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

How much do Computer Hardware Engineers make in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Computer Hardware Engineers in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI is $99,010. The 10th percentile is $61,030 and the 90th percentile is $186,150. Employment is 50.

Median annual wage

$99,010

10th percentile
$61,030
25th percentile
$72,760
Median
$99,010
75th percentile
$103,190
90th percentile
$186,150
Mean
$102,920

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder at work with a torch
A welder at a bench, 2014. Photograph by Chetan Menaria. Wikimedia Commons · CC0

Percentile spread

For Computer Hardware Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $61,030 and the 90th percentile is $186,150. The difference is $125,120, which is 126.4% 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 $72,760 to the 75th at $103,190, covers $30,430.

The mean annual wage is $102,920, which sits above the median of $99,010. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI median is 38.8% lower than the national median of $161,740 for Computer Hardware Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $102,139, which is 36.9% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 18.3% higher than the Wisconsin median of $83,670.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI is 96.937, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $99,010 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Computer Hardware Engineers at $102,139 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. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI ranks 3rd 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).).

  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is 80 miles away, with a median of $133,860 and employment of 1,080. That median is 35.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $129,215, against $102,139 here.
  • Madison, WI is 88 miles away, with a median of $82,200 and employment of 120. That median is 17% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $84,492, against $102,139 here.
  • Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI is 109 miles away, with a median of $106,370 and employment of 60. That median is 7.4% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $111,329, against $102,139 here.

Employment share

Computer Hardware Engineers accounts for 0.01% of wage-and-salary employment in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI (50 of 820,780). Nationally the occupation is 0.05% of employment (76,660 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.12 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI · 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 Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Computer Hardware Engineers in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI is $99,010. The 10th percentile is $61,030 and the 90th percentile is $186,150. Employment is 50.

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

The local median is 38.8% lower than the national median of $161,740.

What is Computer Hardware Engineers pay in Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI is 96.937, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $99,010 is $102,139. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI compare with nearby metros for Computer Hardware Engineers?

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 80 miles away, at $133,860. Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI ranks 3rd of 4 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.