Computer hardware engineers

Detailed Occupation

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2024 Workforce

61.8k

Average Age

42.4

Estimated Job Growth

7.29%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$144,981

Average Male Salary

$146,869

Average Female Salary

$132,305

About

Computer hardware engineers are most often employed by the Computer Systems Design industry. The average yearly wage for Computer hardware engineers was $144,981 in 2024.

The locations that employ the most Computer hardware engineers are Santa Clara County (Northwest)--Sunnyvale City PUMA, CA, Loudoun County (East Central)--Ashburn (Southwest/Belmont Ridge) & Dulles Airport PUMA, VA, and Alameda County (South)--Fremont City (Southeast) PUMA, CA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Computer hardware engineers are Santa Clara County (Northwest)--Sunnyvale City PUMA, CA, Alameda County (South)--Fremont City (Southeast) PUMA, CA, and Santa Clara County (Southwest)--Cupertino, Saratoga Cities & Los Gatos Town PUMA, CA.

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Employment

Employment and salary information for the Computer hardware engineers workforce. Computer hardware engineers workforce in 2024 was 61,818 people, of which 13% were women and 87% were men.

Computer hardware engineers are paid most in San Francisco County (Southwest)--Central & Bernal Heights PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Santa Clara County (Northwest)--Sunnyvale City PUMA, CA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

53,807

Male Workforce

± 5.69k

8,011

Female Workforce

± 2.2k

The Computer hardware engineers workforce in 2024 was 61,818 people (13% women and 87% men). This implies an average annual growth of 8.87% between 2014 (56,780) and 2024 (61,818).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Computer hardware engineers.

During 2024, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Oregon ($206,376), California ($198,475), and Washington ($183,884).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$144,981

AVERAGE WAGE

#28 in the ranking (2014)

$69,878

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2024, Computer hardware engineers earned an average of $144,981, $75,104 more than the average national salary of $69,878

The graph shows the ranking of Computer hardware engineers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2014.

In 2024, Computer hardware engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.337, which is lower than the national average of 0.474. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Computer hardware engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Computer hardware engineers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Computer hardware engineers and on wages for those in the field. Computer Systems Design is the industry that employs the most Computer hardware engineers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Computer hardware engineers, by average wage, is Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals ($323,261).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

61.8k

2024 Workforce

± 6,103

−0.055%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 14%

This graphic shows the share of Computer hardware engineers employed by various industries. Computer Systems Design employs the largest share of Computer hardware engineers at 62.4%, followed by Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing with 15.4% and Electronic component & product manufacturing, n.e.c. with 13.1%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Computer hardware engineers in the US. The workforce of Computer hardware engineers in 2024 was 61,818 people, with 13% woman, and 87% men. The average age of male Computer hardware engineers in the workforce is 42.6 and of female Computer hardware engineers is 41.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Computer hardware engineers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Computer hardware engineers in 2024 was 61,818 people, with 13% woman, and 87% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 45 to 49 years (8,644 people), 35 to 39 years (8,505 people), and 40 to 44 years (7,898 people). Among them they concentrated 40.7% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2024, 9.86% of Computer hardware engineers workers were Hispanic and 90.1% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (49.2%), Puerto Rican (14.9)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (8.07)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2024, 51.8% of the Computer hardware engineers workforce were White, of which 8.54% were women and 91.5% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (29.9%) and Two or More Races (8.5%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Computer hardware engineers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Computer hardware engineers is Engineering but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2024 were Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services.

Among the necessary skills for Computer hardware engineers, Reading Comprehension stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Computer hardware engineers need more than the average amount of Installation.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Computer hardware engineers in 2024 (counting all academic degrees) were Engineering (20,449 people), Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services (12,215 people), and Business (4,619 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Computer hardware engineers workers were Bachelors Degree (28,856 people), Graduate Degree (19,556 people), and Some college (5,948 people).

The graphic shows the Computer hardware engineers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Computer hardware engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Computer hardware engineers need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Writing.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Computer Hardware Engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.07%, but Computer Hardware Engineers are expected to see a growth of 7.29% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

7.29%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.07%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Computer hardware engineers. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.07%, the average rate of national job growth.