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Role hub · Computer Hardware Engineers

Computer Hardware Engineer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of computer hardware engineers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$161,740
Hourly
$77.76
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Computer Hardware Engineers research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. The median pay is $161,740 a year ($77.76 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (48% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$161,740
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
76,660
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
48% of workers
Key facts

Computer Hardware Engineers at a glance

  • Computer hardware engineers in the United States earned a median annual wage of $161,740 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for computer hardware engineers in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of computer hardware engineers in the United States to grow 9.1% from 2025 to 2035, with about 4,100 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 76,660 people were employed as computer hardware engineers in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Computer Hardware Engineers

SalaryComputer Hardware Engineer salary

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The work

What computer hardware engineers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
  2. Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
  3. Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
  4. Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
  5. Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
  6. Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.
  7. Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed.
  8. Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all computer hardware engineer jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Professional, scientific, and technical services39.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +14.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $168,670
  2. Computer and electronic product manufacturing31.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.1% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $162,930
  3. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals6.7% of all jobs in this occupation · -5.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $137,610
  4. Management of companies and enterprises4.8% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.6% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $164,480
  5. Merchant wholesalers, durable goods4.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +6.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $150,700
  6. Computing infrastructure providers, data processing, web hosting, and related services2.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +27.0% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $147,870

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Reading ComprehensioncoreCritical ThinkingcoreComplex Problem SolvingcoreActive ListeningWritingSpeakingActive LearningJudgment and Decision MakingOperations Analysis

Knowledge areas: Computers and Electronics, Engineering and Technology, Design, Mathematics, English Language, Physics.

Tools and technology

Software computer hardware engineers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • The MathWorks MATLABAnalytical or scientific softwareIn demand
  • Simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis SPICEAnalytical or scientific softwareIn demand
  • Very high speed integrated circuit VHSIC hardware description language VHDL simulation softwareAnalytical or scientific softwareIn demand
  • Apache Subversion SVNFile versioning softwareHot technology
  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • GitFile versioning softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • SASAnalytical or scientific softwareHot technology
  • ASSET JTAG ScanWorksAnalytical or scientific software
  • Application-specific integrated circuit ASIC logic synthesis softwareAnalytical or scientific software
  • Automatic test program generation ATPGAnalytical or scientific software
  • Block diagram softwarePattern design software

Also called: Design Engineer, Engineer, Field Service Engineer, Hardware Design Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Physical Design Engineer.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.