Computer Hardware Engineers pay range in Santa Cruz
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $89,080 a year or less, while the top 10% make $214,600 or more. The middle half of computer hardware engineers in Santa Cruz earn between $107,120 and $214,600.
- $89K10th
- $107K25th
- $169KMedian
- $215K75th
- $215K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $159,600 | $13,300 | $76.73 |
| Median | $169,370 | $14,114 | $81.43 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $107,120 | $8,927 | $51.50 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $214,600 | $17,883 | $103.17 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Computer Hardware Engineers salary after taxes in Santa Cruz
On the average salary of $159,600, a single filer in Santa Cruz takes home about $109,602 a year, or $9,133 a month and $4,215 every two weeks. Taxes take 31% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is Santa Cruz a good place for computer hardware engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Santa Cruz area are 10% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 109.9), so the average $159,600 buys what about $145,228 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 3.1 times the median wage of all jobs in Santa Cruz ($54,730). A typical home costs $1,157,157, or 7.3 years of this average salary before tax.
Computer Hardware Engineers salary in other California cities
Santa Cruz ranks 5th of 9 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($208,700).
- San Jose$208,700
- San Francisco$198,010
- San Diego$177,800
- Los Angeles$164,390
- Santa Cruz$159,600
- Santa Maria$154,060
- Riverside$143,240
- Oxnard$129,860
- Bakersfield$127,700
Highest-paying cities for computer hardware engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($208,700).
- San Jose, CA$208,700
- San Francisco, CA$198,010
- Allentown, PA$188,740
- Durham, NC$185,400
- Seattle, WA$180,820
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Computer Hardware Engineers salary in Santa Cruz: questions
How much do computer hardware engineers make an hour in Santa Cruz?
$76.73 an hour on average, and $81.43 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level computer hardware engineers salary in Santa Cruz?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $89,080 a year and the 25th percentile is $107,120, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the computer hardware engineers take-home pay in Santa Cruz?
About $109,602 a year ($9,133 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $159,600. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do computer hardware engineers earn more in Santa Cruz than elsewhere?
The average here is 3% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($164,979).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2061; area Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA (42100). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 8.6%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.60, this job is 1.6 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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