How much do computer engineers make?

Computer Engineer salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers (SOC 17-2061) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Computer engineers in the US earned a median of $161,740 a year ($77.76 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $126,090 to $202,990.

Median annual pay: $161,740; Mean $162,670
Median hourly pay: $77.76; Mean $78.21
Typical range (10th–90th): $92.9K–$225K; $92,940 to $225,330
US jobs: 76,660; +9.1% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a computer engineer: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: New Mexico

Computer Engineer pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$92,940
25th percentile$126,090
Median$161,740
75th percentile$202,990
90th percentile$225,330

Half of all computer engineers earned more than $161,740 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $92,940; the top 10% made over $225,330. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $126,090 to $202,990.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$92,940	$44.68	$7,745
25th	$126,090	$60.62	$10,508
Median (50th)	$161,740	$77.76	$13,478
75th	$202,990	$97.59	$16,916
90th	$225,330	$108.33	$18,778
Mean (average)	$162,670	$78.21	$13,556

Computer Engineer salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for computer engineers by state. Darker tiles pay more. A dash means BLS did not publish a figure.

Highest-paying states

1. California $185,180
2. Washington $169,120
3. Massachusetts $167,600
4. New Mexico $165,350
5. Texas $163,860

Lowest-paying states

41. Mississippi $78,320
40. Louisiana $83,550
39. Wisconsin $83,670
38. Oklahoma $95,600
37. Indiana $98,350

Best after cost of living: New Mexico. Its median of $165,350 is worth about $179,315 at national-average prices, more than in California once prices are counted.


Alabama	$136,990	14	$154,228	7	$65.86	680	0.32
Alaska	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Arizona	$158,280	9	$157,216	6	$76.10	3,110	0.96
Arkansas	$120,290	26	$138,365	17	$57.83	160	0.12
California	$185,180	1	$167,251	3	$89.03	19,820	1.09
Colorado	$156,080	10	$151,458	9	$75.04	2,660	0.92
Connecticut	—	—	—	—	—	340	0.20
Delaware	$135,690	15	$135,951	21	$65.24	30	0.07
District of Columbia	$163,360	7	$148,643	11	$78.54	210	0.30
Florida	$134,160	19	$129,731	25	$64.50	3,290	0.33
Georgia	$100,210	36	$104,068	38	$48.18	650	0.13
Hawaii	$159,880	8	$145,410	13	$76.87	90	0.14
Idaho	$131,570	21	$137,778	18	$63.26	920	1.08
Illinois	$133,220	20	$133,276	23	$64.05	1,420	0.23
Indiana	$98,350	37	$105,380	37	$47.28	320	0.10
Iowa	$125,120	24	$142,567	15	$60.15	130	0.09
Kansas	$101,750	34	$112,970	34	$48.92	220	0.16
Kentucky	$116,200	31	$128,883	26	$55.86	500	0.25
Louisiana	$83,550	40	$94,720	39	$40.17	270	0.14
Maine	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Maryland	$152,730	11	$145,514	12	$73.43	1,720	0.62
Massachusetts	$167,600	3	$158,477	4	$80.58	3,150	0.87
Michigan	$119,670	27	$124,375	28	$57.53	1,420	0.32
Minnesota	$134,300	18	$136,178	20	$64.57	770	0.26
Mississippi	$78,320	41	$90,072	40	$37.66	150	0.13
Missouri	$103,980	33	$114,494	32	$49.99	900	0.31
Montana	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nebraska	$134,950	16	$149,773	10	$64.88	80	0.08
Nevada	$116,530	30	$116,554	31	$56.03	160	0.11
New Hampshire	$129,140	23	$123,976	29	$62.09	310	0.45
New Jersey	$142,880	12	$131,317	24	$68.69	580	0.14
New Mexico	$165,350	4	$179,315	1	$79.50	5,260	6.04
New York	$163,470	6	$151,472	8	$78.59	3,020	0.31
North Carolina	$134,670	17	$142,771	14	$64.74	1,340	0.27
North Dakota	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Ohio	$118,160	29	$127,363	27	$56.81	580	0.10
Oklahoma	$95,600	38	$108,831	35	$45.96	180	0.10
Oregon	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Pennsylvania	—	—	—	—	—	1,610	0.27
Rhode Island	$119,510	28	$116,846	30	$57.46	390	0.78
South Carolina	$125,110	25	$133,452	22	$60.15	690	0.30
South Dakota	$101,400	35	$114,465	33	$48.75	160	0.36
Tennessee	$130,830	22	$142,408	16	$62.90	—	—
Texas	$163,860	5	$168,829	2	$78.78	7,390	0.53
Utah	$106,950	32	$108,179	36	$51.42	430	0.25
Vermont	—	—	—	—	—	130	0.42
Virginia	$139,030	13	$137,512	19	$66.84	1,720	0.42
Washington	$169,120	2	$158,037	5	$81.31	1,800	0.51
West Virginia	—	—	—	—	—	140	0.21
Wisconsin	$83,670	39	$88,921	41	$40.23	270	0.09
Wyoming	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure (10 states). State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for computer engineers

91 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$209,860	$190,051	7,940
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$203,890	$176,356	2,810
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT	$202,390	$189,390	120
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC	$175,110	$179,467	430
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	$174,440	$155,907	3,330
Manchester-Nashua, NH	$174,140	$164,816	130
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ	$172,210	$172,265	190
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	$169,370	$154,118	80
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$169,120	$152,178	1,410
Fort Collins-Loveland, CO	$168,990	$167,105	490

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	7,940	$209,860	$190,051
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX	3,850	$165,530	$168,794
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	3,330	$174,440	$155,907
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	2,840	$167,600	$154,804
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	2,820	$167,010	$161,650
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	2,810	$203,890	$176,356
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	1,870	$158,530	$139,593
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,790	$159,480	$146,468
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,780	$160,300	$142,409
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,570	$162,870	$157,988

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves computer engineer pay: employers and settings

Industry makes a clear difference for computer hardware engineers. Scientific research and development services pay a median of $171,820. Semiconductor and electronic component makers, the largest employer with 18,120 jobs, pay $166,150. Corporate headquarters pay $165,530. Computer systems design firms pay $155,470 and engineering services firms pay less, at $133,340. The federal government pays $136,990 for its 4,590 hardware engineers. State government jobs are few and pay $89,540.

Education varies more than in many engineering jobs: about a third of workers surveyed by O*NET report a master's degree. The 10th percentile is $92,940, and the 90th is $225,330, more than twice as much. Those percentiles show how pay is spread across all hardware engineers in one year, not a career timeline.

Location counts too. California leads with a median of $185,180, and it has the most jobs, followed by Washington at $169,120, Massachusetts at $167,600, New Mexico at $165,350, and Texas. New Mexico ranks first after cost of living ($179,315 adjusted). Mississippi is lowest at $78,320.

Where computer engineers work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing	23.6%	$166,150
Scientific Research and Development Services	18.6%	$171,820
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	14.7%	$155,470
Federal Executive Branch	6%	$136,990
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	5.1%	$133,340
Management of Companies and Enterprises	5.1%	$165,530

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	71,800	$164,170
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	4,590	$136,990
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	110	$89,540
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	160	$141,450

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Computer Engineer pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$162K $112K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $111,730 in 2015 to $161,740 in 2025, up 45% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $151,037 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 7% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What computer engineers do

A computer engineer, in the government's job data, is a computer hardware engineer: the person who designs the physical parts of computing systems. That includes processors and other chips, circuit boards, memory, networking gear, and the embedded controllers inside cars, medical devices, appliances and military systems. Computer engineering as a college major blends electrical engineering and computer science, and many graduates go into software instead; this page covers the hardware side.

Hardware engineers turn a product requirement into schematics or chip designs, simulate them, build prototypes, and test them in the lab with oscilloscopes, logic analyzers and custom test rigs. When something fails, they trace the problem, change the design and test again. They work closely with software and firmware engineers, because the hardware and its code are often developed at the same time, and with manufacturing teams who build the final product. The biggest employers are semiconductor makers, research and development firms, computer systems design companies and the federal government. Most work full time in offices and labs, and some spend time on factory floors.

A typical day

Draw schematics and lay out circuit boards or chip blocks in design software
Write hardware descriptions in Verilog or VHDL and run simulations to check them
Bring up new prototype boards in the lab and debug them with test equipment
Record test data and compare it with the specification
Work with firmware and software engineers so the hardware runs the code it must support
Pick components and check their cost, supply and compliance requirements
Write design and test documents and support the factory once production starts

Also called: computer hardware engineer, hardware engineer, computer engineering, design engineer, engineer, field service engineer, hardware design engineer, physical design engineer.

How to become a computer engineer

Full guide

To become a computer engineer, earn a bachelor's degree in computer engineering or electrical engineering, ideally from an ABET-accredited program, and gain hardware experience through internships. No license is required for most jobs; some employers prefer a master's degree.

Typical time: 4-6 years (bachelor's, often followed by a master's); Fastest: 4 years
Minimum education: Bachelor's degree in computer engineering, electrical engineering or a closely related field
License: Not licensed for most jobs; a state Professional Engineer (PE) license is optional and needed only for roles that sign off on engineering work offered to the public
Typical training cost: $44.9K–$45.5K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a computer engineer: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 4-6 years (bachelor's, often followed by a master's); Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $44.9K–$45.5K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $161,740; $110,760 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 28–28%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($110,760 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (4-6 years (bachelor's, often followed by a master's) in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for computer engineers

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +9.1%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 76,100; 83,000 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 4,100; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: —; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects computer hardware engineering jobs to grow 9.1% from 2025 to 2035, from 76,100 to 83,000, much faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. That works out to about 4,100 openings a year, from new jobs plus engineers who retire or change fields. Growth comes from the spread of processors and other components into everyday manufactured products, from household appliances to medical devices and cars.

Related careers and their pay

Software Engineer$135,980
Electrical Engineer$120,630
Mechanical Engineer$104,110
Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$130,220
Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians$78,190

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Computer Engineer salary FAQ

How much do computer engineers make an hour?

The median hourly wage for computer engineers was $77.76 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $44.68 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $108.33. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays computer engineers the most?

California has the highest median pay for computer engineers, $185,180 a year, followed by Washington ($169,120) and Massachusetts ($167,600). After adjusting for each state's price level, New Mexico comes out ahead at about $179,315 in national-average dollars.

Do computer engineers make $200,000 a year?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 25% and 50% of computer engineers earn more than $200,000 a year. The median is $161,740, and the top 10% earn more than $225,330. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

What is the difference between computer engineering and computer science?

Computer science focuses on software: algorithms, programming languages, data and systems. Computer engineering covers both hardware and the low-level software that runs on it, with courses in circuits, digital logic, computer architecture and embedded systems. Computer engineering graduates can work as hardware engineers or software developers; computer science graduates rarely design hardware without extra electrical engineering coursework.

Do computer engineers write code?

Yes, regularly. Hardware engineers write in hardware description languages such as Verilog and VHDL to design and simulate digital logic, and they use scripting languages such as Python to automate tests and analyze lab data. Many also write or debug firmware in C. BLS notes that familiarity with programming is helpful because hardware engineers work so closely with software systems.

Is computer engineering hard?

It is one of the more demanding engineering majors. You take calculus through differential equations, physics, circuit analysis, signals, digital design, computer architecture and programming, usually with heavy lab work. Students who do well enjoy both math and hands-on debugging. Internships matter, because employers look for experience with real hardware and design tools.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 17-2061
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (17-2061.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Computer Hardware Engineers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
FE Exam, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) · checked October 28, 2026
PE Electrical and Computer, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) · checked October 28, 2026
What Is Accreditation? / Find Accredited Programs, ABET · checked October 28, 2026
Computer Hardware Engineers (17-2061.00), O*NET OnLine · checked October 28, 2026
Licensure, National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES) · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) · checked October 28, 2026

Careers and Salaries is not affiliated with the Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Found an error? Tell us; corrections are listed on the editorial policy page.