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As a Senior Embedded Software Engineer, your expertise in developing embedded systems is highly valued across various industries, including automotive, consumer electronics, and telecommunications. The average salary of $113,699 reflects not just the role's complexity but also the demand for skilled professionals in the field.
Salary estimates can vary significantly based on factors such as geographic location and industry. For instance, states like California and Texas typically offer higher pay due to the concentration of tech companies and advanced manufacturing industries. In contrast, regions with a lower cost of living often present lower average salaries.
In addition to location, experience plays a crucial role in determining salary. Professionals with advanced skills or certifications may earn significantly more. The highest-paying industries for embedded software engineers include aerospace and defense, where specialized knowledge is critical. Opportunities abound for those willing to expand their skill set and adapt to emerging technologies, such as IoT and AI.
For those considering a career in this field, understanding the salary landscape and the factors affecting earnings can help in making informed decisions about job opportunities and career advancement.
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The average senior embedded software engineer salary in California, Washington, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior embedded software engineer salary states are Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Nebraska.
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $128,607 | $61.83 |
| 2 | Oregon | $127,833 | $61.46 |
| 3 | California | $129,042 | $62.04 |
| 4 | Utah | $110,219 | $52.99 |
| 5 | Massachusetts | $114,954 | $55.27 |
| 6 | Vermont | $113,102 | $54.38 |
| 7 | Arizona | $113,170 | $54.41 |
| 8 | Texas | $110,840 | $53.29 |
| 9 | New Mexico | $108,621 | $52.22 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $104,500 | $50.24 |
| 11 | Florida | $112,549 | $54.11 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $114,668 | $55.13 |
| 13 | District of Columbia | $111,768 | $53.73 |
| 14 | Maine | $110,945 | $53.34 |
| 15 | Idaho | $107,070 | $51.48 |
| 16 | New York | $107,884 | $51.87 |
| 17 | Virginia | $104,821 | $50.39 |
| 18 | Alaska | $112,142 | $53.91 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $106,753 | $51.32 |
| 20 | Georgia | $104,446 | $50.21 |
| 21 | Nevada | $106,320 | $51.12 |
| 22 | Maryland | $105,506 | $50.72 |
| 23 | Montana | $103,509 | $49.76 |
| 24 | Alabama | $101,410 | $48.75 |
| 25 | Colorado | $102,299 | $49.18 |
| 26 | New Hampshire | $99,295 | $47.74 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $97,208 | $46.73 |
| 28 | Pennsylvania | $102,585 | $49.32 |
| 29 | Delaware | $99,111 | $47.65 |
| 30 | Michigan | $100,558 | $48.35 |
| 31 | Iowa | $101,839 | $48.96 |
| 32 | Ohio | $101,195 | $48.65 |
| 33 | Hawaii | $106,563 | $51.23 |
| 34 | Minnesota | $98,283 | $47.25 |
| 35 | North Carolina | $97,498 | $46.87 |
| 36 | Illinois | $97,891 | $47.06 |
| 37 | Wisconsin | $96,541 | $46.41 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $95,916 | $46.11 |
| 39 | South Dakota | $95,614 | $45.97 |
| 40 | Rhode Island | $92,798 | $44.61 |
| 41 | West Virginia | $92,424 | $44.43 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $93,470 | $44.94 |
| 43 | Kansas | $89,782 | $43.16 |
| 44 | Louisiana | $90,932 | $43.72 |
| 45 | Missouri | $84,705 | $40.72 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $87,611 | $42.12 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $88,606 | $42.60 |
| 48 | Indiana | $86,185 | $41.44 |
| 49 | Kentucky | $85,854 | $41.28 |
| 50 | South Carolina | $89,050 | $42.81 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $87,922 | $42.27 |
The highest-paying cities for senior embedded software engineers are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Boston, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $138,257 | $66.47 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $128,999 | $62.02 |
| 3 | Boston, MA | $115,050 | $55.31 |
| 4 | Plantation, FL | $113,575 | $54.60 |
| 5 | Austin, TX | $112,013 | $53.85 |
| 6 | Salt Lake City, UT | $109,809 | $52.79 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $108,145 | $51.99 |
| 8 | Newark, NJ | $106,785 | $51.34 |
| 9 | Baltimore, MD | $105,782 | $50.86 |
| 10 | Atlanta, GA | $104,156 | $50.08 |
| 11 | Boulder, CO | $102,526 | $49.29 |
| 12 | Urbandale, IA | $101,521 | $48.81 |
| 13 | Warren, MI | $100,821 | $48.47 |
| 14 | Huntsville, AL | $100,240 | $48.19 |
| 15 | Newark, DE | $99,129 | $47.66 |
| 16 | Chicago, IL | $98,045 | $47.14 |
| 17 | Milwaukee, WI | $96,628 | $46.46 |
| 18 | Olathe, KS | $89,557 | $43.06 |
| 19 | Columbus, IN | $85,926 | $41.31 |
A senior embedded software engineer's salary ranges from $88,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $146,000 at the 90th percentile.

| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $146,000 | $12,167 | $70 |
| 75th Percentile | $129,000 | $10,750 | $62 |
| Average | $113,699 | $9,475 | $55 |
| 25th Percentile | $99,000 | $8,250 | $48 |
| 10th Percentile | $88,000 | $7,333 | $42 |
The highest paying types of senior embedded software engineers are staff software engineer, principal software engineer, and principal engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Architect And Developer | $110,970 | $9,248 | $53.35 | 316,181 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Principal Engineer | $130,213 | $10,851 | $62.60 | 312,683 |
| Systems Engineer | $82,834 | $6,903 | $39.82 | 145,936 |
| Software Systems Engineer | $107,102 | $8,925 | $51.49 | 370,518 |
| Software Design Engineer | $98,799 | $8,233 | $47.50 | 315,080 |
Top companies hiring senior embedded software engineers now:
Senior embedded software engineer salaries at Google and Apple are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior embedded software engineer salary at companies like Pure Storage and Rivian are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $154,416 | $74.24 | |
| 2 | Apple | $148,790 | $71.53 |
| 3 | Pure Storage | $145,333 | $69.87 |
| 4 | Rivian | $142,659 | $68.59 |
| 5 | NVIDIA | $139,929 | $67.27 |
| 6 | Cruise Automation | $137,146 | $65.94 |
| 7 | Cepheid | $135,450 | $65.12 |
| 8 | Intuitive Surgical | $134,487 | $64.66 |
| 9 | Amazon | $134,086 | $64.46 |
| 10 | Cisco | $133,843 | $64.35 |
| 11 | Volvo Trucks | $133,733 | $64.29 |
| 12 | Argo AI | $132,909 | $63.90 |
| 13 | Ford Motor | $132,745 | $63.82 |
| 14 | Magic Leap | $130,749 | $62.86 |
| 15 | Logitech | $130,635 | $62.81 |
| 16 | 10x Genomics | $130,383 | $62.68 |
| 17 | Tesla | $129,029 | $62.03 |
| 18 | BorgWarner | $128,412 | $61.74 |
| 19 | The Talent Group | $127,916 | $61.50 |
| 20 | Motiv Power Systems | $127,770 | $61.43 |
The average senior embedded software engineer salary varies across industries:
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Retail | $115,602 | $55.58 |
| 2 | Automotive | $114,994 | $55.29 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $109,987 | $52.88 |
| 4 | Technology | $105,527 | $50.73 |
The average senior embedded software engineer salary has risen by $19,327 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior embedded software engineer earned $94,372 annually, but today, they earn $113,699 a year. That works out to a 9% change in pay for senior embedded software engineers over the last decade.
Compare senior embedded software engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Compare senior embedded software engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $114,000 | $54.66 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $110,000 | $52.86 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $107,000 | $51.66 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $105,000 | $50.54 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | $104,000 | $50.19 | +1.2% |
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris Industries | SR. Embedded Software Engineer-Devops | Wyoming | 06/30/2025 | $110,000 |
| Jeppesen | Embedded Software Engineer (Experienced/Senior) | El Segundo, CA | 06/30/2025 | $137,000 |
| Jeppesen | Software Engineer-Embedded Linux Hardware Lab Focal (Mid-Level or Senior) | Mesa, AZ | 06/30/2025 | $132,600 |
| Relativity | Senior Software Engineer, Embedded | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $165,000 |
| Spacex | SR. Software Engineer, Firmware/Embedded (Falcon & Dragon) | Hawthorne, CA | 06/29/2025 | $160,000 |
| Toast | Senior Software Engineer, Embedded Finance | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $134,000 |
| Pebble Labs | Senior Embedded Software Engineer | Fremont, CA | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Anduril Industries | Senior Embedded Software Engineer, Intelligence Systems | Reston, VA | 06/29/2025 | $168,000 |
| F&I Express | Senior Embedded Software Engineer | Boston, MA | 06/29/2025 | $150,000 |
| Qualcomm | Senior Embedded Software Development Engineer | Boulder, CO | 06/28/2025 | $100,200 |
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