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Firmware developer salary
Average firmware developer salary
$87,481
Understanding Firmware Developer Salaries
The role of a Firmware Developer is crucial in the tech industry, focusing on programming and designing firmware for devices. As of October 2025, the average salary stands at $87,481 annually. Factors influencing this salary include geographic location, industry, and years of experience. For instance, developers in metropolitan areas tend to earn more due to higher living costs and demand for skilled professionals.
Comparative Analysis by State
States like California, Washington, and New York consistently report some of the highest salaries for firmware developers. In these regions, salaries can exceed $100,000 in certain sectors, particularly in tech and electronics. Understanding the salary landscape in these areas can help job seekers target their applications effectively.
Opportunities for Growth
With advancements in technology, the demand for firmware developers continues to rise, particularly in industries like automotive, IoT, and consumer electronics. Pursuing certifications or advanced degrees can significantly enhance earning potential and job prospects.
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Where can a Firmware Developer earn more?
Firmware developer salary estimates from across the web
Average firmware developer salary by state
The average firmware developer salary in California, Washington, and Virginia are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average firmware developer salary states are Kansas, Montana, and Kentucky.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for firmware developers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $101,720 | $48.90 |
| 2 | California | $102,628 | $49.34 |
| 3 | Virginia | $97,884 | $47.06 |
| 4 | Texas | $88,465 | $42.53 |
| 5 | Nevada | $88,678 | $42.63 |
| 6 | North Carolina | $95,375 | $45.85 |
| 7 | Vermont | $86,389 | $41.53 |
| 8 | New York | $96,733 | $46.51 |
| 9 | New Jersey | $92,284 | $44.37 |
| 10 | Ohio | $84,110 | $40.44 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $89,819 | $43.18 |
| 12 | Maine | $83,863 | $40.32 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $81,412 | $39.14 |
| 14 | Alabama | $83,549 | $40.17 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $85,929 | $41.31 |
| 16 | Pennsylvania | $86,048 | $41.37 |
| 17 | Illinois | $86,851 | $41.76 |
| 18 | Florida | $86,626 | $41.65 |
| 19 | Idaho | $81,336 | $39.10 |
| 20 | Maryland | $80,695 | $38.80 |
| 21 | Oregon | $79,320 | $38.13 |
| 22 | Utah | $77,013 | $37.03 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $82,147 | $39.49 |
| 24 | Iowa | $78,583 | $37.78 |
| 25 | Arkansas | $75,659 | $36.37 |
| 26 | Georgia | $74,849 | $35.99 |
| 27 | Wyoming | $71,926 | $34.58 |
| 28 | Wisconsin | $76,177 | $36.62 |
| 29 | Delaware | $79,281 | $38.12 |
| 30 | Michigan | $74,690 | $35.91 |
| 31 | Alaska | $78,727 | $37.85 |
| 32 | Hawaii | $80,739 | $38.82 |
| 33 | Arizona | $78,260 | $37.63 |
| 34 | New Hampshire | $76,772 | $36.91 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $72,165 | $34.69 |
| 36 | Tennessee | $73,883 | $35.52 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | $73,188 | $35.19 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $69,618 | $33.47 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $73,803 | $35.48 |
| 40 | Colorado | $69,886 | $33.60 |
| 41 | Kansas | $68,538 | $32.95 |
| 42 | Indiana | $68,801 | $33.08 |
| 43 | South Dakota | $69,294 | $33.31 |
| 44 | Connecticut | $73,488 | $35.33 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $65,567 | $31.52 |
| 46 | Montana | $68,332 | $32.85 |
| 47 | Louisiana | $70,506 | $33.90 |
| 48 | Missouri | $65,557 | $31.52 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $68,160 | $32.77 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $69,498 | $33.41 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $67,944 | $32.67 |
Highest paying cities for firmware developers
The highest-paying cities for firmware developers are San Francisco, CA, Redmond, WA, and Manassas, VA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $114,128 | $54.87 |
| 2 | Redmond, WA | $102,604 | $49.33 |
| 3 | Manassas, VA | $97,828 | $47.03 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $97,033 | $46.65 |
| 5 | Asheville, NC | $93,775 | $45.08 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $89,303 | $42.93 |
| 7 | Chicago, IL | $87,029 | $41.84 |
| 8 | Framingham, MA | $86,000 | $41.35 |
| 9 | Annapolis, MD | $80,942 | $38.91 |
| 10 | Beaverton, OR | $79,016 | $37.99 |
| 11 | Chandler, AZ | $78,303 | $37.65 |
| 12 | Provo, UT | $76,623 | $36.84 |
| 13 | Madison, WI | $75,973 | $36.53 |
| 14 | Detroit, MI | $74,952 | $36.03 |
| 15 | Atlanta, GA | $74,651 | $35.89 |
| 16 | Rochester, MN | $72,481 | $34.85 |
| 17 | Broomfield, CO | $69,770 | $33.54 |
| 18 | Indianapolis, IN | $68,795 | $33.07 |
| 19 | Broken Arrow, OK | $67,683 | $32.54 |
Firmware developer salary details
A firmware developer's salary ranges from $65,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $117,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a firmware developer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $117,000 | $9,750 | $56 |
| 75th Percentile | $102,000 | $8,500 | $49 |
| Average | $87,481 | $7,290 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $74,000 | $6,167 | $36 |
| 10th Percentile | $65,000 | $5,417 | $31 |
Highest paying firmware developer jobs
The highest paying types of firmware developers are senior staff systems engineer, systems engineer staff, and senior firmware engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Systems Engineering Internship | $39,003 | $3,250 | $18.75 | 161,551 |
| Embedded Systems Engineer | $91,959 | $7,663 | $44.21 | 77,484 |
| Advanced Systems Engineer | $109,257 | $9,105 | $52.53 | 220,210 |
| Systems Engineer Staff | $129,611 | $10,801 | $62.31 | 304,494 |
| Computer Engineer | $96,805 | $8,067 | $46.54 | 126,709 |
| Embedded Engineer | $95,419 | $7,952 | $45.87 | 24,338 |
Top companies hiring firmware developers now:
Which companies pay firmware developers the most?
Firmware developer salaries at Parsons and Immersion are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average firmware developer salary at companies like Silicon Labs and Seagate Technology are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parsons | $124,946 | $60.07 |
| 2 | Immersion | $118,862 | $57.15 |
| 3 | Silicon Labs | $106,537 | $51.22 |
| 4 | Seagate Technology | $105,511 | $50.73 |
| 5 | Kforce | $104,408 | $50.20 |
| 6 | CTG | $100,254 | $48.20 |
| 7 | Structure Group | $96,848 | $46.56 |
| 8 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $96,153 | $46.23 |
| 9 | Comtech | $95,518 | $45.92 |
| 10 | Yoh | $94,557 | $45.46 |
| 11 | ASCO Valve | $93,595 | $45.00 |
| 12 | Boeing | $93,488 | $44.95 |
| 13 | Zebra Technologies | $92,879 | $44.65 |
| 14 | Philips Lighting North America | $92,810 | $44.62 |
| 15 | R.M. Schulte & Associates | $92,500 | $44.47 |
| 16 | Qualcomm | $92,017 | $44.24 |
| 17 | Mindlance | $91,474 | $43.98 |
| 18 | Tanisha Systems Inc. | $91,333 | $43.91 |
| 19 | 3M Company | $90,363 | $43.44 |
| 20 | GTS Services | $89,040 | $42.81 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Firmware Developer salary by industry
The average firmware developer salary varies across industries:
- The average firmware developer salary in the internet industry is $98,058, the highest of any industry.
- The average firmware developer salary in the finance industry is $89,807.
- Firmware developers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $83,443, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for firmware developers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Internet | $98,058 | $47.14 |
| 2 | Technology | $89,807 | $43.18 |
| 3 | Start-up | $87,050 | $41.85 |
| 4 | Telecommunication | $86,297 | $41.49 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $83,443 | $40.12 |
High paying firmware developer jobs
Firmware developer salary trends
The average firmware developer salary has risen by $14,870 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average firmware developer earned $72,611 annually, but today, they earn $87,481 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for firmware developers over the last decade.
Compare firmware developer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average firmware developer salary over time
Compare firmware developer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Firmware developer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $87,500 | $42.06 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $84,600 | $40.67 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $82,700 | $39.75 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $80,900 | $38.88 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | $80,300 | $38.62 | +1.2% |
Recently added firmware developer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actalent | Firmware Cybersecurity | Minneapolis, MN | 06/25/2025 | $104,350 |
| Eli Lilly and Company | Embedded Systems Firmware Developer | Indianapolis, IN | 06/12/2025 | $97,500 |
| Lilly | Embedded Systems Firmware Developer | Indianapolis, IN | 06/11/2025 | $97,500 |
| Yoh, A Day & Zimmermann Company | Firmware Developer-OTA | Long Beach, CA | 05/29/2025 | $166,960 |
| 3M | Software/Firmware Developer | Austin, TX | 05/10/2025 | $141,150 |
| Staffmark Group | Firmware Developer | Tallahassee, FL | 05/08/2025 | $152,351 |
| Qualcomm | RAS & Manageability Controller Firmware Developer | Santa Clara, CA | 05/06/2025 | $162,600 |
| Qualcomm | CPU Power Management Firmware Developer-Performance Management | Santa Clara, CA | 04/25/2025 | $162,600 |
| Actalent | Firmware Cybersecurity | Minneapolis, MN | 04/21/2025 | $104,350 |
| Teksystems | Firmware Developer | Cupertino, CA | 04/19/2025 | $156,525 |
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