SOC 17-2061 · Architecture and Engineering Occupations · May 2025

How much do Computer Hardware Engineers make in Boulder, CO?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Computer Hardware Engineers in Boulder, CO is $161,720. The 10th percentile is $100,390 and the 90th percentile is $216,650. Employment is 650.

Median annual wage

$161,720

10th percentile
$100,390
25th percentile
$132,770
Median
$161,720
75th percentile
$205,000
90th percentile
$216,650
Mean
$162,060

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A public high school teacher standing in a classroom in the United States
A public high school classroom in the United States. Photograph by Harrison Keely. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Percentile spread

For Computer Hardware Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $100,390 and the 90th percentile is $216,650. The difference is $116,260, which is 71.9% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $132,770 to the 75th at $205,000, covers $72,230.

The mean annual wage is $162,060, which sits above the median of $161,720. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Boulder, CO median is about the same as the national median of $161,740 for Computer Hardware Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $153,723, which is 5% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 3.6% higher than the Colorado median of $156,080.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Boulder, CO is 105.202, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $161,720 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Computer Hardware Engineers at $153,723 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

3 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Computer Hardware Engineers. Boulder, CO ranks 2nd of 4 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

  • Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is 39 miles away, with a median of $168,990 and employment of 490. That median is 4.5% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $167,105, against $153,723 here.
  • Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO is 53 miles away, with a median of $144,660 and employment of 970. That median is 10.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $136,753, against $153,723 here.
  • Colorado Springs, CO is 95 miles away, with a median of $136,920 and employment of 490. That median is 15.3% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $135,959, against $153,723 here.

Employment share

Computer Hardware Engineers accounts for 0.34% of wage-and-salary employment in Boulder, CO (650 of 192,390). Nationally the occupation is 0.05% of employment (76,660 of 155,495,730). The local share is 6.85 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.

Highest-paying jobs in Boulder, CO · Computer Hardware Engineers by metro · How to read these percentiles · Median and mean · When a wage is not published · How the figures are made · Compare this wage after prices

Questions this page answers

How much do Computer Hardware Engineers make in Boulder, CO?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Computer Hardware Engineers in Boulder, CO is $161,720. The 10th percentile is $100,390 and the 90th percentile is $216,650. Employment is 650.

How does that compare with the national median for Computer Hardware Engineers?

The local median is about the same as the national median of $161,740.

What is Computer Hardware Engineers pay in Boulder, CO after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Boulder, CO is 105.202, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $161,720 is $153,723. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Boulder, CO compare with nearby metros for Computer Hardware Engineers?

Fort Collins-Loveland, CO is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 39 miles away, at $168,990. Boulder, CO ranks 2nd of 4 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.