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Western Digital salary estimate

$109,205yearly

$52.50 hourly rate

Entry-level salary
$75,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Western Digital Salary Insights

Western Digital's salary structure is diverse, with an average annual salary of $109,205. The highest-paying roles include engineering technicians, purchasing managers, and engineering managers. For example, engineering technicians earn an average of $145,083, while purchasing managers see an average of $143,220. Conversely, lower-skilled positions like machine operators earn an average of $37,718.

Salary Variance by Department

Salaries can vary significantly by department. The highest salaries are found in research and development, averaging $116,487, and the IT department, where employees earn about $115,697. On the other hand, positions in facilities and plant manufacturing report salaries of $50,812 and $65,426, respectively.

Regional Salary Differences

Location also plays a crucial role in salary levels. For instance, employees in California typically earn more due to the higher cost of living. Overall, Western Digital strives to maintain competitive salaries in comparison to its industry peers, such as NVIDIA and Broadcom, which report average salaries of $138,575 and $121,218, respectively. This structured approach to compensation reflects the company’s commitment to attracting and retaining top talent.

Highest paying jobs at Western Digital

The highest paying jobs at Western Digital are engineering technician, purchasing manager, engineering manager, and finance analyst. Engineering technician jobs at Western Digital earn an average yearly salary of $145,083, Western Digital purchasing manager jobs average $143,220, and Western Digital engineering manager jobs average $131,501.

The lowest paying Western Digital roles include machine operator and manufacturing technician. Western Digital machine operator average salary is $37,718 per year. So while the average Western Digital salary is $109,205 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.

Highest paying jobs at Western Digital

RankJob titleAverage Western Digital salaryHourly rate
1Engineering Technician$145,083$69.75
2Purchasing Manager$143,220$68.86
3Engineering Manager$131,501$63.22
4Finance Analyst$127,177$61.14
5Program Analyst$119,347$57.38
6Data Scientist$117,325$56.41
7Staff Engineer$108,814$52.31
8NET Developer$104,540$50.26
9Software Developer$103,415$49.72
10Principal Engineer$100,969$48.54
11Senior Mechanical Designer$99,499$47.84
12Supply Chain Planner$68,209$32.79
13Technical Support Specialist$60,523$29.10
14Test Operator$45,544$21.90
15Manufacturing Technician$37,733$18.14
16Machine Operator$37,718$18.13

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Average Western Digital salary by state

Western Digital pays the highest salaries in California due to higher costs of living and competition in the state.

RankStateAverage Western Digital salaryHourly rate
1California$122,164$58.73
2Colorado$98,118$47.17
3Minnesota$90,074$43.30

How much does Western Digital pay by location?

The average Western Digital salary varies by location. Western Digital salaries are the highest in Milpitas, CA, at $124,811 per year. Western Digital pays the second highest average salary in Chandler, AZ, at $104,481 per year. It's important to factor in the cost of living when negotiating a salary or choosing a place to work.

Highest paying Western Digital locations

RankLocationAverage Western Digital salaryHourly rate
1Milpitas, CA$124,811$60.01
2Chandler, AZ$104,481$50.23
3Marlborough, MA$104,280$50.13
4Longmont, CO$97,984$47.11
5Ann Arbor, MI$91,685$44.08
6Rochester, MN$90,196$43.36

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Western Digital salaries by department

Salaries at Western Digital vary depending on the department you work in. Western Digital salaries in the research & development department are the highest with an average salary of $116,487. Employees in the it department at Western Digital receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $115,697 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Western Digital include the facilities and the plant/manufacturing organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $50,812 and $65,426, respectively.

Average Western Digital salary by department

RankDepartmentAverage Western Digital salaryHourly rate
1Research & Development$116,487$56.00
2IT$115,697$55.62
3Engineering$109,775$52.78
4Supply Chain$109,256$52.53
5Finance$106,711$51.30
6Marketing$105,992$50.96
7Plant/Manufacturing$65,427$31.46
8Facilities$50,813$24.43

How much does Western Digital pay by department?

Best paying Western Digital engineering salaries

RankPositionAverage Western Digital salaryHourly rate
1Engineering Technician$145,083$69.75
2Engineering Manager$131,501$63.22
3Programmer Analyst$117,655$56.56
4Data Scientist$117,325$56.41
5Staff Engineer$108,814$52.31
6NET Developer$104,540$50.26
7Software Developer$103,415$49.72
8Analytical Laboratory Analyst$102,756$49.40
9Principal Engineer$100,970$48.54
10Senior Mechanical Designer$99,499$47.84
11Test Operator$45,544$21.90
12Manufacturing Technician$37,733$18.14

Best paying Western Digital research & development salaries

RankPositionAverage Western Digital salaryHourly rate
1Research And Development Engineer$126,863$60.99
2Engine Development Technician$122,568$58.93
3Materials Scientist$117,452$56.47
4Analytical Chemist$110,508$53.13
5Professional Technician$108,403$52.12
6Research Internship$45,511$21.88

Best paying Western Digital plant/manufacturing salaries

RankPositionAverage Western Digital salaryHourly rate
1Materials Program Manager$130,327$62.66
2Staff Process Engineer$125,269$60.23
3Quality Assurance Engineer$121,225$58.28
4Production Control Manager$111,304$53.51
5Production Supervisor$102,296$49.18
6Quality Assurance Tester$96,680$46.48
7Process Technician$46,133$22.18
8Wafer Fabrication Operator$42,470$20.42
9Manufacturing Technician$37,733$18.14
10Machine Operator$37,718$18.13
11Senior Assembler$35,340$16.99

Western Digital competitors’ average salaries

Average salaries at Western Digital competitors, like NVIDIA, Broadcom, and Applied Materials, vary. NVIDIA employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $138,575. The average salary at Broadcom is $121,218 per year, and the average salary at Applied Materials is $102,098 per year.

Highest paying Western Digital competitors

RankCompany nameZippia scoreAverage salary
1NVIDIA4.9$138,575
2Broadcom4.8$121,218
3Applied Materials4.5$102,098
4Seagate Technology4.8$101,694
5Texas Instruments4.6$100,326
6Lam Research4.6$99,371
7Micron Technology4.3$94,951
8Intel4.7$94,208
9Collins Aerospace4.7$85,837
10Northrop Grumman4.7$77,399
11Rockwell Automation4.4$75,932
12Lockheed Martin4.8$75,771
13Raytheon Technologies4.6$72,022
14L3Harris4.4$68,528

Recently added Western Digital salaries

JobLocationDate addedSalary
Senior Engineer, Development EngineeringSan Jose, CA03/19/2025$114,922
Senior Engineer, Asic Development EngineeringRoseville, CA03/17/2025$90,376
Senior Engineer, Asic Development EngineeringFolsom, CA03/17/2025$90,376
Staff Engineer, Hardware Development EngineeringFremont, CA03/17/2025$137,093
Staff Engineer, Hardware Development EngineeringFremont, CA03/17/2025$137,093

What employees say about salary at Western Digital

Employee reviews
profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023
Pros of working at Western Digital

flexible working hours

Cons of working at Western Digital

compensation may not be competitive to other companies

Western Digital benefits

Allow some employees to work from home

What do you like best about Western Digital's CEO and the leadership team?

CEO does seem to care about the employees

How would you improve Western Digital's culture?

We really work hard so please consider to restore STI and 401K match ASAP (and bump up the 401K match and ESPP program to match with other companies)!

How did you prepare for the Western Digital interview?

Just try to do your best

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profile
5.0
A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2020
Pros of working at Western Digital

Very employee friendly, ethical, and stable.

Cons of working at Western Digital

I'm looking to relocate to Texas, and there is no option to relocate with this company.

Western Digital benefits

Cell and other company discounts.

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Frequently asked questions about Western Digital salaries

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Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Western Digital, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Western Digital. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Western Digital. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Western Digital. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Western Digital and its employees or that of Zippia.

Western Digital may also be known as or be related to Wd, A Western Digital Company, Western Digital, Western Digital Corporation, Western Digital Japan Ltd. and western digital fremont, llc.