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Career overview · SOC 17-2061

Computer Hardware Engineers

Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. May supervise the manufacturing and installation of computer or computer-related equipment and components.

Also called: Design Engineer · Engineer · Field Service Engineer · Hardware Design Engineer · Hardware Engineer · Physical Design Engineer

Median pay (national)
$155,020
$85,430–$223,820 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
75,710
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+7.3%
~4,700 openings/yr
Typical entry
Bachelor's degree

What the numbers say

Refit analysis ·Pay for computer hardware engineers shows an unusually wide range: the top 10% earn $223,820 versus $85,430 at the bottom 10% — 2.6x. The median of $155,020 leaves roughly 44% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +7.3% from 2024 to 2034 — faster than the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 4,700 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 45 states with released data, Connecticut pays the most for this role (median $188,540, +22% vs the national median), while North Dakota sits lowest at $73,390 — a 157% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list. On the tools side, O*NET flags C, C++, Linux, Magellan Firmware as in-demand technologies for this role.

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Top skills employers ask for

Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.

  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Active Listening
  • Writing
  • Speaking
  • Active Learning
  • Mathematics
  • Monitoring
  • Science
  • Learning Strategies

What they actually do

Core O*NET tasks for this role.

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

Tools & technology

  • C
  • C++
  • Linux
  • Magellan Firmware
  • PCI Express PCIe
  • Perl
  • Python
  • Simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis SPICE
  • SystemVerilog
  • The MathWorks MATLAB
  • Tool command language Tcl
  • Verilog
  • Very high speed integrated circuit VHSIC hardware description language VHDL simulation software
  • Apache Subversion SVN
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Git

Knowledge areas

  • Computers and Electronics
  • Engineering and Technology
  • Design
  • Mathematics
  • English Language
  • Physics
  • Telecommunications
  • Education and Training