Software Engineer vs Hardware Engineer H-1B salaries
The median certified H-1B salary was $137,730 at Software Engineer and $153,504 at Hardware Engineer: Hardware Engineer paid 11% more. From filings received Jan 2023 to Jun 2026.
| Software Engineer | Hardware Engineer | |
|---|---|---|
| Certified filings | 81,689 | 500 |
| Median salary | $137,730 | $153,504 |
| Middle half | $105,000 to $182,000 | $112,882 to $177,819 |
| Top 10% earn over | $215,000 | $200,000 |
| Above prevailing wage | +4% | +2% |
| Median at Level I | $93,600 | $104,944 |
| Median at Level II | $120,000 | $131,650 |
| Median at Level III | $173,000 | $181,000 |
| Median at Level IV | $218,830 | $216,091 |
| Most filings for | Google LLC | Google LLC |
Same employers, both sides
| Employer | Software Engineer | Hardware Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| Google LLC (15,144 / 117) | $182,453 | $175,000 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc (8,579 / 18) | $208,000 | $186,000 |
| Microsoft Corporation (2,293 / 39) | $160,044 | $174,203 |
| Intel Corporation (1,668 / 32) | $135,200 | $141,461 |
| DoorDash, Inc. (674 / 6) | $176,000 | $199,882 |
| Cisco Systems, Inc. (521 / 55) | $135,800 | $152,464 |
| Waymo LLC (416 / 3) | $202,000 | $197,000 |
| Arista Networks, Inc. (236 / 14) | $134,248 | $160,556 |
| NetApp, Inc. (206 / 4) | $155,979 | $129,072 |
| Juniper Networks, Inc. (200 / 4) | $135,283 | $142,772 |
| Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. (114 / 32) | $112,321 | $109,274 |
| General Motors (98 / 3) | $119,922 | $114,109 |
| Panasonic Avionics Corporation (56 / 3) | $145,000 | $102,165 |
| L&T Technology Services Limited (29 / 28) | $92,789 | $92,248 |
| Narvee Tech Inc (51 / 3) | $84,094 | $73,029 |
Median salary where both have at least 3 filings; the number of filings is in brackets.
Same cities
| City | Software Engineer | Hardware Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| Mountain View, CA | $186,000 | $177,585 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | $186,000 | $175,440 |
| Menlo Park, CA | $207,992 | $189,000 |
| San Francisco, CA | $180,000 | $175,950 |
| Redmond, WA | $161,100 | $168,715 |
| San Jose, CA | $162,000 | $154,512 |
| Santa Clara, CA | $172,784 | $160,083 |
| Austin, TX | $114,754 | $130,354 |
| Chicago, IL | $114,400 | $185,000 |
| Hillsboro, OR | $127,878 | $103,147 |
By year
| Year filed | Software Engineer | Hardware Engineer |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $132,000 | $169,430 |
| 2024 | $131,095 | $153,178 |
| 2025 | $137,000 | $135,549 |
| 2026 | $151,840 | $160,806 |
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