Aerospace Engineers
Median $134,960
Occupation · SOC 17-2061
Computer Hardware Engineers: pay and where the jobs are
What computer hardware engineers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$161,740 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $162,670
- Median hourly wage
- $77.76
- Mean hourly wage
- $78.21
- Employment
- 76,660
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2061.
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See where your pay falls among computer hardware engineers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do computer hardware engineers make?
The median annual wage for computer hardware engineers was $161,740 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $92,940 and the highest-paid 10% more than $225,330. As an hourly rate, the median is $77.76. About 76,660 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($185,180), Washington ($169,120) and Massachusetts ($167,600). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in New Mexico.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for computer hardware engineers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $92,940 | $44.68 | $7,745 | $6,184 |
| 25th percentile | $126,090 | $60.62 | $10,508 | $8,121 |
| Median | $161,740 | $77.76 | $13,478 | $10,151 |
| 75th percentile | $202,990 | $97.59 | $16,916 | $12,501 |
| 90th percentile | $225,330 | $108.33 | $18,778 | $13,724 |
Computer Hardware Engineers: pay by state
42 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$127,436 take-home in national prices
2
$127,002 take-home in national prices
3
$116,354 take-home in national prices
Where a median computer hardware engineer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 19,820 | $185,180 | $126,590 | $281,210 | $122,452 | $110,597 |
| Washington | 1,800 | $169,120 | $100,120 | $260,210 | $124,514 | $116,354 |
| Massachusetts | 3,150 | $167,600 | $118,490 | $258,880 | $116,890 | $110,527 |
| New Mexico | 5,260 | $165,350 | $117,150 | $204,150 | $117,511 | $127,436 |
| Texas | 7,390 | $163,860 | $92,940 | $216,260 | $123,264 | $127,002 |
| New York | 3,020 | $163,470 | $101,530 | $224,490 | $113,950 | $105,587 |
| District of Columbia | 210 | $163,360 | $100,690 | $211,950 | $112,005 | $101,915 |
| Hawaii | 90 | $159,880 | $94,270 | $202,980 | $109,730 | $99,799 |
| Arizona | 3,110 | $158,280 | $100,900 | $218,440 | $115,887 | $115,108 |
| Colorado | 2,660 | $156,080 | $100,050 | $222,220 | $111,101 | $107,810 |
| Maryland | 1,720 | $152,730 | $87,840 | $198,300 | $108,432 | $103,309 |
| New Jersey | 580 | $142,880 | $87,540 | $210,900 | $101,222 | $93,031 |
| Virginia | 1,720 | $139,030 | $87,630 | $195,290 | $99,113 | $98,031 |
| Alabama | 680 | $136,990 | $80,680 | $195,190 | $99,370 | $111,874 |
| Delaware | 30 | $135,690 | $96,140 | $200,240 | $95,853 | $96,037 |
| Nebraska | 80 | $134,950 | $96,910 | $173,350 | $98,244 | $109,035 |
| North Carolina | 1,340 | $134,670 | $74,310 | $234,390 | $98,448 | $104,370 |
| Minnesota | 770 | $134,300 | $84,770 | $176,340 | $94,760 | $96,085 |
| Florida | 3,290 | $134,160 | $77,680 | $203,510 | $102,964 | $99,565 |
| Illinois | 1,420 | $133,220 | $77,420 | $210,100 | $95,872 | $95,913 |
| Idaho | 920 | $131,570 | $85,230 | $212,880 | $95,329 | $99,827 |
| Tennessee | Not published | $130,830 | $96,300 | $167,030 | $100,688 | $109,599 |
| New Hampshire | 310 | $129,140 | $75,740 | $202,720 | $99,533 | $95,553 |
| Iowa | 130 | $125,120 | $77,480 | $187,980 | $92,683 | $105,607 |
| South Carolina | 690 | $125,110 | $74,990 | $171,540 | $91,226 | $97,309 |
| Arkansas | 160 | $120,290 | $70,870 | $166,450 | $89,204 | $102,607 |
| Michigan | 1,420 | $119,670 | $78,240 | $176,700 | $88,183 | $91,650 |
| Rhode Island | 390 | $119,510 | $80,620 | $158,570 | $87,730 | $85,775 |
| Ohio | 580 | $118,160 | $75,240 | $196,680 | $89,143 | $96,086 |
| Nevada | 160 | $116,530 | $83,310 | $155,020 | $90,809 | $90,828 |
| Kentucky | 500 | $116,200 | $71,400 | $128,050 | $86,627 | $96,083 |
| Utah | 430 | $106,950 | $72,550 | $168,320 | $79,310 | $80,221 |
| Missouri | 900 | $103,980 | $61,290 | $150,050 | $78,030 | $85,920 |
| Kansas | 220 | $101,750 | $74,520 | $145,800 | $75,533 | $83,862 |
| South Dakota | 160 | $101,400 | $78,040 | $150,110 | $80,165 | $90,494 |
| Georgia | 650 | $100,210 | $70,920 | $165,610 | $75,076 | $77,966 |
| Indiana | 320 | $98,350 | $73,780 | $136,970 | $75,147 | $80,519 |
| Oklahoma | 180 | $95,600 | $77,150 | $171,560 | $72,328 | $82,338 |
| Puerto Rico | 370 | $85,660 | $64,590 | $138,930 | — | — |
| Wisconsin | 270 | $83,670 | $68,330 | $172,820 | $64,234 | $68,265 |
| Louisiana | 270 | $83,550 | $47,840 | $150,290 | $65,487 | $74,243 |
| Mississippi | 150 | $78,320 | $68,770 | $140,650 | $61,527 | $70,759 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2061. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.