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Hardware design engineer salary
Average hardware design engineer salary
$106,135
Understanding Hardware Design Engineer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Hardware Design Engineer stands at $106,135 per year. This figure can greatly fluctuate based on various factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and specific industry sectors.
Factors Influencing Salary
- Experience Level: Entry-level engineers may earn below the median salary, while experienced professionals often exceed it significantly.
- Location: Areas like California and New York typically offer higher salaries due to the cost of living and demand for skilled engineers.
- Industry: Engineers in sectors such as technology, aerospace, and telecommunications may find salary packages that include bonuses and stock options.
For those considering a career in hardware design engineering, understanding the salary landscape is essential. Researching different states and their average salaries can provide a clearer picture of where to focus your job search. Additionally, specific job roles within this field, such as lead design engineer or project manager, often command higher compensation. Explore opportunities and take the next step in your career with the right insights.
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Where can a Hardware Design Engineer earn more?
Hardware design engineer salaries by experience level
Hardware design engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average hardware design engineer salary by state
The average hardware design engineer salary in Washington, California, and Maine are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average hardware design engineer salary states are Nebraska, Michigan, and Indiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for hardware design engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $139,223 | $66.93 |
| 2 | California | $123,297 | $59.28 |
| 3 | Arizona | $105,133 | $50.54 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $108,566 | $52.20 |
| 5 | Maine | $115,217 | $55.39 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | $106,280 | $51.10 |
| 7 | Vermont | $105,661 | $50.80 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $106,218 | $51.07 |
| 9 | Maryland | $104,819 | $50.39 |
| 10 | New Mexico | $103,711 | $49.86 |
| 11 | Texas | $99,380 | $47.78 |
| 12 | North Dakota | $102,895 | $49.47 |
| 13 | Kansas | $98,963 | $47.58 |
| 14 | Virginia | $97,726 | $46.98 |
| 15 | Pennsylvania | $98,847 | $47.52 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $92,940 | $44.68 |
| 17 | Alabama | $90,830 | $43.67 |
| 18 | New Jersey | $103,145 | $49.59 |
| 19 | Idaho | $95,709 | $46.01 |
| 20 | West Virginia | $95,753 | $46.04 |
| 21 | New York | $96,602 | $46.44 |
| 22 | Montana | $94,071 | $45.23 |
| 23 | North Carolina | $91,380 | $43.93 |
| 24 | Oregon | $89,726 | $43.14 |
| 25 | Utah | $87,552 | $42.09 |
| 26 | Arkansas | $93,260 | $44.84 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | $91,620 | $44.05 |
| 28 | Delaware | $89,610 | $43.08 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $89,820 | $43.18 |
| 30 | District of Columbia | $88,661 | $42.63 |
| 31 | Colorado | $87,939 | $42.28 |
| 32 | Illinois | $89,724 | $43.14 |
| 33 | Georgia | $88,420 | $42.51 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $90,180 | $43.36 |
| 35 | Alaska | $89,486 | $43.02 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $81,832 | $39.34 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $87,913 | $42.27 |
| 38 | Iowa | $83,365 | $40.08 |
| 39 | Hawaii | $87,978 | $42.30 |
| 40 | South Carolina | $86,619 | $41.64 |
| 41 | Florida | $85,664 | $41.18 |
| 42 | Oklahoma | $85,765 | $41.23 |
| 43 | Michigan | $77,925 | $37.46 |
| 44 | Missouri | $83,494 | $40.14 |
| 45 | Indiana | $77,737 | $37.37 |
| 46 | Nevada | $81,393 | $39.13 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $81,595 | $39.23 |
| 48 | Ohio | $76,534 | $36.80 |
| 49 | Nebraska | $80,014 | $38.47 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $62,861 | $30.22 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $60,527 | $29.10 |
Highest paying cities for hardware design engineers
The highest-paying cities for hardware design engineers are Bothell, WA, Santa Rosa, CA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bothell, WA | $140,226 | $67.42 |
| 2 | Santa Rosa, CA | $134,149 | $64.49 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $108,581 | $52.20 |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | $105,392 | $50.67 |
| 5 | Annapolis, MD | $105,076 | $50.52 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $100,061 | $48.11 |
| 7 | Mount Vernon, NY | $96,783 | $46.53 |
| 8 | Raleigh, NC | $92,204 | $44.33 |
| 9 | Chicago, IL | $89,945 | $43.24 |
| 10 | Huntsville, AL | $89,749 | $43.15 |
| 11 | Beaverton, OR | $89,742 | $43.15 |
| 12 | Atlanta, GA | $88,201 | $42.40 |
| 13 | Boulder, CO | $88,088 | $42.35 |
| 14 | Sterling Heights, MI | $78,290 | $37.64 |
Hardware design engineer salary details
A hardware design engineer's salary ranges from $80,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $139,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a hardware design engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $139,000 | $11,583 | $67 |
| 75th Percentile | $122,000 | $10,167 | $59 |
| Average | $106,135 | $8,845 | $51 |
| 25th Percentile | $91,000 | $7,583 | $44 |
| 10th Percentile | $80,000 | $6,667 | $38 |
Highest paying hardware design engineer jobs
The highest paying types of hardware design engineers are manager, hardware engineering, hardware manager, and principal hardware engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Verification Engineer | $104,158 | $8,680 | $50.08 | 38,261 |
| Computer Hardware Developer | $99,546 | $8,296 | $47.86 | 116,915 |
| Design Verification Engineer | $117,277 | $9,773 | $56.38 | 65,429 |
| Hardware Engineering Internship | $63,154 | $5,263 | $30.36 | 100,276 |
| Manager, Hardware Engineering | $148,792 | $12,399 | $71.53 | 63,636 |
Top companies hiring hardware design engineers now:
Which companies pay hardware design engineers the most?
Hardware design engineer salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average hardware design engineer salary at companies like Apple and Microsoft are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $170,243 | $81.85 |
| 2 | $151,477 | $72.83 | |
| 3 | Apple | $148,697 | $71.49 |
| 4 | Microsoft | $143,342 | $68.91 |
| 5 | Palo Alto Networks | $138,731 | $66.70 |
| 6 | Magnum Semiconductor | $131,817 | $63.37 |
| 7 | Amazon | $128,391 | $61.73 |
| 8 | Cisco | $126,837 | $60.98 |
| 9 | Ford Motor | $123,810 | $59.52 |
| 10 | Tesla | $123,437 | $59.34 |
| 11 | CyberCoders | $121,915 | $58.61 |
| 12 | Applied Materials | $121,775 | $58.55 |
| 13 | Dolby Laboratories | $121,465 | $58.40 |
| 14 | Juniper Networks | $120,006 | $57.70 |
| 15 | Texas Instruments | $118,407 | $56.93 |
| 16 | Arista Networks | $116,083 | $55.81 |
| 17 | Finisar | $115,821 | $55.68 |
| 18 | The-Panther-Group | $115,458 | $55.51 |
| 19 | Pluribus Networks | $115,403 | $55.48 |
| 20 | Kelly Services | $115,068 | $55.32 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Hardware design engineer salary trends
The average hardware design engineer salary has risen by $18,597 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average hardware design engineer earned $87,538 annually, but today, they earn $106,135 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for hardware design engineers over the last decade.
Compare hardware design engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average hardware design engineer salary over time
Compare hardware design engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Hardware design engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $106,000 | $51.03 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $104,000 | $50.03 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $102,000 | $48.91 | -0.5% |
| 2022 | $102,000 | $49.13 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | $102,000 | $49.11 | +2.9% |
Recently added hardware design engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Origin | Avionics Hardware Design Engineer III-New Glenn | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $126,898 |
| Psiquantum | Principal Hardware Design Engineer | Palo Alto, CA | 06/29/2025 | $230,000 |
| Lead Mts Firmware Engineer | Hardware Design Engineer | Hillsboro, OR | 06/29/2025 | $106,900 |
| ZP Group | Hardware Design Engineer | Morrisville, NC | 06/27/2025 | $125,000 |
| Atomic Semi | Electronic Hardware Design Engineer | San Francisco, CA | 06/27/2025 | $120,000 |
| Manpowergroup | Hardware Design Engineer 5 | Mountain View, CA | 06/26/2025 | $176,769 |
| Rambus | Hardware Design Engineer | Hillsboro, OR | 06/26/2025 | $106,900 |
| General Dynamics | Lead Hardware Design Engineer-5K | Pittsfield, MA | 06/25/2025 | $139,189 |
| ICU Medical Inc. | Engineer III, Design Quality-Hardware & Consumables | San Clemente, CA | 06/25/2025 | $113,069 |
| General Dynamics Mission Systems | Lead Hardware Design Engineer-5K | Pittsfield, MA | 06/25/2025 | $139,189 |
Hardware design engineer salary FAQs
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