Median pay for computer hardware engineers runs from $82,200 in Madison to $209,860 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara — a 2.55× range across 96 metropolitan areas. The national median of $161,740 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Ten per cent of computer hardware engineers earn below $92,940 and ten per cent above $225,330 — a 2.42× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 39%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (CA) leads and Madison (WI) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $209,860 | $100.89 | 14.19 | 7,940 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $203,890 | $98.02 | 2.4 | 2,810 |
| Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury CT | $202,390 | $97.30 | 0.61 | 120 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill NC | $175,110 | $84.19 | 2.56 | 430 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $174,440 | $83.87 | 4.39 | 3,330 |
| Manchester-Nashua NH | $174,140 | $83.72 | 1.32 | 130 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton PA-NJ | $172,210 | $82.79 | 1.05 | 190 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville CA | $169,370 | $81.43 | 1.6 | 80 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $169,120 | $81.31 | 1.37 | 1,410 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $168,990 | $81.24 | 5.87 | 490 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $167,600 | $80.58 | 2.13 | 2,840 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $167,010 | $80.30 | 2.41 | 2,820 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $165,530 | $79.58 | 6.03 | 3,850 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $162,870 | $78.30 | 0.78 | 1,570 |
| Boulder CO | $161,720 | $77.75 | 6.8 | 650 |
| Cedar Rapids IA | $161,160 | $77.48 | 0.84 | 60 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $160,300 | $77.07 | 0.38 | 1,780 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $159,480 | $76.67 | 1.16 | 1,790 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $158,530 | $76.22 | 0.6 | 1,870 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $156,750 | $75.36 | 1.11 | 740 |
| Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $153,570 | $73.83 | 0.79 | 60 |
| Utica-Rome NY | $151,330 | $72.75 | 1.49 | 90 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL | $150,530 | $72.37 | 4.12 | 500 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara CA | $148,440 | $71.36 | 0.6 | 60 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $144,660 | $69.55 | 1.22 | 970 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Madison WI | $82,200 | $39.52 | 0.6 | 120 |
| Baton Rouge LA | $83,550 | $40.17 | 0.47 | 100 |
| Tulsa OK | $91,290 | $43.89 | 0.18 | 40 |
| Waterbury-Shelton CT | $93,590 | $45.00 | 0.43 | 30 |
| Oklahoma City OK | $96,080 | $46.19 | 0.35 | 120 |
| Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area | $97,780 | $47.01 | 1.64 | 160 |
| Aguadilla PR | $98,520 | $47.37 | 8.49 | 200 |
| Milwaukee-Waukesha WI | $99,010 | $47.60 | 0.12 | 50 |
| Logan UT-ID | $99,570 | $47.87 | 0.98 | 30 |
| Sioux Falls SD-MN | $99,720 | $47.94 | 1.25 | 110 |
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara has 14.19× the national concentration of computer hardware engineers — the densest market in the country for this role, with 7,940 employed locally. It also ranks among the ten best-paying metros at $209,860, which is the rarer combination: deep market and good pay together.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $209,860 | $100.89 | 14.19 | 7,940 |
| Aguadilla PR | $98,520 | $47.37 | 8.49 | 200 |
| Boulder CO | $161,720 | $77.75 | 6.8 | 650 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $127,400 | $61.25 | 6.42 | 180 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $165,530 | $79.58 | 6.03 | 3,850 |
| Lexington Park MD | $127,620 | $61.36 | 5.93 | 210 |
| Fort Collins-Loveland CO | $168,990 | $81.24 | 5.87 | 490 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $174,440 | $83.87 | 4.39 | 3,330 |
| Boise City ID | $131,570 | $63.26 | 4.3 | 830 |
| Huntsville AL | $142,670 | $68.59 | 4.27 | 560 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL | $150,530 | $72.37 | 4.12 | 500 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $136,920 | $65.83 | 3.15 | 490 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $209,860 | $100.89 | 14.19 | 7,940 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos TX | $165,530 | $79.58 | 6.03 | 3,850 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad CA | $174,440 | $83.87 | 4.39 | 3,330 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $167,600 | $80.58 | 2.13 | 2,840 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $167,010 | $80.30 | 2.41 | 2,820 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $203,890 | $98.02 | 2.4 | 2,810 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $158,530 | $76.22 | 0.6 | 1,870 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $159,480 | $76.67 | 1.16 | 1,790 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $160,300 | $77.07 | 0.38 | 1,780 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $162,870 | $78.30 | 0.78 | 1,570 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $169,120 | $81.31 | 1.37 | 1,410 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $133,860 | $64.35 | 0.49 | 1,080 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 17-2061. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 96 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 432 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.