Hardware engineering salaries.
Real posted base pay ranges from the live board — what employers are advertising right now, before equity and bonus. No self-reported surveys. Sliced by discipline, seniority, specialty, and geography.
9,918 postings with pay data · typical posted range $122k–$179k
| Discipline | All levels | Intern | Entry | Mid | Senior | Staff+ | Mgr / Dir | VP+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All disciplines | $122k–$179k9,918 | $60k–$80k440 | $77k–$100k341 | $108k–$156k4,186 | $135k–$190k2,435 | $157k–$225k1,616 | $147k–$208k848 | $208k–$271k52 |
| Manufacturing | $106k–$152k1,577 | $58k–$67k65 | $66k–$94k65 | $96k–$135k739 | $125k–$176k310 | $148k–$200k173 | $130k–$179k210 | $196k–$253k15 |
| Mechanical | $130k–$185k1,468 | $62k–$79k85 | $80k–$109k65 | $112k–$160k534 | $135k–$190k421 | $160k–$227k297 | $172k–$233k62 | — |
| Electrical | $125k–$180k1,026 | $60k–$82k70 | $87k–$111k42 | $110k–$157k390 | $137k–$193k270 | $166k–$230k190 | $160k–$220k61 | — |
| Quality | $106k–$158k989 | $49k–$63k35 | $65k–$94k29 | $90k–$129k394 | $113k–$158k226 | $135k–$190k137 | $139k–$210k163 | $230k–$330k5 |
| Test | $120k–$170k852 | $69k–$83k39 | $79k–$106k41 | $109k–$150k380 | $132k–$184k226 | $153k–$226k128 | $164k–$230k38 | — |
| Firmware | $146k–$220k805 | $73k–$89k41 | $97k–$124k16 | $136k–$210k293 | $146k–$219k220 | $170k–$240k187 | $199k–$270k46 | — |
| Systems | $132k–$190k802 | $67k–$83k15 | $90k–$134k17 | $115k–$165k314 | $139k–$196k282 | $165k–$230k164 | $175k–$212k9 | — |
| Program Mgmt | $147k–$210k628 | — | $108k–$172k13 | $140k–$203k357 | $147k–$210k146 | $175k–$241k96 | $176k–$225k12 | — |
| Operations | $114k–$165k579 | $52k–$69k41 | $75k–$100k15 | $96k–$141k219 | $124k–$190k87 | $148k–$209k47 | $136k–$183k161 | $240k–$275k9 |
| Robotics | $135k–$200k330 | $73k–$104k10 | — | $119k–$200k164 | $147k–$218k89 | $154k–$240k47 | $143k–$225k16 | — |
| Skilled Trades | $57k–$77k270 | — | $45k–$61k25 | $54k–$73k184 | $69k–$89k45 | $63k–$90k8 | $115k–$155k7 | — |
| Product Mgmt | $161k–$225k60 | — | — | $133k–$192k22 | $150k–$224k15 | $180k–$240k15 | $272k–$326k5 | — |
| Industrial Design | $110k–$182k7 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Median of posted range ends · cell shown from 5 postings · darker = higher midpoint
What specialties pay
Median posted midpoint for roles whose title mentions the specialty
Where pay runs highest
Median posted midpoint by state, all disciplines (bar length = posting volume)
How these numbers are built
Every figure on this page comes from base pay ranges employers publish on live hardware job postings, normalized to annual USD. Postings rarely disclose equity or bonus, so these numbers sit below a full compensation package and shouldn't be read one-to-one against total-comp survey sites. A cell shows the median of the posted minimums and the median of the posted maximums — the range a typical posting advertises, not a promise of individual offers. Cells appear only with five or more postings behind them.
Seniority is inferred from each job's title, so the per-level columns carry some labeling error on top of sample size. About 70% of live roles list pay, and the ones that do skew toward states with pay-transparency laws (California is 53% of the sample) — so treat this as a skewed sample rather than a small one, and use the location toggle when comparing. Benchmarks refresh with the board.
Looking for who's hiring? Browse the company directory or the live board.