Side-by-side distribution
Embedded Engineer
$185,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 52.3%
- Live roles
- 442
Firmware Engineer
$190,500
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 51.3%
- Live roles
- 197
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Embedded Security Engineer
Software Engineer, Embedded Agentic AI
Staff Embedded Firmware Engineer
Principal Embedded Software Engineer
Embedded Software Engineer / Tech lead, Onboard Test Automation
Embedded SW Engineer
Staff Embedded Linux Engineer
Embedded Systems Engineer-Federal
Lead Embedded Linux Engineer - Intercom
Senior Embedded Systems Engineer
Highest-paying jobs
Staff Firmware Engineer
Firmware Engineer, Robotics
ASIC Firmware Engineer, Modeling
Networking Operating System Firmware Engineer
Firmware Engineer, RTOS, Consumer Devices
Staff Embedded Firmware Engineer
Firmware Engineer, Robotics and Surgery Engineering
Founding Firmware Engineer
Staff Embedded Software Engineer - Camera Firmware
Firmware/ Embedded Systems Engineer
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$199,500 | 23 |
Silvus Technologies
|
$170,000 | 10 |
SpaceX
|
$142,500 | 8 |
| AX Axon | $183,300 | 7 |
|
Verkada
|
$245,000 | 6 |
TP-Link Systems Inc.
|
$140,000 | 6 |
STR
|
$130,500 | 6 |
Applied Intuition
|
$200,000 | 5 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$222,000 | 12 |
|
OpenAI
|
$345,500 | 4 |
CoreWeave
|
$197,500 | 3 |
ALSO
|
$190,000 | 3 |
Mach Industries
|
$172,500 | 3 |
|
42dot
|
$228,000 | 2 |
Everpure
|
$216,250 | 2 |
ChargePoint
|
$202,500 | 2 |
Embedded Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Toronto | $195,500 | 4 |
| San Francisco | $195,000 | 17 |
| Seattle | $193,000 | 13 |
| New York | $185,000 | 5 |
| Los Angeles | $181,250 | 16 |
| Boston | $173,750 | 11 |
| Austin | $165,725 | 8 |
| Denver | $161,250 | 4 |
Firmware Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $210,458 | 14 |
| New York | $197,500 | 7 |
Embedded Engineer vs Firmware Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Embedded Engineer is $185,000 per year (typically $155,000–$207,500), versus $190,500 for Firmware Engineer ($155,000–$218,250). That puts Firmware Engineer about 3% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Embedded Engineer and Firmware 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.