Before choosing a career, you should know about career opportunities, working conditions, the work environment, insurance, and especially the salary aspect. How much does a computer engineer make?
Salary Outlook
The average salary of a computer engineer in the United States is $127,038 per year, which is 126% higher than the average U.S. salary. Our latest research found that new college graduates can earn an average salary range of $75,000 to $96,000 per year.
| Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| $61.07 | $2,443 | $10,586 | $127,038 |
Salary Range
| Percentile | 10% | 25% | 50% | 75% | 90% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly | $38.40 | $47.21 | $58.57 | $78.18 | $94.49 |
| Weekly | $1,535 | $1,887 | $2,342 | $3,127 | $3,780 |
| Monthly | $6,656 | $8,183 | $10,151 | $13,552 | $16,378 |
| Annual | $79,881 | $98,196 | $121,818 | $162,626 | $196,540 |
Software and Hardware Engineer
Computer engineering has two major specialties: software engineering and hardware engineering.
Computer software engineers develop, design, and test software or construct and maintain computer networks and programs for companies. They create computer interfaces, operating systems, new programs, and applications for devices such as desktops, smartphones, and tablets. The average software engineer salary is $133,721 per year.
| Computer Engineer | Hardware Engineer | Software Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | $79,856 | $85,560 | $74,152 |
| Intermediate | $126,914 | $146,136 | $136,525 |
| Senior | $200,096 | $207,117 | $208,605 |
Computer hardware engineers research, develop, and test hardware or computer equipment, including chip sets, mainboards, etc. They ensure that their hardware works properly with the latest software technology. The average hardware engineer salary is $139,822 per year.
Overall, the average pay for a hardware engineer is 5% higher than for a software engineer.
Highest-Paying Companies
Based on our data, Google is the highest-paying company in the computer engineering industry, with employees earning an average of $153,760 per year, which is 21% higher than the average computer engineering salary in the United States. A senior engineer at Google can earn up to $285,000 or more.
| Company | Hourly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| $73.93 | $12,813 | $153,760 | |
| $72.73 | $12,607 | $151,280 | |
| Apple | $71.54 | $12,400 | $148,800 |
| $70.94 | $12,297 | $147,560 | |
| HP | $70.35 | $12,193 | $146,320 |
| IBM | $69.75 | $12,090 | $145,080 |
| Cisco Systems | $69.15 | $11,987 | $143,840 |
| Microsoft | $68.56 | $11,883 | $142,600 |
| Citrix Systems | $66.17 | $11,470 | $137,640 |
| Oracle | $64.38 | $11,160 | $133,920 |
| Amazon | $63.79 | $11,057 | $132,680 |
| Qualcomm | $63.79 | $10,953 | $131,440 |
| Intel Corporation | $63.19 | $10,850 | $130,200 |
| eBay | $62.00 | $10,747 | $128,960 |
| Workday | $59.02 | $10,230 | $122,760 |
| Orbitz Worldwide | $57.82 | $10,023 | $120,280 |
| Jabil Circuit | $54.85 | $9,507 | $114,080 |
| Xerox | $54.85 | $9,507 | $114,080 |
| Danaher | $50.68 | $8,783 | $105,400 |
| Micron Technology | $48.88 | $8,473 | $101,680 |
Highest-Paying Jobs/Fields
| Job/Field – Company | Annual |
|---|---|
| Software – Google | $353,400 |
| Software – Apple | $319,920 |
| Software – Intel | $291,400 |
| Software – LinkedIn | $260,400 |
| Manager – Facebook | $259,160 |
| Manager – Riverbed | $235,600 |
| Hardware – Qualcomm | $229,400 |
| Software – Citrix | $223,200 |
| Software – Agilent | $219,480 |
| Software – Red Hat | $212,040 |
| Software – Akamai | $209,560 |
| Software – SAP | $190,960 |
| Software – Workday | $187,240 |
| Manager – Eaton | $181,040 |
| Software – MITRE | $177,320 |
| Software – MathWorks | $174,840 |
| Hardware – NI | $169,880 |
| QA – Salesforce | $168,640 |
| Software – Rackspace | $156,240 |
| Software – Orbitz | $150,040 |
Highest-Paying Cities
Silicon Valley (San Francisco Bay Area, California) is the best place to be a computer engineer; the median salary is around $166,160 per year.
| City | Hourly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $79.88 | $13,847 | $166,160 |
| San Jose | $78.69 | $13,640 | $163,680 |
| New York | $68.56 | $11,883 | $142,600 |
| Washington D.C. | $67.96 | $11,780 | $141,360 |
| Brooklyn | $65.57 | $11,367 | $136,400 |
| Boston | $64.38 | $11,160 | $133,920 |
| Chicago | $63.79 | $11,056 | $132,680 |
| Los Angeles | $63.19 | $10,953 | $131,440 |
| Dallas | $62.60 | $10,850 | $130,200 |
| Philadelphia | $61.40 | $10,643 | $127,720 |
Salary by State
| State | Hourly | Monthly | Annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $62.30 | $10,798 | $129,580 |
| Alaska | $49.72 | $8,618 | $103,416 |
| Arizona | $51.39 | $8,907 | $106,888 |
| Arkansas | $59.88 | $10,380 | $124,558 |
| California | $68.26 | $11,832 | $141,980 |
| Colorado | $51.00 | $8,840 | $106,082 |
| Connecticut | $65.12 | $11,289 | $135,470 |
| Delaware | $55.68 | $9,651 | $115,816 |
| Florida | $56.78 | $9,843 | $118,110 |
| Georgia | $65.82 | $11,408 | $136,896 |
| Hawaii | $60.07 | $10,411 | $124,930 |
| Idaho | $49.36 | $8,556 | $102,672 |
| Illinois | $63.08 | $10,933 | $131,192 |
| Indiana | $60.87 | $10,550 | $126,604 |
| Iowa | $56.22 | $9,744 | $116,932 |
| Kansas | $54.52 | $9,450 | $113,398 |
| Kentucky | $52.38 | $9,078 | $108,934 |
| Louisiana | $50.13 | $8,690 | $104,284 |
| Maine | $53.48 | $9,269 | $111,228 |
| Maryland | $60.09 | $10,416 | $124,992 |
| Massachusetts | $68.56 | $11,883 | $142,600 |
| Michigan | $58.28 | $10,101 | $121,210 |
| Minnesota | $53.74 | $9,316 | $111,786 |
| Mississippi | $69.92 | $12,121 | $145,452 |
| Missouri | $59.68 | $10,344 | $124,124 |
| Montana | $61.55 | $10,669 | $128,030 |
| Nebraska | $48.67 | $8,437 | $101,246 |
| Nevada | $55.53 | $9,626 | $115,506 |
| New Hampshire | $58.96 | $10,220 | $122,636 |
| New Jersey | $63.76 | $11,052 | $132,618 |
| New Mexico | $54.16 | $9,388 | $112,654 |
| New York | $70.62 | $12,240 | $146,878 |
| North Carolina | $59.92 | $10,385 | $124,620 |
| North Dakota | $56.04 | $9,713 | $116,560 |
| Ohio | $57.14 | $9,905 | $118,854 |
| Oklahoma | $54.85 | $9,507 | $114,080 |
| Oregon | $56.97 | $9,874 | $118,482 |
| Pennsylvania | $51.93 | $9,000 | $108,004 |
| Rhode Island | $60.69 | $10,519 | $126,232 |
| South Carolina | $53.98 | $9,357 | $112,282 |
| South Dakota | $46.62 | $8,081 | $96,968 |
| Tennessee | $57.33 | $9,936 | $119,226 |
| Texas | $56.31 | $9,760 | $117,118 |
| Utah | $51.24 | $8,882 | $106,578 |
| Vermont | $56.16 | $9,734 | $116,808 |
| Virginia | $60.33 | $10,457 | $125,488 |
| Washington | $57.59 | $9,982 | $119,784 |
| West Virginia | $59.35 | $10,287 | $123,442 |
| Wisconsin | $52.79 | $9,150 | $109,802 |
| Wyoming | $55.35 | $9,595 | $115,134 |