What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Hardware Engineer?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Hardware Engineer jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Scotts Valley, CA (29.4% above average), followed by Cupertino, CA and Berkeley, CA. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Scotts Valley, CA $189,236 $15,769 $3,639 $90.98 Cupertino, CA $180,411 $15,034 $3,469 $86.74 Berkeley, CA $179,050 $14,920 $3,443 $86.08 Redwood City, CA $179,037 $14,919 $3,443 $86.08 Belmont, CA $176,856 $14,738 $3,401 $85.03 Sitka, AK $176,160 $14,680 $3,387 $84.69 Bodega Bay, CA $173,541 $14,461 $3,337 $83.43 Menlo Park, CA $172,326 $14,360 $3,313 $82.85 San Francisco, CA $172,284 $14,357 $3,313 $82.83 Sunnyvale, CA $172,148 $14,345 $3,310 $82.76

Hardware Engineer

Hardware Engineer Salary

Q: How much does a Hardware Engineer make?

The average annual pay for a hardware engineer in the United States is $146,230 a year — that works out to approximately $70.30 an hour. The middle 80% of Hardware Engineers earn between $90,500 (10th percentile) and $171,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Hardware Engineer Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Hardware Engineer in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Mixed Signal Design Engineer at $4,879 (3.3%) above Hardware Engineer. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Mixed Signal Design Engineer $141,351 $11,779 $2,718 $67.96 Senior Hardware Design Engineer $139,020 $11,585 $2,673 $66.84 Energy Systems Engineer $127,215 $10,601 $2,446 $61.16 Rf Hardware Engineer $117,680 $9,806 $2,263 $56.58 Broadcast Engineer $86,597 $7,216 $1,665 $41.63

$51K

$163K

$197K

$146,230

/year

$70.30

/hour

Hardware Engineer Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$146,230

Columbus

Ohio

$141,244

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How much does a Hardware Engineer make?

As of Jul 29, 2026, the average annual pay for a Hardware Engineer in the United States is $146,230 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $70.30 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,812/week or $12,185/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $197,000 and as low as $51,000, the majority of Hardware Engineer salaries currently range between $123,500 (25th percentile) to $163,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $171,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Hardware Engineer varies little (about 39500), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.

A Hardware Engineer in your area makes on average $141,244 per year, or $4,986 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $146,230. Ohio ranks number 31 out of 50 states nationwide for Hardware Engineer salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Hardware Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Hardware Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Hardware Engineer Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Hardware Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Scotts Valley, CA, , with Cupertino, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $32,820 (22.4%), and Scotts Valley, CA, furthers that trend with another $43,006 (29.4%) above the $146,230 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Hardware Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 9% between Scotts Valley, CA, and Sunnyvale, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Hardware Engineer role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Scotts Valley, CA	$189,236	$15,769	$3,639	$90.98
Cupertino, CA	$180,411	$15,034	$3,469	$86.74
Berkeley, CA	$179,050	$14,920	$3,443	$86.08
Redwood City, CA	$179,037	$14,919	$3,443	$86.08
Belmont, CA	$176,856	$14,738	$3,401	$85.03
Sitka, AK	$176,160	$14,680	$3,387	$84.69
Bodega Bay, CA	$173,541	$14,461	$3,337	$83.43
Menlo Park, CA	$172,326	$14,360	$3,313	$82.85
San Francisco, CA	$172,284	$14,357	$3,313	$82.83
Sunnyvale, CA	$172,148	$14,345	$3,310	$82.76

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Hardware Engineer Jobs in the U.S.

Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Hardware Engineer job category, we found that Mixed Signal Design Engineer jobs have average salaries similar than Hardware Engineer jobs.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Mixed Signal Design Engineer	$141,351	$11,779	$2,718	$67.96
Senior Hardware Design Engineer	$139,020	$11,585	$2,673	$66.84
Energy Systems Engineer	$127,215	$10,601	$2,446	$61.16
Rf Hardware Engineer	$117,680	$9,806	$2,263	$56.58
Broadcast Engineer	$86,597	$7,216	$1,665	$41.63

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Hardware Engineer salary across the United States as of July 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $146,230 per year or $70.30 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

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