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

How much do Computer Hardware Engineers make in Richmond, VA?

In the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Computer Hardware Engineers in Richmond, VA is $132,270. The 10th percentile is $77,390 and the 90th percentile is $200,590. Employment is 70.

Median annual wage

$132,270

10th percentile
$77,390
25th percentile
$84,030
Median
$132,270
75th percentile
$169,100
90th percentile
$200,590
Mean
$133,680

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

A welder in a green hard hat working on a metal structure
A welder in a hard hat on a metal structure. Photograph by FBenjr123. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0

Percentile spread

For Computer Hardware Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $77,390 and the 90th percentile is $200,590. The difference is $123,200, which is 93.1% 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 $84,030 to the 75th at $169,100, covers $85,070.

The mean annual wage is $133,680, which sits above the median of $132,270. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Richmond, VA median is 18.2% lower than the national median of $161,740 for Computer Hardware Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $135,165, which is 16.4% lower than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 4.9% lower than the Virginia median of $139,030.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Richmond, VA is 97.858, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $132,270 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Computer Hardware Engineers at $135,165 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

8 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Computer Hardware Engineers. Richmond, VA ranks 4th of 9 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).).

  • Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC is 70 miles away, with a median of $131,710 and employment of 280. That median is 0.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $134,479, against $135,165 here.
  • Charlottesville, VA is 73 miles away, with a median of $113,510 and employment of 40. That median is 14.2% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $114,488, against $135,165 here.
  • Lexington Park, MD is 80 miles away, with a median of $127,620 and employment of 210. That median is 3.5% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $126,657, against $135,165 here.

Employment share

Computer Hardware Engineers accounts for 0.01% of wage-and-salary employment in Richmond, VA (70 of 660,350). Nationally the occupation is 0.05% of employment (76,660 of 155,495,730). The local share is 0.22 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 Richmond, VA · 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 Richmond, VA?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, released May 15, 2026, the median annual wage for Computer Hardware Engineers in Richmond, VA is $132,270. The 10th percentile is $77,390 and the 90th percentile is $200,590. Employment is 70.

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

The local median is 18.2% lower than the national median of $161,740.

What is Computer Hardware Engineers pay in Richmond, VA after local prices?

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Richmond, VA is 97.858, with the United States at 100. In those national prices, the May 2025 median of $132,270 is $135,165. The wage is May 2025 and the parity is 2024.

How does Richmond, VA compare with nearby metros for Computer Hardware Engineers?

Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC is the closest metropolitan area within 200 miles with a published annual median, 70 miles away, at $131,710. Richmond, VA ranks 4th of 9 metros within 200 miles on that median. Distances use Census Bureau internal points.