🇺🇸 United States · Computer Hardware Engineer
From $155,830 / yr by industry
Mean salary — $155,830 / yr.
$155,830 / yr
💰 Pay spread — by industry / specialty
The mean is the headline; the spread is what matters.
205,000 $
ASIC / Chip Design
NVIDIA / AMD / Apple Silicon track
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
175,000 $
FPGA Engineer
Defense / networking / HFT
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
170,000 $
Verification Engineer
Pre-silicon validation
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
155,000 $
Board / System Designer
PCB / signal integrity
🟢 Tier 1 — BLS OEWS May 2024
🗺️ The path — stage by stage
- 1. Bachelor (EE / CE) (4 yr) — VLSI + digital + 2~3 internships
- 2. MS (optional) (2 yr) — Specialization helps for chip design
- 3. New Grad Engineer (3 yr) — Tape-out cycle exposure
- 4. Senior (3~5 yr) — Own a sub-block / IP
- 5. Staff / Principal (— yr) — Architecture decisions
💵 Specialties — same title, different number
| Specialty / Industry | Mean / yr | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ASIC / Chip Design | 205,000 $ | NVIDIA / AMD / Apple Silicon track |
| FPGA Engineer | 175,000 $ | Defense / networking / HFT |
| Verification Engineer | 170,000 $ | Pre-silicon validation |
| Board / System Designer | 155,000 $ | PCB / signal integrity |
| Embedded Hardware Eng | 140,000 $ | Firmware-adjacent hardware |
🏢 Employer types — base vs total comp
Big Tech (Apple / Google)
Base + RSU + bonus
Semiconductor (NVIDIA / Intel)
Base + RSU + perf bonus
Defense Contractor
Lower base, clearance premium
📈 Income across years
New Grad Engineer
110,000 $
0~3 yr
Senior Engineer
170,000 $
3~7 yr
Staff Engineer
220,000 $
7~12 yr
Principal / Architect
280,000 $
12+ yr
📚 Go deeper
Four sub-pages — gift, vision, path, history.