Engineering and architecture
Computer hardware engineer
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.
Median pay
$161,740
Growth to 2035
+9%
faster than average
Openings a year
4,100
Time to qualify*
Minimal
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Computer hardware engineer
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- On-the-job training
- None
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Computer hardware engineer: 76% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
- Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
- Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
- Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
- Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
- Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.
- Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed.
- Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process.
Also called: Design Engineer · Engineer · Field Service Engineer · Hardware Design Engineer · Hardware Engineer · Physical Design Engineer · Project Engineer · Staff Engineer
Outlook and AI
Computer hardware engineers held 76,100 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 83,000 by 2035 (+9%, faster than average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Computer hardware engineer vs. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Computer hardware engineer vs. Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
- Computer hardware engineer vs. Engineers, all other
- Computer hardware engineer vs. Software engineer
- Computer hardware engineer vs. Electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians
- Computer hardware engineer vs. Computer occupations, all other
- Computer hardware engineer vs. Electrical engineer
- Computer hardware engineer vs. Mechanical engineering technologists and technicians