Career
Computer hardware engineers
Design the chips, boards and devices computers run on.
$161,740
Median pay
+9.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
4,100
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- 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.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Writing.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $161,740 a year and 4,100 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Electrical EngineeringSee the degree →
- Computer EngineeringSee the degree →
- Computer Engineering, GeneralCIP 14.0901
- Computer Hardware EngineeringCIP 14.0902
- Electrical and Electronics EngineeringCIP 14.1001
- Electrical and Computer EngineeringCIP 14.4701
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$130,220 · +3.7%
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians$78,190 · +2.4%
- Microsystems Engineers
- Software Developers$135,980 · +10.2%
- Robotics Technicians
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.