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The differences between hardware development engineers and hardware test 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 development engineer and a hardware test engineer. Additionally, a hardware development engineer has an average salary of $119,370, which is higher than the $108,602 average annual salary of a hardware test engineer.
The top three skills for a hardware development engineer include hardware development, analog and PCB. The most important skills for a hardware test engineer are python, test equipment, and C++.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Hardware Test Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,370 | $108,602 |
| Hourly rate | $57.39 | $52.21 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 100,593 | 77,022 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
A hardware test engineer is an IT professional who is responsible for designing, implementing, and executing plans to test computer hardware systems. Hardware test engineers must collaborate with design engineers and the program team to plan the execution of test plans through the entire product development cycle. They are required to develop technical specifications for testers and accepting test equipment from vendors. Hardware test engineers should also be highly knowledgeable in programming languages such as Python and C++.
Hardware development engineers and hardware test engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Hardware Test Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,370 | $108,602 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $161,000 | Between $82,000 And $142,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Bellevue, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Apple | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a hardware development engineer and a hardware test engineer in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Hardware Test Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between hardware development engineers' and hardware test engineers' demographics:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Hardware Test Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 91.7% Female, 8.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 5.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 30.6% White, 50.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |