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The differences between hardware design engineers and hardware development engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a hardware design engineer and a hardware development engineer. Additionally, a hardware development engineer has an average salary of $119,370, which is higher than the $106,135 average annual salary of a hardware design engineer.
The top three skills for a hardware design engineer include RF, PCB and analog. The most important skills for a hardware development engineer are hardware development, analog, and PCB.
| Hardware Design Engineer | Hardware Development Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $106,135 | $119,370 |
| Hourly rate | $51.03 | $57.39 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 69,000 | 100,593 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A hardware design engineer is an individual who develops, improves, and test components and systems for computers and other devices. Hardware design engineers must develop and design hardware components, such as circuit boards, switches, and networking elements. They are required to examine technological specifications and functional requirements as well as design components and systems that will deliver the expected performance. Hardware design engineers are also involved with manufacturing hardware, and they work closely with software engineers and developers during the development cycle.
A hardware development engineer carries out an analysis of the requirements of a needed product and tries to develop a prototype, taking into consideration the cost and specifications. You're also expected to work on already existing products and seek ways to modify them. You will be in charge of your team members and oversee all they do. Some of the hardware you may be required to design and test includes microprocessors, routers, keyboards, circuit boards, etc.
Hardware design engineers and hardware development engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Design Engineer | Hardware Development Engineer | |
| Average salary | $106,135 | $119,370 |
| Salary range | Between $80,000 And $139,000 | Between $88,000 And $161,000 |
| Highest paying City | Bothell, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | Apple |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a hardware design engineer and a hardware development engineer in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Design Engineer | Hardware Development Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between hardware design engineers' and hardware development engineers' demographics:
| Hardware Design Engineer | Hardware Development Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 50.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 29.7% White, 50.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |