Side-by-side distribution
Controls Engineer
$130,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 42.5%
- Live roles
- 1,296
Hardware Engineer
$158,950
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 41.5%
- Live roles
- 1,235
Highest-paying jobs
Manufacturing Engineer III (Controls Technician)
Control Systems Software Engineer, Robotics
Software Engineer, API Enterprise Controls
Data Center Controls Engineer
Software Engineer, Enterprise Controls
Senior/Staff Controls Engineer, Core Development
Software Engineer: Robotics Controls
Staff Software Engineer - Humanoid Controls
Senior Mechanical Controls Engineer
Data Center Controls Network Engineer
Highest-paying jobs
Hardware / Software CoDesign Engineer - 3P
Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Systems
Software Engineer, Hardware Health
Data Engineer, Hardware & Consumer Devices
Research Engineer - Robotic Hardware, Simulation and Data
Manufacturing Engineer - Data Center Hardware
Internal Acceleration, Research Engineer (Hardware)
Internal Acceleration, Engineer (Hardware)
Hardware Engineer, RTL
Hardware Engineer, PCB
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$167,000 | 31 |
| JC Johnson Controls | $86,500 | 29 |
| GV GE Vernova | $131,200 | 20 |
Northrop Grumman
|
$123,600 | 19 |
Carrier
|
$118,500 | 18 |
Blue Origin
|
$181,117 | 15 |
Leidos
|
$122,275 | 14 |
Oshkosh Corporation
|
$119,800 | 14 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Blue Origin
|
$156,847 | 44 |
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$142,500 | 27 |
SpaceX
|
$125,000 | 23 |
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
|
$159,500 | 22 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$164,500 | 21 |
Cisco
|
$189,450 | 14 |
Draper
|
$160,575 | 12 |
|
Applied Intuition
|
$172,500 | 11 |
Controls Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $222,386 | 20 |
| Seattle | $185,000 | 20 |
| Austin | $176,550 | 21 |
| Los Angeles | $150,000 | 26 |
| Denver | $138,450 | 17 |
| Boston | $127,500 | 3 |
| New York | $126,885 | 12 |
| Chicago | $123,500 | 10 |
| Atlanta | $118,388 | 14 |
Hardware Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| London | $300,000 | 4 |
| Austin | $205,505 | 5 |
| San Francisco | $190,050 | 34 |
| New York | $185,000 | 9 |
| Los Angeles | $156,847 | 45 |
| Seattle | $156,847 | 49 |
| Denver | $156,847 | 26 |
| Boston | $151,959 | 10 |
Controls Engineer vs Hardware Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Controls Engineer is $130,000 per year (typically $105,672–$159,000), versus $158,950 for Hardware Engineer ($122,500–$196,938). That puts Hardware Engineer about 22% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Controls Engineer and Hardware Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.