Department of Labor Logo United States Department of Labor
Dot gov

The .gov means it's official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics

Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2019

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. Excludes “Software Developers” (15-1252) and “Web Developers” (15-1254).


National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
67,880 3.8 % $59.15 $123,030 1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $32.91 $42.69 $56.36 $72.52 $89.06
Annual Wage (2) $68,460 $88,800 $117,220 $150,840 $185,240


Industry profile for this occupation:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Computer Systems Design and Related Services 15,730 0.72 $58.54 $121,760
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 7,960 2.20 $56.66 $117,860
Scientific Research and Development Services 7,710 1.09 $66.99 $139,330
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 4,760 3.00 $65.13 $135,480
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 4,710 0.23 $53.89 $112,090

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 4,760 3.00 $65.13 $135,480
Semiconductor and Other Electronic Component Manufacturing 7,960 2.20 $56.66 $117,860
Communications Equipment Manufacturing 1,340 1.64 $56.03 $116,540
Scientific Research and Development Services 7,710 1.09 $66.99 $139,330
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing 3,450 0.85 $60.49 $125,830

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Software Publishers 2,210 0.51 $75.65 $157,350
Scientific Research and Development Services 7,710 1.09 $66.99 $139,330
Computer and Peripheral Equipment Manufacturing 4,760 3.00 $65.13 $135,480
Other Information Services 90 0.03 $64.61 $134,390
Other Electrical Equipment and Component Manufacturing 50 0.03 $61.87 $128,700


Geographic profile for this occupation:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 19,940 1.15 2.48 $68.31 $142,090
Colorado 4,700 1.75 3.80 $57.42 $119,440
Texas 3,970 0.32 0.69 $54.66 $113,700
Maryland 3,940 1.46 3.16 $62.13 $129,240
Florida 3,090 0.35 0.76 $49.46 $102,880




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Colorado 4,700 1.75 3.80 $57.42 $119,440
Maryland 3,940 1.46 3.16 $62.13 $129,240
Rhode Island 680 1.42 3.06 $50.42 $104,880
California 19,940 1.15 2.48 $68.31 $142,090
Oregon 1,400 0.74 1.59 $55.11 $114,630




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Washington 1,770 0.53 1.15 $76.50 $159,130
California 19,940 1.15 2.48 $68.31 $142,090
Massachusetts 1,930 0.53 1.16 $65.49 $136,220
Maryland 3,940 1.46 3.16 $62.13 $129,240
District of Columbia 420 0.58 1.25 $61.72 $128,370





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 8,660 7.59 16.43 $77.50 $161,210
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA 3,930 0.63 1.36 $58.21 $121,080
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3,490 1.41 3.05 $64.43 $134,000
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV 3,060 0.96 2.08 $61.29 $127,480
Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO 2,130 1.41 3.04 $53.34 $110,960
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 2,010 1.34 2.91 $61.54 $127,990
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 1,910 1.39 3.00 $61.86 $128,670
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA 1,830 0.19 0.41 $58.98 $122,680
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,760 0.63 1.36 $68.66 $142,820
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX 1,570 0.43 0.93 $58.15 $120,950




Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California-Lexington Park, MD 500 10.52 22.77 $62.11 $129,190
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 8,660 7.59 16.43 $77.50 $161,210
Boulder, CO 900 4.85 10.50 $62.01 $128,980
Huntsville, AL 1,020 4.36 9.43 $53.71 $111,710
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL 940 4.21 9.10 $52.28 $108,740
Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ 130 4.11 8.89 $57.00 $118,550
Colorado Springs, CO 1,050 3.65 7.91 $57.81 $120,250
Fort Collins, CO 580 3.51 7.59 $65.00 $135,200
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3,490 1.41 3.05 $64.43 $134,000
Panama City, FL 110 1.41 3.05 $46.08 $95,840




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 8,660 7.59 16.43 $77.50 $161,210
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 70 0.67 1.46 $71.99 $149,740
Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH 1,760 0.63 1.36 $68.66 $142,820
Fort Collins, CO 580 3.51 7.59 $65.00 $135,200
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA 3,490 1.41 3.05 $64.43 $134,000
California-Lexington Park, MD 500 10.52 22.77 $62.11 $129,190
Boulder, CO 900 4.85 10.50 $62.01 $128,980
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD 1,910 1.39 3.00 $61.86 $128,670
Durham-Chapel Hill, NC 220 0.72 1.55 $61.70 $128,330
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA 2,010 1.34 2.91 $61.54 $127,990

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 90 0.61 1.33 $54.21 $112,760
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 90 0.47 1.02 (8) (8)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 40 0.17 0.36 $35.87 $74,610

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 90 0.61 1.33 $54.21 $112,760
Southern Indiana nonmetropolitan area 90 0.47 1.02 (8) (8)
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 40 0.17 0.36 $35.87 $74,610

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area 90 0.61 1.33 $54.21 $112,760
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 40 0.17 0.36 $35.87 $74,610


About May 2019 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate--50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2019 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2019 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: July 6, 2020