Firmware Engineer salary: $198K median
The median advertised Firmware Engineer salary is $198K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $171K to $222K: counted from 126 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $95 an hour or $16,458 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $250K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll firmware engineer jobs
$198Kmedian advertised salary
$171K – $222Kmiddle half of roles
$204Kaverage advertised salary
126roles counted
Firmware Engineer salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $220K, 9% more than senior roles ($202K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $202K | $184K–$222K | 43 |
| Lead and above | $220K | $197K–$240K | 25 |
| No level in the title | $193K | $165K–$225K | 57 |
Firmware Engineer salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $210K | 51 |
| 🇺🇸California | $209K | 96 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $198K | 122 |
Skills that pay more for Firmware Engineer roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go | $223K | +$26K | 12 |
| Sensor fusion | $222K | +$24K | 22 |
| Control systems | $222K | +$24K | 21 |
| Computer Vision | $222K | +$24K | 24 |
| Embedded Linux | $217K | +$20K | 30 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAI | $351K | 4 |
| Verkada | $254K | 4 |
| 1X | $240K | 3 |
| Anduril Industries | $222K | 21 |
| Applied | $216K | 4 |
| Samsara | $208K | 5 |
| ATOMS | $206K | 3 |
| Lunar Energy | $195K | 5 |
| Axon | $184K | 3 |
| Neros Technologies | $175K | 4 |
| SharkNinja | $170K | 5 |
Highest-paying open Firmware Engineer roles
All firmware engineer jobs- ASIC Firmware Engineer, ModelingOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$226K - $445KRustC++C
- Firmware Engineer, RoboticsOpenAI · 🇺🇸San Francisco$380K - $445KRustC++C
- Lead Firmware EngineerSabi · 🇺🇸San Francisco$300K - $400KHybridLead and aboveFirmwareHardware testingTest equipment
- Software Engineering Manager - FirmwareApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$280K - $355KC++LinuxEmbedded C
- Director of Firmware Engineering, CamerasVerkada · 🇺🇸San Mateo, CA United States$250K - $350KLead and aboveLinuxCI/CD
- FirmwareThebotcompany · 🇺🇸San Francisco$200K - $350KRustC++
- Engineering Manager – Camera Firmware PlatformVerkada · 🇺🇸San Mateo, CA United States$200K - $315KGoC++Linux
- Staff Firmware Engineer - Motor Controls1X · 🇺🇸San Carlos, CA$200K - $300KLead and abovePythonC++MATLAB
- Firmware EngineerSunday · 🇺🇸Redwood City, CA$200K - $300KRustC++Machine Learning
- Firmware/ Embedded Systems EngineerSkild AI · San Mateo$100K - $300KC++Machine LearningLinux
- Audio Firmware EngineerHark · 🇺🇸San Jose$120K - $300KC++Machine Learning
- Director, Software & Firmware EngineeringFormenergy · 🇺🇸Berkeley, CA$230K - $294KLead and above
- Senior Robotic Firmware Engineer, Sentry TowerAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Irvine, California, United States$182K - $292KSeniorRustCI/CDComputer Vision
- Staff Firmware EngineerAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$220K - $292KLead and aboveComputer VisionFirmwareTest equipment
- Staff or Senior Firmware EngineerSamsara · 🇺🇸Remote - SF Bay Area$162K - $290KRemoteLead and aboveGoLinuxAWS
- Staff or Senior Firmware EngineerSamsara · 🇺🇸Remote - SF Bay Area$162K - $290KRemoteLead and aboveGoLinuxAWS
- Embedded SW/Firmware Design EngineerCHAOS Industries · 🇺🇸Hawthorne, California, United States$160K - $290KPythonC++CI/CD
- Senior Embedded SW/Firmware Design EngineerCHAOS Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, California, United States$160K - $290KSeniorPythonC++CI/CD
- Audio Firmware EngineerPlayStation Global · 🇺🇸United States, San Mateo, CA$193K - $290KPythonC++Linux
- Firmware Validation & Integration EngineerDoorDash USA · 🇺🇸San Francisco, CA; Oakland, CA$194K - $285KPythonC++Linux
Questions about Firmware Engineer pay
- What is the average Firmware Engineer salary?
- $204K a year on average and $198K at the median, across 126 open Firmware Engineer postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $171K to $222K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Firmware Engineer pay?
- OpenAI ($351K), Verkada ($254K), 1X ($240K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a firmware engineer a high-paying job?
- The median Firmware Engineer posting advertises $198K a year, more than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 14% above the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a firmware engineer?
- A tenth of the postings offer $250K a year or more; the highest open Firmware Engineer role advertises up to $445K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Firmware Engineer salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $198K a year is about $95 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $16,458 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $82 to $107 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Firmware Engineer roles?
- Postings that ask for Go (+$26K, 12 postings), Sensor fusion (+$24K, 22 postings), Control systems (+$24K, 21 postings) advertise more than the $198K median of all Firmware Engineer postings with pay.
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for Firmware Engineer roles at companies is $198K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $171K to $222K. Counted from 126 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/firmware-engineer/
Free to use with the link.