Computer Hardware Engineer Salary Information in California

The average annual salaries for computer hardware engineers in the state of California are shown in Table 1. The comparison of the salary statistics of computer hardware engineers among California areas is shown in Table 2. The salary statistics are based on the national compensation survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2022 and published in April 2023 [1].

Table 1 & 2. Annual Salary of Computer Hardware Engineers in California (2022 Survey)

Percentile bracketAverage annual salary
10th Percentile Wage
$99,700
25th Percentile Wage
$128,940
50th Percentile Wage
$164,990
75th Percentile Wage
$199,490
90th Percentile Wage
$224,870

Table 1 shows the average annual salary for computer hardware engineers in California in 5 percentile scales. The average annual salary for the 90th percentile (the top 10 percent of the highest paid) is $224,870. The median (50th percentile) annual salary is $164,990. The average annual salary for the bottom 10 percent is $99,700.

Median salary trend (2012 to 2022)

The table and chart below show the trend of the median salary of computer hardware engineers from 2012 to 2022.

YearMedian SalaryYearly Growth10-Year Growth
2022
$164,990
0.01% 31.35%
2021
$164,980
13.17% -
2020
$143,250
4.85% -
2019
$136,300
5.30% -
2018
$129,070
-3.79% -
2017
$133,960
-1.19% -
2016
$135,560
4.11% -
2015
$129,990
5.15% -
2014
$123,300
6.76% -
2013
$114,970
1.48% -
2012
$113,270
- -

Table 3. Median Annual Salary of Computer Hardware Engineers in California Cities (2022 Survey)

Table 3 shows the median annual salary of computer hardware engineers in some California cities and metropolitan areas. We note that the median annual salary of computer hardware engineers in state of California ranges from $75,660 to $168,240. The highest paying area for computer hardware engineers in California is San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos with a median annual salary of $168,240. The second highest paying city/area in California State is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (mean annual salary $167,930). The lowest paying area is Fresno with a median annual salary of $75,660.

Cities/Areas Median Annual Salary
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos
$168,240
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara
$167,930
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont
$164,940
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City
$142,940
Santa Cruz-Watsonville
$137,340
Santa Rosa-Petaluma
$135,100
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara
$133,330
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario
$131,210
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville
$125,520
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale
$125,490
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura
$122,970
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine
$121,210
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward
$120,760
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim
$117,370
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana
$114,730
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta
$113,810
Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area
$111,770
Bakersfield-Delano
$106,590
Fresno
$75,660