Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between hardware development engineers and software engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a hardware development engineer, becoming a software engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a hardware development engineer has an average salary of $119,370, which is higher than the $100,260 average annual salary of a software engineer.
The top three skills for a hardware development engineer include hardware development, analog and PCB. The most important skills for a software engineer are java, python, and software development.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $119,370 | $100,260 |
| Hourly rate | $57.39 | $48.20 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 21% |
| Number of jobs | 100,593 | 339,938 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3.5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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 software engineer is a computer science professional who is responsible for the development of information systems, designing and building computer systems software and applications software. They often prefer to call themselves as a software developer or computer programmer. They have substantial knowledge of programming languages, software development, and computer operating systems, and other technologies. They use these to turn a plan into a final output. They can create a design, test, and develop software based on the needs of their clients.
Hardware development engineers and software engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Hardware Development Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average salary | $119,370 | $100,260 |
| Salary range | Between $88,000 And $161,000 | Between $73,000 And $136,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Bruno, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a hardware development engineer and a software engineer in terms of educational background:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 77% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between hardware development engineers' and software engineers' demographics:
| Hardware Development Engineer | Software Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.2% Female, 12.8% | Male, 78.0% Female, 22.0% |
| 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, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 34.0% White, 48.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 8% |