Semiconductor Salary Benchmarks
US Advertised Semiconductor Salary Benchmarks
Comprehensive median base compensation benchmarks across engineering disciplines, fabrication roles, and career seniority tiers, drawn directly from employer job index wage postings across the United States.
Data Scope & Methodology: Salary analyses on this page draw from our comprehensive index of active semiconductor job postings across 183 tracked employers, representing 9,495 US wage transparency disclosures across 122 employers. Because we curate and publish a subset of direct-employer roles to our public job board, the total salary sample exceeds the active count displayed in public board search results. All figures represent annualized base salary ranges; equity, sign-on bonuses, and performance incentives are excluded.
Core Semiconductor Design & Engineering Disciplines
Annualized base salary medians and published interquartile ranges (25th to 75th percentiles) across core hardware engineering functions.
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| Discipline | Salary Postings Analysed | Employers | Median Base | Typical Range (25th–75th) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Analog & Mixed-Signal IC Design | 412 | 28 | $178,500 | $145,000 – $218,000 |
| Design Verification (DV / UVM) | 488 | 34 | $174,000 | $142,000 – $212,000 |
| Physical Design & Timing Closure (PD) | 364 | 26 | $182,000 | $148,000 – $224,000 |
| Digital & RTL Logic Design | 426 | 31 | $176,000 | $144,000 – $216,000 |
| Silicon Architecture & Microarchitecture | 184 | 19 | $210,000 | $175,000 – $255,000 |
| CAD & Electronic Design Automation (EDA) | 148 | 18 | $168,000 | $138,000 – $205,000 |
| Silicon Test, ATE & Product Engineering | 296 | 27 | $152,000 | $124,000 – $186,000 |
| Design for Test (DFT) | 132 | 21 | $172,000 | $140,000 – $210,000 |
| Semiconductor Packaging & Signal Integrity | 214 | 22 | $162,000 | $132,000 – $198,000 |
| Embedded Software & Silicon Firmware | 524 | 38 | $165,000 | $135,000 – $202,000 |
Show additional engineering disciplines (RFIC, Layout, Reliability & Yield)
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| Discipline | Salary Postings Analysed | Employers | Median Base | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RFIC & MMIC Design | 118 | 16 | $184,000 | $150,000 – $225,000 |
| IC Layout & Mask Design | 92 | 15 | $138,000 | $112,000 – $168,000 |
| Reliability & Quality Engineering (Q&R) | 104 | 17 | $148,000 | $122,000 – $180,000 |
Fabrication, Process Engineering & Cleanroom Operations
Wafer fab process integration, equipment maintenance, process engineering, and hourly cleanroom manufacturing roles.
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| Role Family | Salary Postings Analysed | Employers | Median Base | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Process Integration Engineering (PIE) | 238 | 22 | $156,000 | $126,000 – $190,000 |
| Fab Module Process Engineering (Etch, CVD, Litho) | 384 | 25 | $142,000 | $116,000 – $174,000 |
| Yield Enhancement & Defect Metrology | 176 | 19 | $148,000 | $120,000 – $182,000 |
| Equipment & Tool Maintenance Engineering | 312 | 23 | $128,000 | $104,000 – $156,000 |
| Cleanroom Manufacturing Technicians (Hourly) | 442 | 20 | $31.50 / hr (~$65,500/yr) | $24.00 – $41.00 / hr |
Semiconductor Engineering Progression by Career Tier
Composite base salary progression across all US hardware design and development engineering openings.
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| Seniority Tier | Typical Experience | Salary Postings Analysed | Median Base | Typical Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior / Associate Engineer | 0 – 2 years | 418 | $112,000 | $94,000 – $132,000 |
| Mid-Level Engineer | 3 – 5 years | 1,240 | $148,000 | $126,000 – $174,000 |
| Senior Engineer | 5 – 8 years | 1,820 | $182,000 | $155,000 – $218,000 |
| Staff & Principal Engineer | 8 – 12 years | 1,160 | $218,000 | $186,000 – $258,000 |
| Senior Principal & Fellow | 12+ years | 384 | $262,000 | $225,000 – $315,000 |
Selected Semiconductor Roles on Our Board
Browse active openings across major semiconductor disciplines published on SemiconductorJobs.com:
Design Verification Jobs
UVM, SystemVerilog, formal, and emulation postings
Physical Design Jobs
Place & route, timing closure, and tapeout roles
Analog & Mixed-Signal Jobs
Data converter, power management, and RFIC postings
RTL & Logic Design Jobs
Front-end logic, microarchitecture, and IP development
Silicon Test & ATE Jobs
Wafer sort, final test, and production test engineering
Process Engineering Jobs
Etch, deposition, lithography, and fab yield postings
Packaging Engineer Jobs
Advanced packaging, 2.5D/3D IC, and substrate roles
Embedded Firmware Jobs
Low-level C/C++, driver bring-up, and bootloader roles