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Computer hardware developer salary
Average computer hardware developer salary
$99,546
Average Computer Hardware Developer Salary
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Computer Hardware Developer stands at $99,546 annually, which translates to about $48 per hour. This salary reflects various factors, including experience level, education, and the specific industry segment.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level positions typically start lower, while developers with several years of experience can command significantly higher salaries. For instance, seasoned professionals may earn over $120,000, especially in high-demand tech hubs.
Top-Paying States and Cities
States like California and Texas often feature the highest salaries for this profession. Cities such as San Jose, Seattle, and New York consistently rank among the top locations for computer hardware developers, offering competitive compensation and vibrant job markets.
Career Opportunities
Beyond salaries, the demand for computer hardware developers continues to grow as technology evolves. This role is crucial in sectors ranging from consumer electronics to advanced computing systems, positioning developers at the forefront of innovation.
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Where can a Computer Hardware Developer earn more?
Computer hardware developer salaries by experience level
Average computer hardware developer salary by state
The highest-paying states for computer hardware developers are Washington, California, and Maine. The lowest average computer hardware developer salary states are Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for computer hardware developers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $131,967 | $63.45 |
| 2 | New Mexico | $103,948 | $49.98 |
| 3 | Kansas | $105,202 | $50.58 |
| 4 | North Dakota | $104,805 | $50.39 |
| 5 | Maine | $114,699 | $55.14 |
| 6 | Arizona | $100,819 | $48.47 |
| 7 | California | $123,100 | $59.18 |
| 8 | Vermont | $105,383 | $50.66 |
| 9 | Texas | $98,032 | $47.13 |
| 10 | Colorado | $100,572 | $48.35 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $106,790 | $51.34 |
| 12 | Virginia | $101,778 | $48.93 |
| 13 | Alaska | $100,255 | $48.20 |
| 14 | Connecticut | $106,509 | $51.21 |
| 15 | West Virginia | $97,927 | $47.08 |
| 16 | Arkansas | $96,985 | $46.63 |
| 17 | Alabama | $93,029 | $44.73 |
| 18 | Idaho | $98,557 | $47.38 |
| 19 | Maryland | $97,103 | $46.68 |
| 20 | Utah | $92,911 | $44.67 |
| 21 | Oregon | $97,774 | $47.01 |
| 22 | Montana | $96,284 | $46.29 |
| 23 | South Dakota | $90,152 | $43.34 |
| 24 | Wyoming | $86,634 | $41.65 |
| 25 | Rhode Island | $91,495 | $43.99 |
| 26 | District of Columbia | $89,868 | $43.21 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $97,324 | $46.79 |
| 28 | Oklahoma | $89,854 | $43.20 |
| 29 | Georgia | $88,584 | $42.59 |
| 30 | Louisiana | $89,772 | $43.16 |
| 31 | Hawaii | $86,712 | $41.69 |
| 32 | New Hampshire | $88,905 | $42.74 |
| 33 | New York | $96,446 | $46.37 |
| 34 | Missouri | $87,535 | $42.08 |
| 35 | Nebraska | $84,016 | $40.39 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $88,640 | $42.62 |
| 37 | Iowa | $85,380 | $41.05 |
| 38 | Minnesota | $84,232 | $40.50 |
| 39 | South Carolina | $88,005 | $42.31 |
| 40 | Delaware | $90,609 | $43.56 |
| 41 | Ohio | $78,096 | $37.55 |
| 42 | Nevada | $78,549 | $37.76 |
| 43 | Wisconsin | $78,516 | $37.75 |
| 44 | Illinois | $87,693 | $42.16 |
| 45 | Mississippi | $83,471 | $40.13 |
| 46 | Michigan | $74,354 | $35.75 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $85,063 | $40.90 |
| 48 | Indiana | $73,446 | $35.31 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $62,857 | $30.22 |
| 50 | Tennessee | $70,755 | $34.02 |
| 51 | Florida | $79,489 | $38.22 |
Highest paying cities for computer hardware developers
The highest-paying cities for computer hardware developers are Redmond, WA, Belmont, CA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Redmond, WA | $132,669 | $63.78 |
| 2 | Belmont, CA | $131,369 | $63.16 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $106,736 | $51.32 |
| 4 | Hartford, CT | $106,476 | $51.19 |
| 5 | Bismarck, ND | $104,914 | $50.44 |
| 6 | Albuquerque, NM | $104,539 | $50.26 |
| 7 | Broomfield, CO | $100,467 | $48.30 |
| 8 | Austin, TX | $98,258 | $47.24 |
| 9 | Portland, OR | $97,411 | $46.83 |
| 10 | Annapolis, MD | $97,232 | $46.75 |
| 11 | Charleston, WV | $97,161 | $46.71 |
| 12 | Helena, MT | $96,959 | $46.61 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $96,568 | $46.43 |
| 14 | Salt Lake City, UT | $92,462 | $44.45 |
| 15 | Dover, DE | $90,592 | $43.55 |
| 16 | Baton Rouge, LA | $89,814 | $43.18 |
| 17 | Concord, NH | $88,745 | $42.67 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | $88,554 | $42.57 |
| 19 | Harrisburg, PA | $88,445 | $42.52 |
| 20 | Columbia, SC | $87,976 | $42.30 |
Computer hardware developer salary details
A computer hardware developer's salary ranges from $74,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $133,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a computer hardware developer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $133,000 | $11,083 | $64 |
| 75th Percentile | $116,000 | $9,667 | $56 |
| Average | $99,546 | $8,296 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $85,000 | $7,083 | $41 |
| 10th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
Highest paying computer hardware developer jobs
The highest paying types of computer hardware developers are manager, hardware engineering, hardware manager, and computer hardware designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Design Verification Engineer | $117,277 | $9,773 | $56.38 | 65,429 |
| Verification Engineer | $104,158 | $8,680 | $50.08 | 38,261 |
| Hardware Engineering Internship | $63,154 | $5,263 | $30.36 | 100,276 |
| Developer | $100,076 | $8,340 | $48.11 | 262,570 |
| Computer Programmer | $70,979 | $5,915 | $34.12 | 205,491 |
| Hardware Test Engineer | $108,602 | $9,050 | $52.21 | 77,022 |
Top companies hiring computer hardware developers now:
Which companies pay computer hardware developers the most?
Computer hardware developer salaries at Apple and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average computer hardware developer salary at companies like Rambus and Oracle are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $146,445 | $70.41 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $141,986 | $68.26 |
| 3 | Rambus | $126,536 | $60.83 |
| 4 | Oracle | $112,282 | $53.98 |
| 5 | Nokia | $111,108 | $53.42 |
| 6 | Sanofi US | $106,757 | $51.33 |
| 7 | Panasonic | $106,215 | $51.06 |
| 8 | Alcatel Networks Inc | $105,096 | $50.53 |
| 9 | IBM | $99,851 | $48.01 |
| 10 | Wolfram | $99,543 | $47.86 |
| 11 | Lenmar Consulting | $98,653 | $47.43 |
| 12 | Spectrum Health Companies | $97,871 | $47.05 |
| 13 | Fermi Research Alliance | $97,515 | $46.88 |
| 14 | NANA | $96,904 | $46.59 |
| 15 | Sandia National Labs | $96,666 | $46.47 |
| 16 | Siemens Enterprise Communications Inc | $95,956 | $46.13 |
| 17 | Siemens | $93,686 | $45.04 |
| 18 | Comtech | $92,704 | $44.57 |
| 19 | Connvertex® Technologies | $91,606 | $44.04 |
| 20 | Kitware | $89,817 | $43.18 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Computer hardware developer salary trends
The average computer hardware developer salary has risen by $17,443 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average computer hardware developer earned $82,103 annually, but today, they earn $99,546 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for computer hardware developers over the last decade.
Compare computer hardware developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average computer hardware developer salary over time
Compare computer hardware developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Computer hardware developer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $99,500 | $47.86 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $97,600 | $46.92 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $95,400 | $45.87 | -0.5% |
| 2022 | $95,800 | $46.08 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | $95,800 | $46.07 | +2.9% |
Recently added computer hardware developer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KLA Corporation | Platform Developer-Storage & System Hardware | Ann Arbor, MI | 06/14/2025 | $80,000 |
| Oracle | Hardware Developer 4 | Austin, TX | 06/10/2025 | $151,840 |
| Net2Source Inc. | Hardware Developer | San Francisco, CA | 05/30/2025 | $125,220 |
| Oracle | Hardware Developer 4 | Austin, TX | 05/10/2025 | $151,840 |
| Amazon | Hardware Development-Cryogenic Hardware Manufacturing, Cryogenic Hardware | Pasadena, CA | 05/08/2025 | $105,600 |
| Oracle | Hardware Developer 3 | Santa Clara, CA | 04/28/2025 | $87,000 |
| RTL Networks | Embedded Computer/Hardware Developer | China Lake Acres, CA | 04/17/2025 | $150,000 |
| Oracle | Hardware Developer 3 | Santa Clara, CA | 03/26/2025 | $87,000 |
| Apple Inc. | Hardware Development | Cupertino, CA | 03/22/2025 | $204,901 |
| Apple Inc. | Hardware Development | Cupertino, CA | 03/17/2025 | $136,300 |
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