192 OPEN
SALARIES · HARDWARE ENGINEER
Hardware Engineer [YoY +8%]
Median total compensation for hardware engineer roles in robotics, AI, and autonomy. Open roles by salary, direct from each employer.
[ SENIOR COMPENSATION · ANNUAL · BASE ]
$180,000 – $225,000USD
§ 01
Compensation by level
[ MID ]
$135K
[ SENIOR ]
$180K
[ STAFF ]
$225K
[ PRINCIPAL ]
$285K
§ 02
Top-paid open roles
- 01Sr. Staff Electrical Engineer - BlueSky (R5838)Shield AI·Remote$230K–$350K
- 02Staff Electrical Engineering Lead/Manager - High Performance Compute and Control SystemsZoox·Foster City, California, US$249K–$344K
- 03WSenior Staff Hardware Engineer, Sensor ArchitectureWing·Palo Alto, California$304K–$323K
- 04Power Electronics - Principal Electrical Engineer (R4822)Shield AI·Seattle, Washington$210K–$310K
- 05
Sr. FPGA Verification Engineer, RadarReliable Robotics·Seattle, WA$215K–$300K - 06Sr. FPGA Engineer, CertificationReliable Robotics·Mountain View, CA$215K–$300K
- 07Sr. FPGA Design Engineer, RadarReliable Robotics·Seattle, WA$215K–$300K
- 08Sr. FPGA Design EngineerReliable Robotics·Mountain View, CA$215K–$300K
- 09Sr. FPGA Verification EngineerReliable Robotics·Mountain View, CA$215K–$300K
- 10
Principal Digital Hardware Engineer (PCBs/FPGAs/HDL)Anduril Industries·Costa Mesa, California, United States$220K–$292K
§ 03
Top employers hiring hardware engineers
| Employer | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Anduril Industries | 67 | $170K |
| Shield AI | 19 | $119K |
| Apptronik | 18 | $223K |
| Saronic | 16 | — |
| Reliable Robotics | 9 | $258K |
| Voyager Technologies | 7 | $169K |
| Skydio | 7 | $182K |
| Rockwell Automation | 5 | $132K |
§ 04
Top cities hiring hardware engineers
| Metro | Open roles | Median comp |
|---|---|---|
| Costa Mesa | 44 | $170K |
| Austin | 27 | — |
| Seattle | 11 | $220K |
| Mountain View | 10 | $238K |
| Dallas | 7 | $115K |
| San Mateo | 6 | $182K |
| Reston | 5 | $170K |
| Sunnyvale | 5 | $220K |
§ 05
FAQ
- How much do hardware engineers make in the robotics industry?
- Senior hardware engineers in the robotics industry typically earn $180K base salary at top employers. Staff-level roles run $225K and principal-level reach $285K. Numbers are median base salary across 113 data points; total compensation including equity is typically 15-30% higher at private robotics employers.
- Who is hiring the most hardware engineers right now?
- Anduril Industries (67 open roles), Shield AI (19 open roles), and Apptronik (18 open roles) lead by open-role volume. Browse all 192 open hardware engineer roles sorted by recency.
- Where are most hardware engineer jobs located?
- The top robotics industry hubs for hardware engineer roles right now are Costa Mesa, Austin, and Seattle. Defense robotics tends to concentrate in DC/Northern Virginia and Colorado Springs (clearance-required roles), while commercial launch is heaviest in LA basin and Florida's Space Coast.
- Do hardware engineer roles in robotics, AI, and autonomy require security clearance?
- Many do. Defense robotics programs at Anduril, Shield AI, Saronic, and defense primes require Secret or TS/SCI clearance. Commercial robotics roles at Boston Dynamics, Apptronik, 1X, Skydio, and Wayve generally do not. ITAR registration is more common than clearance — many sensor, autonomy, and unmanned-systems roles require it.
§ 06
Browse every hardware engineer role