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The average salary for a Hardware Test Engineer is $108,602 annually, translating to about $52 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly depending on factors such as experience level, education, and geographic location. Entry-level engineers typically earn less, while those with several years of experience can command higher wages.
States like California, Texas, and New York often offer the highest salaries for this position, reflecting the demand for skilled professionals in technology hubs. Additionally, companies in the electronics and computer manufacturing sectors tend to provide competitive compensation packages.
Entry-level hardware test engineers may start at approximately $75,000, while seasoned engineers with advanced skills can earn upwards of $130,000. As you gain experience, pursuing certifications or further education can enhance your earning potential.
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The highest-paying states for hardware test engineers are Washington, California, and Maine. The lowest average hardware test engineer salary states are Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $137,879 | $66.29 |
| 2 | California | $124,284 | $59.75 |
| 3 | Oregon | $106,425 | $51.17 |
| 4 | Maryland | $110,074 | $52.92 |
| 5 | New Mexico | $105,334 | $50.64 |
| 6 | Vermont | $107,462 | $51.66 |
| 7 | Maine | $116,265 | $55.90 |
| 8 | New York | $112,090 | $53.89 |
| 9 | Connecticut | $110,108 | $52.94 |
| 10 | Idaho | $105,399 | $50.67 |
| 11 | Virginia | $103,440 | $49.73 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $103,810 | $49.91 |
| 13 | North Dakota | $106,111 | $51.01 |
| 14 | Alabama | $97,638 | $46.94 |
| 15 | Kansas | $105,366 | $50.66 |
| 16 | Arizona | $97,020 | $46.64 |
| 17 | West Virginia | $102,127 | $49.10 |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | $99,776 | $47.97 |
| 19 | North Carolina | $97,928 | $47.08 |
| 20 | Arkansas | $100,294 | $48.22 |
| 21 | Utah | $93,760 | $45.08 |
| 22 | Texas | $93,264 | $44.84 |
| 23 | Montana | $99,049 | $47.62 |
| 24 | Rhode Island | $94,564 | $45.46 |
| 25 | Delaware | $93,740 | $45.07 |
| 26 | New Jersey | $98,941 | $47.57 |
| 27 | District of Columbia | $93,125 | $44.77 |
| 28 | New Hampshire | $91,480 | $43.98 |
| 29 | Alaska | $95,468 | $45.90 |
| 30 | Colorado | $91,172 | $43.83 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $93,878 | $45.13 |
| 32 | Georgia | $93,362 | $44.89 |
| 33 | South Dakota | $91,626 | $44.05 |
| 34 | Louisiana | $93,101 | $44.76 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $92,075 | $44.27 |
| 36 | Wyoming | $87,211 | $41.93 |
| 37 | Illinois | $91,175 | $43.83 |
| 38 | Florida | $88,512 | $42.55 |
| 39 | Missouri | $88,972 | $42.77 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $87,603 | $42.12 |
| 41 | Minnesota | $86,370 | $41.52 |
| 42 | Iowa | $87,601 | $42.12 |
| 43 | Michigan | $78,756 | $37.86 |
| 44 | Hawaii | $84,312 | $40.53 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $84,343 | $40.55 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $86,912 | $41.78 |
| 47 | Ohio | $80,968 | $38.93 |
| 48 | Nevada | $76,913 | $36.98 |
| 49 | Indiana | $81,632 | $39.25 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $67,847 | $32.62 |
| 51 | Tennessee | $65,712 | $31.59 |
The highest-paying cities for hardware test engineers are Bellevue, WA, Petaluma, CA, and Norwalk, CT.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bellevue, WA | $138,311 | $66.50 |
| 2 | Petaluma, CA | $136,657 | $65.70 |
| 3 | Norwalk, CT | $110,138 | $52.95 |
| 4 | Portland, OR | $106,136 | $51.03 |
| 5 | Albuquerque, NM | $105,573 | $50.76 |
| 6 | Milford, MA | $104,123 | $50.06 |
| 7 | Alexandria, VA | $103,550 | $49.78 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $100,166 | $48.16 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $97,267 | $46.76 |
| 10 | South Jordan, UT | $93,796 | $45.09 |
| 11 | Austin, TX | $93,518 | $44.96 |
| 12 | Chicago, IL | $91,379 | $43.93 |
| 13 | Longmont, CO | $91,281 | $43.89 |
| 14 | Milwaukee, WI | $87,745 | $42.19 |
| 15 | Council Bluffs, IA | $86,634 | $41.65 |
| 16 | Columbus, OH | $80,967 | $38.93 |
| 17 | Allen Park, MI | $78,904 | $37.93 |
A hardware test engineer's salary ranges from $82,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $142,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $142,000 | $11,833 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $125,000 | $10,417 | $60 |
| Average | $108,602 | $9,050 | $52 |
| 25th Percentile | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| 10th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
The highest paying types of hardware test engineers are manager, hardware engineering, hardware manager, and senior computer engineer.
| 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 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Development Engineer | $93,206 | $7,767 | $44.81 | 224,881 |
| Systems Engineer | $82,834 | $6,903 | $39.82 | 145,936 |
| System Design Engineer | $107,704 | $8,975 | $51.78 | 113,582 |
Top companies hiring hardware test engineers now:
Hardware test engineer salaries at Meta and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average hardware test engineer salary at companies like Apple and Lyft are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $154,946 | $74.49 |
| 2 | $139,421 | $67.03 | |
| 3 | Apple | $138,903 | $66.78 |
| 4 | Lyft | $137,516 | $66.11 |
| 5 | Waymo | $131,954 | $63.44 |
| 6 | Microsoft | $128,328 | $61.70 |
| 7 | Intuitive Surgical | $126,961 | $61.04 |
| 8 | NVIDIA | $125,890 | $60.52 |
| 9 | Cruise Automation | $125,731 | $60.45 |
| 10 | Zoox | $124,877 | $60.04 |
| 11 | Über | $120,668 | $58.01 |
| 12 | CyberCoders | $120,337 | $57.85 |
| 13 | Varian Medical Systems | $119,226 | $57.32 |
| 14 | Amazon | $118,650 | $57.04 |
| 15 | Parsons | $118,264 | $56.86 |
| 16 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $115,796 | $55.67 |
| 17 | Samsung Electronics Device Solutions (Semiconductor & Display) | $115,513 | $55.54 |
| 18 | TransCore | $115,101 | $55.34 |
| 19 | Tesla | $114,880 | $55.23 |
| 20 | Motion Recruitment | $114,596 | $55.09 |
The average hardware test engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $109,635 | $52.71 |
| 2 | Technology | $105,270 | $50.61 |
| 3 | Telecommunication | $96,416 | $46.35 |
| 4 | Finance | $84,968 | $40.85 |
The average hardware test engineer salary has risen by $19,030 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average hardware test engineer earned $89,572 annually, but today, they earn $108,602 a year. That works out to a 4% change in pay for hardware test engineers over the last decade.
Compare hardware test engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare hardware test engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $109,000 | $52.21 | +2.0% |
| 2024 | $106,000 | $51.19 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $104,000 | $50.05 | -0.5% |
| 2022 | $105,000 | $50.27 | +0.0% |
| 2021 | $105,000 | $50.26 | +2.9% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astranis | Senior Hardware/Production Test Software Engineer | San Francisco, CA | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Servicenow | Senior Hardware Test Engineer | Kirkland, WA | 06/27/2025 | $140,700 |
| Schneider Electric | Hardware Test Engineer | Buffalo, NY | 06/27/2025 | $80,600 |
| Akkodis | Senior Hardware-In-The-Loop Test Engineer | Tustin, CA | 06/27/2025 | $166,960 |
| Impinj, Inc. | Senior Hardware Test Engineer | Seattle, WA | 06/26/2025 | $111,200 |
| Lumotive | Senior Engineer, Hardware Test Engineer | Redmond, WA | 06/25/2025 | $85,000 |
| Medtronic Inc. | Senior Hardware Test Engineer (Manufacturing)-Onsite | Boulder, CO | 06/20/2025 | $100,000 |
| Forterra | Senior Hardware Test Engineer | Clarksburg, MD | 06/17/2025 | $130,000 |
| Qualcomm | Senior Staff Hardware Security & Post-Silicon Test Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/13/2025 | $166,941 |
| Figure | R&D Hardware Test Engineer-Mechanical Focus | San Jose, CA | 06/11/2025 | $110,000 |
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