Salary AI Book a Demo

Embedded Systems Designer Salary in the United States

How much does an Embedded Systems Designer make in the United States?

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for an Embedded Systems Designer in the United States is $97,651 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $47.

However, an Embedded Systems Designer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $113,685
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $86,761 to $106,044
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $76,846
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

Key Factors That Influence Embedded Systems Designer Salaries

An Embedded Systems Designer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Embedded Systems Designer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Embedded Systems Designer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $70,402
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $98,408
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $113,416
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $133,560
  • Expert (over 8 years): $145,044
Levels Salary
Web Softw... Level Embedded Systems Designer$70,402
Embedded ... Level Embedded Systems Designer$98,408
Web Softw... Level Embedded Systems Designer$113,416
Web Softw... Level Embedded Systems Designer$133,560
Web Softw... Level Embedded Systems Designer$145,044
View as Graph

How Do Embedded Systems Designer Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Embedded Systems Designers. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $108,120.
  • California: $107,709.
  • Massachusetts: $106,274.

Top Paying Cities for Embedded Systems Designers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $123,168
  • San Francisco: $121,819
  • Oakland: $119,252

What Skills Can Increase an Embedded Systems Designer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 2.91% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 4.42% Job Postings): Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.
  • CSS (Mentioned in 2.75% Job Postings): Cascading Style Sheets is a style sheet language used for describing the presentation of a document written in a markup language such as HTML or XML. CSS is a cornerstone technology of the World Wide Web, alongside HTML and JavaScript.
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 2.91%
Software Development 4.42%
CSS 2.75%
See More Skills

What skills can make your compensation higher?

Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Embedded Systems Designer's salary.

  • Python: Can increase your salary by up to 3%.
  • Innovation: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
  • AWS: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Python $100,581
3%
Innovation $99,604
2%
AWS $99,604
2%
Get Latest Data

Embedded Systems Designer Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Embedded Systems Designer roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 50% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average. In contrast, Embedded Systems Designer positions in Retail & Wholesale or Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Embedded Systems Designer as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for an Embedded Systems Designer

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Biotechnology$122,064$59.025%
Pharmaceuticals$117,182$56.020%
Software & Networking$117,182$56.020%
Energy & Utilities$112,299$54.015%
Financial Services$112,299$54.015%

How Education impacts an Embedded Systems Designer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Embedded Systems Designers enter the field with a Associate's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Embedded Systems Designer with a Associate's Degree is between $90,711 and $96,371).

Embedded Systems Designer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Embedded Systems Designer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.4%
High School 10.0%
Associates 9.3%
Bachelors 61.1%
Masters 18.6%
Doctorate 0.7%
View as Graph

Embedded Systems Designer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Embedded Systems Designer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on October 01, 2026
$86,761
Average $97,651/year
$106,044
$7,230
Average $8,138/month
$8,837
$1,668
Average $1,878/week
$2,039
$42
Average $47/hour
$51
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $106,044 $8,837 $2,039 $51
Average $97,651 $8,138 $1,878 $47
25th Percentile $86,761 $7,230 $1,668 $42

Most common benefits for Embedded Systems Designer

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Embedded Systems Designer

Here are companies hiring for Embedded Systems Designer and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Embedded Systems Designer Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Embedded Systems Designer job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

For Employees

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Adjust Employee Salary

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Price My Industry Jobs

FAQ about Embedded Systems Designer

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Embedded Systems Designer?

The Biotechnology industry offers the highest average compensation for Embedded Systems Designer roles, with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst