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The differences between senior hardware engineers and hardware design engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a senior hardware engineer and a hardware design engineer. Additionally, a senior hardware engineer has an average salary of $116,383, which is higher than the $106,135 average annual salary of a hardware design engineer.
The top three skills for a senior hardware engineer include C++, RF and PCB. The most important skills for a hardware design engineer are RF, PCB, and analog.
| Senior Hardware Engineer | Hardware Design Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $116,383 | $106,135 |
| Hourly rate | $55.95 | $51.03 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 55,261 | 69,000 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
A Senior Hardware Engineer is responsible for designing computer hardware. They define and coordinate corrective action changes, as well as provide technical support to team members.
A hardware design engineer is an individual who develops, improves, and test components and systems for computers and other devices. Hardware design engineers must develop and design hardware components, such as circuit boards, switches, and networking elements. They are required to examine technological specifications and functional requirements as well as design components and systems that will deliver the expected performance. Hardware design engineers are also involved with manufacturing hardware, and they work closely with software engineers and developers during the development cycle.
Senior hardware engineers and hardware design engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Senior Hardware Engineer | Hardware Design Engineer | |
| Average salary | $116,383 | $106,135 |
| Salary range | Between $89,000 And $151,000 | Between $80,000 And $139,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Bothell, WA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | Washington |
| Best paying company | Netflix | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Technology |
There are a few differences between a senior hardware engineer and a hardware design engineer in terms of educational background:
| Senior Hardware Engineer | Hardware Design Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between senior hardware engineers' and hardware design engineers' demographics:
| Senior Hardware Engineer | Hardware Design Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.5% Female, 6.5% | Male, 90.1% Female, 9.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 29.9% White, 50.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.2% Asian, 29.9% White, 50.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 4% |