SOC 17-2061 · Architecture and Engineering Occupations · May 2025
How much do Computer Hardware Engineers make in Cedar Rapids, IA?
In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Computer Hardware Engineers in Cedar Rapids, IA is $161,160. The 10th percentile is $70,320 and the 90th percentile is $267,700. Employment is 60.
Median annual wage
$161,160
- 10th percentile
- $70,320
- 25th percentile
- $116,410
- Median
- $161,160
- 75th percentile
- $187,980
- 90th percentile
- $267,700
- Mean
- $164,320
Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

Percentile spread
For Computer Hardware Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $70,320 and the 90th percentile is $267,700. The difference is $197,380, which is 122.5% 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 $116,410 to the 75th at $187,980, covers $71,570.
The mean annual wage is $164,320, which sits above the median of $161,160. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.
National and state comparison
The Cedar Rapids, IA median is 0.4% lower than the national median of $161,740 for Computer Hardware Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $181,154, which is 12% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.
It is 28.8% higher than the Iowa median of $125,120.
Price-adjusted pay
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cedar Rapids, IA is 88.963, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $161,160 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Computer Hardware Engineers at $181,154 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.
Nearby metros
2 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Computer Hardware Engineers. Cedar Rapids, IA ranks 1st of 3 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).).
- Madison, WI is 124 miles away, with a median of $82,200 and employment of 120. That median is 49% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $84,492, against $181,154 here.
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is 196 miles away, with a median of $133,860 and employment of 1,080. That median is 16.9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $129,215, against $181,154 here.
Employment share
Computer Hardware Engineers accounts for 0.04% of wage-and-salary employment in Cedar Rapids, IA (60 of 139,260). Nationally the occupation is 0.05% of employment (76,660 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.87 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 Cedar Rapids, IA · 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 Cedar Rapids, IA?
In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Computer Hardware Engineers in Cedar Rapids, IA is $161,160. The 10th percentile is $70,320 and the 90th percentile is $267,700. Employment is 60.
How does that compare with the national median for Computer Hardware Engineers?
The local median is 0.4% lower than the national median of $161,740.
What is Computer Hardware Engineers pay in Cedar Rapids, IA after local prices?
The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Cedar Rapids, IA is 88.963, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $161,160 is $181,154. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.
How does Cedar Rapids, IA compare with nearby metros for Computer Hardware Engineers?
Madison, WI is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 124 miles away, at $82,200. Cedar Rapids, IA ranks 1st of 3 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.