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Firmware engineer salary
Average firmware engineer salary
$97,183
Understanding Firmware Engineer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Firmware Engineer in the United States stands at $97,183 per year. Factors such as experience, geographic location, and industry significantly influence earning potential. For instance, firmware engineers in high-demand states like California and New York typically earn higher salaries due to the cost of living and concentration of tech companies.
In addition to geographic factors, the specific industries also play a role in salary differences. Firmware engineers working in aerospace or telecommunications often command higher salaries compared to those in smaller sectors. The job market is robust, with opportunities for engineers to advance into leadership roles or specialize in emerging technologies, further enhancing their earning potential.
Salary Breakdown by Experience
Entry-level positions may start around $70,000, while experienced engineers can earn well over $120,000, reflecting the growing demand for specialized skills in firmware development. Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers make informed career decisions and identify potential pathways for salary growth.
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Where can a Firmware Engineer earn more?
Firmware engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average firmware engineer salary by state
The average firmware engineer salary in Washington, California, and New York are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average firmware engineer salary states are South Carolina, Mississippi, and Oklahoma.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for firmware engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $113,354 | $54.50 |
| 2 | California | $108,735 | $52.28 |
| 3 | Vermont | $95,329 | $45.83 |
| 4 | Oregon | $93,931 | $45.16 |
| 5 | New York | $95,528 | $45.93 |
| 6 | New Mexico | $91,584 | $44.03 |
| 7 | Texas | $86,518 | $41.60 |
| 8 | Maine | $93,139 | $44.78 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $94,261 | $45.32 |
| 10 | Alaska | $91,681 | $44.08 |
| 11 | New Jersey | $93,492 | $44.95 |
| 12 | Wyoming | $83,249 | $40.02 |
| 13 | Arizona | $86,745 | $41.70 |
| 14 | Massachusetts | $86,410 | $41.54 |
| 15 | Nevada | $87,748 | $42.19 |
| 16 | Alabama | $81,291 | $39.08 |
| 17 | Utah | $83,624 | $40.20 |
| 18 | Idaho | $85,201 | $40.96 |
| 19 | New Hampshire | $84,117 | $40.44 |
| 20 | Delaware | $83,400 | $40.10 |
| 21 | Maryland | $85,728 | $41.22 |
| 22 | Michigan | $81,181 | $39.03 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $80,070 | $38.50 |
| 24 | Virginia | $81,390 | $39.13 |
| 25 | Hawaii | $84,570 | $40.66 |
| 26 | Rhode Island | $78,942 | $37.95 |
| 27 | Montana | $82,286 | $39.56 |
| 28 | Arkansas | $79,775 | $38.35 |
| 29 | Colorado | $79,825 | $38.38 |
| 30 | Wisconsin | $80,395 | $38.65 |
| 31 | Indiana | $77,328 | $37.18 |
| 32 | Pennsylvania | $79,449 | $38.20 |
| 33 | Connecticut | $80,014 | $38.47 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $78,248 | $37.62 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $77,696 | $37.35 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $77,906 | $37.45 |
| 37 | Iowa | $76,618 | $36.84 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $76,600 | $36.83 |
| 39 | Ohio | $75,311 | $36.21 |
| 40 | North Carolina | $74,102 | $35.63 |
| 41 | Georgia | $75,321 | $36.21 |
| 42 | Illinois | $75,360 | $36.23 |
| 43 | Kansas | $73,635 | $35.40 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $75,036 | $36.08 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $71,582 | $34.41 |
| 46 | Florida | $73,566 | $35.37 |
| 47 | South Carolina | $72,838 | $35.02 |
| 48 | Mississippi | $72,688 | $34.95 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $71,324 | $34.29 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $72,368 | $34.79 |
| 51 | Missouri | $69,724 | $33.52 |
Highest paying cities for firmware engineers
The highest-paying cities for firmware engineers are San Francisco, CA, Redmond, WA, and New York, NY.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $118,301 | $56.88 |
| 2 | Redmond, WA | $113,925 | $54.77 |
| 3 | New York, NY | $95,754 | $46.04 |
| 4 | Hillsboro, OR | $93,973 | $45.18 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $87,488 | $42.06 |
| 6 | Chandler, AZ | $86,763 | $41.71 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $86,380 | $41.53 |
| 8 | Milwaukee, WI | $80,478 | $38.69 |
| 9 | Boulder, CO | $79,948 | $38.44 |
| 10 | Eden Prairie, MN | $78,235 | $37.61 |
| 11 | Pittsburgh, PA | $77,093 | $37.06 |
| 12 | Atlanta, GA | $75,155 | $36.13 |
| 13 | Raleigh, NC | $74,904 | $36.01 |
Firmware engineer salary details
A firmware engineer's salary ranges from $73,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $129,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a firmware engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $129,000 | $10,750 | $62 |
| 75th Percentile | $112,000 | $9,333 | $54 |
| Average | $97,183 | $8,099 | $47 |
| 25th Percentile | $83,000 | $6,917 | $40 |
| 10th Percentile | $73,000 | $6,083 | $35 |
Highest paying firmware engineer jobs
The highest paying types of firmware engineers are senior staff systems engineer, staff software engineer, and systems engineer staff.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Embedded Software Developer | $89,506 | $7,459 | $43.03 | 257,508 |
| Systems Engineering Internship | $39,003 | $3,250 | $18.75 | 161,551 |
| Advanced Systems Engineer | $109,257 | $9,105 | $52.53 | 220,210 |
| Systems Engineer Staff | $129,611 | $10,801 | $62.31 | 304,494 |
| Embedded Systems Engineer | $91,959 | $7,663 | $44.21 | 77,484 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
Top companies hiring firmware engineers now:
Which companies pay firmware engineers the most?
Firmware engineer salaries at Meta and Lyft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average firmware engineer salary at companies like Google and Apple are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $165,614 | $79.62 |
| 2 | Lyft | $153,016 | $73.57 |
| 3 | $152,230 | $73.19 | |
| 4 | Apple | $147,953 | $71.13 |
| 5 | NVIDIA | $147,652 | $70.99 |
| 6 | Microsoft | $146,082 | $70.23 |
| 7 | Rivian | $138,626 | $66.65 |
| 8 | Zoox | $137,655 | $66.18 |
| 9 | Amazon | $134,901 | $64.86 |
| 10 | Infinera | $134,006 | $64.43 |
| 11 | Pure Storage | $133,920 | $64.38 |
| 12 | Seres | $133,007 | $63.95 |
| 13 | Oculus | $132,963 | $63.92 |
| 14 | Netgear | $132,339 | $63.62 |
| 15 | Quirky | $131,778 | $63.35 |
| 16 | GoPro | $130,219 | $62.61 |
| 17 | Varian Medical Systems | $129,997 | $62.50 |
| 18 | Square | $129,137 | $62.09 |
| 19 | Carbon | $128,600 | $61.83 |
| 20 | Logitech | $128,009 | $61.54 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Firmware Engineer salary by industry
The average firmware engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average firmware engineer salary in the automotive industry is $111,715, the highest of any industry.
- The average firmware engineer salary in the finance industry is $111,315.
- Firmware engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $93,441, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for firmware engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $111,715 | $53.71 |
| 2 | Telecommunication | $111,315 | $53.52 |
| 3 | Technology | $109,667 | $52.72 |
| 4 | Health Care | $96,039 | $46.17 |
| 5 | Manufacturing | $93,441 | $44.92 |
High paying firmware engineer jobs
Firmware engineer salary trends
The average firmware engineer salary has risen by $16,519 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average firmware engineer earned $80,664 annually, but today, they earn $97,183 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for firmware engineers over the last decade.
Compare firmware engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average firmware engineer salary over time
Compare firmware engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Firmware engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $97,200 | $46.72 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $94,000 | $45.18 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $91,900 | $44.16 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $89,800 | $43.20 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | $89,200 | $42.90 | +1.2% |
Recently added firmware engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Impinj | Staff Firmware Engineer | Seattle, WA | 06/29/2025 | $129,000 |
| Datadirect Networks | Associate Firmware Engineer | Colorado Springs, CO | 06/29/2025 | $64,380 |
| Anduril Industries | Firmware Engineer | Costa Mesa, CA | 06/29/2025 | $138,000 |
| Redwood Materials | Firmware Engineer, Energy Storage | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $170,000 |
| Actalent | Firmware Engineer | Brookfield, WI | 06/29/2025 | $114,785 |
| Actalent | Firmware Engineer | Minneapolis, MN | 06/29/2025 | $104,350 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. | Cybersecurity Firmware Engineer, Mid | Rome, NY | 06/28/2025 | $61,900 |
| Impinj | Staff Firmware Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/28/2025 | $129,000 |
| Sierra Nevada | Firmware Engineer I | Lone Tree, CO | 06/28/2025 | $82,039 |
| Aehr Test Systems | Embedded Firmware Engineer | Fremont, CA | 06/27/2025 | $70,000 |
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