Occupation salary profile

Computer Hardware Engineers

SOC 17-2061 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. May supervise the manufacturing and installation of computer or computer-related equipment and components. Excludes “Software Developers” (15-1252) and “Web Developers” (15-1254).

National median · BLS
$161,740
▲ +4.33% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$170,946
▲ +2.4% YoY · 1,118 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$162,670
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
76,660
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Computer Hardware Engineers

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 1,118 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$92,940$113,954
25th$126,090$140,271
Median (50th)$161,740$170,946
75th$202,990$203,133
90th — top pay$225,330$229,590
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $170,946 for Computer Hardware Engineers — 5.7% above the BLS national median of $161,740.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Computer Hardware Engineers

BLS projects employment of computer hardware engineers to grow 9.1% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 4,100 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
76,100 → 83,000
+6,900 jobs
Projected change
+9.1%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
4,100
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
No related experience required
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 4)
Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a bachelor's degree →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $170,946
Change vs prior year +2.4%
After inflation (CPI-U) -0.71%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 96 8.6% $94,530 $117,050 $141,981
Level II 350 31.3% $129,454 $159,008 $180,000
Level III 277 24.8% $157,560 $191,048 $209,051
Level IV 231 20.7% $189,555 $216,284 $235,000
H-1B job titles

Salaries by job title in Computer Hardware Engineers

The 20 most-filed job titles inside SOC 17-2061, from 1,118 H-1B filings. Seniority words and level numbers are grouped (“Senior Data Engineer II” counts as Data Engineer). Tap a title for its full range, wage levels and the exact titles employers used.

Job title LCAs Share P25 Median P75 YoY
Hardware Engineer 95 8.5% $115,126 $142,860 $182,150 -11.81%
Hardware Development Engineer 88 7.87% $137,093 $155,000 $167,188 -1.67%
ASIC Engineer 53 4.74% $159,016 $178,027 $204,000 -16.14%
Silicon Generalist 48 4.29% $180,000 $188,500 $208,000 +3.57%
ASIC 40 3.58% $153,750 $176,696 $203,133 -3.18%
Graphics Hardware Engineer 40 3.58% $134,383 $155,030 $184,418 -4.65%
Silicon Design Verification Engineer 35 3.13% $154,500 $182,000 $213,000 +4%
Member of Technical Staff generic 32 2.86% $204,750 $257,500 $380,000 +19.44%
Silicon Engineering 31 2.77% $155,650 $190,929 $208,415 +17.56%
Hardware Engineering 30 2.68% $181,019 $192,935 $212,956 -0.63%
Staff Engineer 28 2.5% $150,225 $200,087 $217,148 +3.94%
Hardware Dev Engineer 24 2.15% $135,320 $165,475 $179,100 —
Silicon Digital Design Engineer 24 2.15% $179,000 $187,000 $212,750 +7.47%
Hardware Developer 19 1.7% $139,170 $146,702 $170,958 -3.69%
Technical Program Manager 18 1.61% $177,750 $212,000 $219,500 +10.19%
Principal Engineer 13 1.16% $188,513 $215,600 $229,600 +0%
Silicon Architect 12 1.07% $160,750 $179,359 $186,579 -5.35%
Engineer generic 11 0.98% $132,437 $150,238 $168,220 —
Computer Hardware Engineer 11 0.98% $92,955 $109,304 $109,652 +17.01%
Physical Design Engineer 10 0.89% $98,000 $152,619 $191,250 +33.88%

Titles are cleaned from the employer's own LCA text (codes and typos removed, nothing invented). Rows need 10+ filings in this SOC.

Skills & tools

Skills needed for Computer Hardware Engineers

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Reading Comprehension4.0
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Complex Problem Solving3.9
  • Speaking3.9
  • Writing3.9
  • Active Learning3.8
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.6
  • Operations Analysis3.4
  • Systems Analysis3.4
Top knowledge areas
  • Computers and Electronics4.7
  • Engineering and Technology4.7
  • Design4.1
  • Mathematics4.1
  • English Language3.8
  • Physics3.4
  • Telecommunications3.1
  • Education and Training2.9
Software and technology used
CC++LinuxPerlPythonThe MathWorks MATLABMagellan FirmwarePCI Express PCIeSimulation program with integrated circuit emphasis SPICESystemVerilogTool command language TclVerilogVery high speed integrated circuit VHSIC hardware description language VHDL simulation softwareApache Subversion SVNAutodesk AutoCADGitMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft Excel

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What computer hardware engineers do

  • Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
  • Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
  • Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
  • Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
  • Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
  • Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.
  • Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed.
  • Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process.
Also called
Design EngineerEngineerHardware EngineerSystems Integration EngineerField Service EngineerHardware Design EngineerPhysical Design EngineerProject EngineerStaff Engineer
More job titles for this occupation (27)
Analog Design EngineerAnalog IC Design Engineer (Analog Integrated Circuit Design Engineer)Application Specific Integrated Circuit Design Engineer (ASIC Design Engineer)Application Specific Integrated Circuit Design Verification Engineer (ASIC Design Verification Engineer)Computer DesignerComputer EngineerComputer Hardware DesignerComputer Hardware DeveloperComputer Hardware EngineerComputer Installation EngineerComputer TesterComputer Vision EngineerDesign Verification EngineerDigital Design EngineerDigital Hardware EngineerElectrical Hardware EngineerElectronics EngineerEmbedded Hardware EngineerFPGA Design Engineer (Field Programmable Gate Array Design Engineer)FPGA Design Engineer (Field Programmable Gate Design Engineer)FPGA Engineer (Field Programmable Gate Array Engineer)Hardware ArchitectHardware Development EngineerHardware Systems EngineerHardware Test EngineerMicrochip SpecialistSignal Integrity Engineer

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.