skills are really what differentiates software engineers. One of the most important qualities of any software engineer is explaining their code clearly at various levels of technical depth and explaining why certain design decisions were made. You could write code that does amazing things, but if that code consists of snippets you pasted from StackOverflow without really fully understanding them, it will be a huge headache for anyone who needs to come into the codebase later and maintain or update it.
Another one is asking the right questions. Imagine you are dropped into a huge codebase and asked to add a new feature (very common!). There's no time to understand everything that is going on, but on the other hand, you need to understand enough of the code to do your task effectively, which involves asking questions. A failure to ask questions will likely result in you wasting a huge amount of time working on something that is ultimately not useful, for instance, re-implementing a complex function that already exists somewhere in the codebase.
How do you envision technology impacting Firmware Engineers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.: Breadth and depth: Computing is becoming more like engineering; where the value of the product, its lifetime risks, costs, and benefits are more critical than just it's roll-out. So the engineering competencies that have always been a part of computing will become more central. Computing is also expanding; the role of data and the shift of once-research technologies (like machine learning) into production applications will continue to require computing graduates to broaden their base and continue as learners. This will cause shifts in what is considered 'fundamental' and the need for professionals to continue to hone and redevelop their technical skill sets.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Firmware Engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.: Computing is ubiquitous, and with more industries moving to remote work, location is becoming less critical. If the internet reaches a place reliably, computing jobs can be located there.
What general advice would you give to a Firmware Engineer?
Maryam Farahani: Thinking about the fields they want to experience or try. And to be intentional about their job search. The best advice is learning as much as they can about what company offers. Visualizing themselves in the next 5 years as a starting point. Do they want to travel a lot, or be in management positions? Do they want to be subject matter expert, or a hands-on engineer or technologist? Their goal may change as they progress in their career but having one makes a big difference in their career choices and keeping them on track.
Dr. Wayne Wakeland Ph.D.
Professor and Systems Science Program ChairPortland State University
Systems science program
What Firmware Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Wayne Wakeland Ph.D.: For analyst positions, I think that employers want to hire people with strong data analysis skills, which, of course, includes statistics, but also big data, machine learning (algorithms), computer-based modeling, and programming. And, in addition to these apparently rather specialized skills, there is growing recognition that a talent for thinking, communicating, and problem-solving in a very general sense, and being able to cope with/address complexity, is also quite important.
Dr. T.S. Kalkur
Department ChairUniversity of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
What experience really stands out on Firmware Engineer resumes?
Dr. T.S. Kalkur: Internship experience and tools used in design.
Marc Lessard
ProfessorUniversity of New Hampshire
Physics and Astronomy Department and Space Science Center
What experience really stands out on Firmware Engineer resumes?
Marc Lessard: Students who have been significantly involved in research projects have a distinct advantage over those who haven't. Those who began such work (which is typically paid) as sophomores or juniors often will have played a significant role in these real-world research efforts, which can be very different than what might be tackled as part of a capstone project.
Written and oral presentation skills are also essential!
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorAllegheny College
Department of Computer Science and Affiliated Faculty in Integrative Informatics
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Firmware Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.: Pandemic has accelerated social connectivity trends using technology, including technology for remote work, and e-learning, and technology to make e-commerce more comfortable and faster. I foresee these accelerated technology trends to continue, even after the pandemic, and therefore job markets in these areas to continue to grow. Another big surge we have seen is in data analytics, which has been increasing over the last decade, and COVID-19 has spotlighted this field. I expect data analyst jobs to continue to be in demand and to grow. Also, the pandemic showed us the interconnectedness of technology with other areas. As the need to develop better solutions to fight various diseases heightens, for example, I expect jobs in biotech to grow.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Firmware Engineers in the next 5 years?
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.: More technology and expertise to use online productivity, development, and communication technologies, is now needed to build and maintain online infrastructures to bring people together in a smaller world. The increase in demand for graduates in the areas mentioned above will result from the current dependence that the pandemic has forced upon Internet-based technologies for communications and productivity. For instance, more will likely be done online after the pandemic since companies have grown used to the convenience of organizing online meetings, working in the cloud, and completing development and scheduling tasks, using freshly-minted, online productivity technologies from GitHub, Zoom, Google Meet, and similar organizations.
In academia, conferences used to be in-person only, and so if you wanted to meet colleagues in your research area, you had to attend in person. Due to the lessons learned from conducting meetings during the pandemic, participants are encouraged to attend conferences virtually, give presentations, develop collaborations, and become involved in new and exciting projects without leaving their living rooms.
These events have grown used to this freedom to organize events, without physical boundaries, when getting people together to meet, think, and work. It is logical to perform more online work now, to be done so conveniently to include more people and more productivity, with less travel and hotels to worry about. It would seem that those who design technological innovations, permitting better communication, development, and productivity for online users will be the creators of the collaboration spaces of tomorrow.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Firmware Engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.: In the next few years, technologies related to artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing, container-orchestration systems, and cybersecurity will continue to become more important and prominent. These technologies have the foundation to improve the quality of life in terms of health, education, fighting misinformation, creating better connections, fighting climate change, etc. IoT with smart devices connected online will continue to rise, thus producing more data, which will necessitate AI, data analytics, and security solutions. Additionally, I foresee 5G technology to play an essential role in the next few years, as e-commerce expands into autonomous delivery services. In the software engineering field, to enable fast, secure, and connected software development, technologies allowing to automate a part of that process, such as version control, containerization, and Kubernetes, will also become increasingly important.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Firmware Engineers in the next 5 years?
James Vanderhyde: There has been a steady increase in software and IT jobs for the last 20 years, and this is not going to slow down any time soon. In the next 5 years, demand will increase, particularly in software development and cybersecurity. The technology field changes so quickly that beyond 5 years, it is difficult to make predictions. That is why we thoroughly prepare our computer science and information systems students for technology changes and career shifts to discover the best in themselves and to be prepared to meet the demand and excel within the field.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Firmware Engineers to find work opportunities?
James Vanderhyde: Any big city will have lots of opportunities for computing, software, and IT work. Silicon Valley and the rest of the west coast are the most famous, but innovation is happening everywhere around the country and around the world, including here in Chicago. Chicago tech companies have hired our students upon graduation, and likewise, our graduates have found success and gratification in the field.
What are the best companies to work for a Firmware Engineer?
James Vanderhyde: The best companies to work for are companies that respect you as a person and not just a cog in the machine. They are inclusive, and they recognize and appreciate diversity. They have a track record of handling sick leave and family leave as needed. They will not expect you to eat dinner in your office and then go back to work after an already long day. All software companies experience crunch times around release dates, but the best companies do not experience constant crunch. That is a sign of poor management. The best companies will give you challenging problems to work on and reward innovation.
Dr. Jonathan Geisler
Associate ProfessorTaylor University
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
What are the best companies to work for a Firmware Engineer?
Dr. Jonathan Geisler: The best companies to work for are the ones that are responsive to both their customers' and employees' needs. They are the ones that have tried to be proactive during the pandemic and not just survive until everything got "back to normal." They know that a damaged workforce leads to a damaged company, and so they provide good management, encouraging everyone to be healthy mentally and physically.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Firmware Engineers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Jonathan Geisler: There will be a continued increase in demand for computer engineering
graduates as computers become more heavily integrated into the fabric
of our lives. Things like self-driving cars, the Internet of Things, and
mobile computing will become more commonplace and increase the demand for engineering talent; the long-term trend of using smartphones and web-based applications will not slow, leading to an increase in the
demand for computing talent.
What experience really stands out on Firmware Engineer resumes?
Nil Ergin Ph.D.: Knowledge of analytical skills, methods, and tools for analysis, design, and management of complex systems and experience working with interdisciplinary teams are essential for systems engineering professionals. Experience in applying systems thinking and design thinking approaches to understanding organization, technical, and non-technical factors that influence the design and performance of complex systems stands out on resumes.
How do you envision technology impacting Firmware Engineers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Ted Junseok Song: The question is not whether technology will advance or not. It is, rather, how it will advance. Professionals in the industry need to be equipped to see the customers' demand and where our society is headed. I would recommend college students to be interested in broad topics apart from topics in their major. Well-rounded people will have more opportunities to impact the future.
Dr. Howard Rees
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Information SystemsRider University
Information systems
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Firmware Engineers?
Dr. Howard Rees: We're moving into a volatile time for the economy, and planning for an uncertain future is what big companies are concerned with. In many ways, the pandemic and concerns over future pandemics that we now know can be globally devastating will be a boon for CS and IT graduates. Face to face business interactions and transactions will be dramatically reduced, both in the short term and in the long run, as there will be a need to hedge against future pandemics. Everything changes from production and operations to supply chain and risk management and diversification to the nature of "office work." And all of that must be underpinned by computer technology: communications, security, data analytics. These are trends that have been developing for the past few decades but the pandemic will accelerate them, and that's all useful, if you're a CS or IT graduate with a broad base of knowledge, which provides you the freedom to adapt.
What general advice would you give to a Firmware Engineer?
Brian Glas: Build relationships: Different technologies will interest and challenge you, but throughout your career, you'll find that it's the relationships that are the most important. This is harder to grasp earlier in your career, but much easier to understand after 15-20 years.
Gain different perspectives: Spend time with people in other roles that your job interacts with, and gain a solid understanding of how they view things; this is most valuable for career progression and understanding of how your work fits into the big picture.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Firmware Engineers?
Aaron Napierala: I think the pandemic's lasting impact on graduates will be decisive in preparing them for careers in technology. A recent graduate of mine just completed training for a new position with a company, completely remote. It was the first time the company had ever done anything like this before. It was a success, and the graduate raves at the entire process. The pandemic is forcing companies to scrutinize how they operate, to ensure the best possible outcome, for whatever it is they are doing. Once they see the success of being able to accomplish something more efficiently, or they are more cost-effective, they may continue on this path. Why would a company post their ad locally and interview a handful of candidates, when they can open up access globally and draw from a much larger pool? So for graduates just now entering the workforce, they have a distinct advantage: having access to technology for the majority of their lives and just coming out of situations that were forced on them to communicate remotely.
Craig Tidwell Ph.D.
Professor/Program ManagerSeminole State College of Florida
Center for Information Technology
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Firmware Engineers?
Craig Tidwell Ph.D.: Many I.T. employees already have the option to work remotely (telecommute), but this will become even more important with the Coronavirus challenges. Employees must be able to work remotely and be organized and self-directed. Employers are looking for teleworkers that can work on a task from anywhere.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Firmware Engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Frank McCown Ph.D.: Software continues to move to mobile devices and the web and away from desktop applications. The pandemic has encouraged growth in applications that make in-person transactions go away, and that trend will likely continue. Obviously AI-enabled or assisted applications will continue to grow.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Firmware Engineers?
Frank McCown Ph.D.: Many companies have changed their hiring practices. It's not unusual for a new graduate to jump straight into remote work. I predict the move from in-person work to remote work is only going to accelerate as we get more comfortable with it. Once the pandemic dies down, and economic uncertainties start to go away, companies that had been on hiring freezes will likely jump back in, creating a strong market for graduates.