How much do Computer Hardware Engineers make in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA?

Percentile spread

For Computer Hardware Engineers, the published 10th percentile is $130,800 and the 90th percentile is $284,580. The difference is $153,780, which is 75.4% 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 $151,970 to the 75th at $221,290, covers $69,320.

The mean annual wage is $198,010, which sits below the median of $203,890. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA median is 26.1% higher than the national median of $161,740 for Computer Hardware Engineers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $176,356, which is 9% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 10.1% higher than the California median of $185,180.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA is 115.613, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $203,890 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Computer Hardware Engineers at $176,356 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. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ranks 2nd 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).).

• Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is 55 miles away, with a median of $169,370 and employment of 80. That median is 16.9% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $154,118, against $176,356 here.
• San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is 78 miles away, with a median of $209,860 and employment of 7,940. That median is 2.9% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $190,051, against $176,356 here.

Employment share

Computer Hardware Engineers accounts for 0.12% of wage-and-salary employment in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (2,810 of 2,373,920). Nationally the occupation is 0.05% of employment (76,660 of 155,495,730). The local share is 2.40 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.