Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

17-2061 Computer Hardware Engineers

Research, design, develop, and 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. Exclude "Computer Software Engineers, Applications" (15-1031) and "Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software" (15-1032).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
72,550 5.0 % $38.15 $79,350 1.2 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $23.18 $28.46 $36.53 $46.19 $56.33
Annual Wage (2) $48,210 $59,190 $75,980 $96,070 $117,170

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Semiconductor and electronic component mfg. 14,060 $39.45 $82,060 1 10
Computer and peripheral equipment mfg. 13,090 $41.74 $86,810 2 3
Computer systems design and related services 9,090 $38.24 $79,540 3 17
Wired telecommunications carriers 3,610 $32.75 $68,120 4 41
Federal government (OES designation) 3,470 $37.30 $77,580 5 21

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Scientific research and development services 3,060 $42.76 $88,940 7 1
Business support services 130 $41.87 $87,090 30 2
Computer and peripheral equipment mfg. 13,090 $41.74 $86,810 2 3
Internet publishing and broadcasting 70 $41.42 $86,150 38 4
Warehousing and storage (6) $41.05 $85,380 (6) 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Massachusetts 4,650 $40.63 $84,510 0.147% 37
California 18,320 $43.73 $90,950 0.126% 32
Maryland 2,470 $36.25 $75,390 0.101% 50
Texas 8,610 $33.10 $68,850 0.094% 63
Colorado 1,640 $41.44 $86,190 0.078% 29

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
New Hampshire 430 $50.10 $104,210 0.071% 15
California 18,320 $43.73 $90,950 0.126% 32
New York 3,470 $42.45 $88,290 0.042% 41
Colorado 1,640 $41.44 $86,190 0.078% 29
Massachusetts 4,650 $40.63 $84,510 0.147% 37

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, FL MSA 1,740 $37.40 $77,790 0.924%
San Jose, CA PMSA 7,860 $48.21 $100,280 0.896%
Boulder-Longmont, CO PMSA 590 $43.80 $91,110 0.381%
Huntsville, AL MSA 640 $38.96 $81,030 0.360%
Ventura, CA PMSA 670 $37.74 $78,510 0.228%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 7,860 $48.21 $100,280 0.896%
Oakland, CA PMSA 1,510 $45.00 $93,610 0.148%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 940 $44.68 $92,940 0.096%
New York, NY PMSA 1,060 $44.17 $91,870 0.027%
Colorado Springs, CO MSA 340 $44.01 $91,540 0.146%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. 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 mean 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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Architecture and Engineering Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004