What Computer Hardware Engineers earn in San Benito County, CA
If you are weighing a move or a job offer, start with $209,860: the median annual pay for Computer Hardware Engineers in San Benito County, CA. Spread over a standard 2,080-hour work year, that is $100.89 an hour. Because the wage survey covers the whole San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, the number reflects employers across the region rather than a single town or a single company.
The mean wage is $208,700, which is 0.6% below the median, so pay is spread fairly evenly. The survey counts about 7,940 people working in this occupation across the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. San Benito County, CA has roughly 67,290 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Computer Hardware Engineers in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $141,590 a year ($68.07 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $284,400 or more ($136.73 an hour). That is a gap of $142,810 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $171,200 at the 25th percentile and $230,510 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 2.0 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $100.89 an hour or $209,860 a year at the median for San Benito County, CA. Before any deductions, that is $17,488 a month, $8,072 every two weeks and $4,036 each week. After taxes the same job pays $67.78 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Computer Hardware Engineers
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Computer Hardware Engineers this way: "Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. May supervise the manufacturing and installation of computer or computer-related equipment and components."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology"; "Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process"; "Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data"; "Monitor functioning of equipment and make necessary modifications to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications".
Job outlook for Computer Hardware Engineers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to grow from 76,100 jobs in 2025 to 83,000 in 2035, a change of +9.1%, faster than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 4,100 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 5.4% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: bachelor's degree. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $161,740 for this occupation; the San Benito County, CA median of $209,860 is 29.8% above it.
How pay in San Benito County, CA compares
Compared with the California average
A worker in this occupation in San Benito County, CA earns $17,668 more than the California average of $192,192, a premium of 9.2%. Over a year that premium is worth $17,668 before tax and roughly $11,869 after tax. Within California, San Benito County, CA already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Computer Hardware Engineers is $162,499 across the contiguous United States. At $209,860, San Benito County, CA pays $47,361 more, which is 29.1% above that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in San Benito County, CA
Among the 507 occupations with published wages in San Benito County, CA, Computer Hardware Engineers ranks number 22 by median pay, ahead of about 96% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Computer and Information Systems Managers at $291,660 a year, which is $81,800 more than the median for Computer Hardware Engineers.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Computer Hardware Engineers earning the San Benito County, CA median of $209,860, they add up to $68,878. The result is $140,982 of take-home pay a year ($11,748 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $33 goes to taxes and $67 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 32.8%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $194,110. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 24% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $39,433, an effective 18.8% of gross pay, well below the 24% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $10,918 on this salary, the maximum for the year because pay exceeds the cap. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $3,132, plus an additional 0.9% on wages above $200,000. FICA totals $14,050, which is 6.7% of gross pay.
State income tax in California
California income tax on this salary is $15,395 a year, or 7.3% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 39% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $1,283 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for San Benito County, CA
IRS Statistics of Income data for San Benito County, CA show an average adjusted gross income of $91,221 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 12.2% across all filers. Filers in the $200,000 or more bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 18.4%, compared with the 18.8% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in San Benito County, CA
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in San Benito County, CA: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $140,982 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For San Benito County, CA, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $2,296 a month ($27,552 a year), and at $3,004 for two bedrooms. For Computer Hardware Engineers, a one-bedroom absorbs 19.5% of take-home pay and 13.1% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 1.6% of gross pay for Computer Hardware Engineers in San Benito County, CA. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using California residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $3,378 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $751, for $4,129 in total. Gasoline in California averages $4.42 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $2,047.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $37,163 a year in San Benito County, CA. Subtract that from $140,982 of take-home pay and $103,818 remains, which is $8,652 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 49.5% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for San Benito County, CA
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in San Benito County, CA: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for San Benito County, CA, set beside the California and national medians.
Property taxes in San Benito County, CA
Homeowners in San Benito County, CA pay a median of $6,441 a year in real estate taxes, 26% above the California median of $5,124 and 107% above the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $793,400, the median tax bill is 0.81% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Computer Hardware Engineers median of $209,860, a tax bill of that size would equal 3.1% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in San Benito County, CA
Renters in San Benito County, CA pay a median gross rent of $1,992 a month in the Census survey, 2% below the California median of $2,036. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $2,296 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $793,400, 8% above the California median of $734,700. Median household income is $114,394, 15% above the California median of $99,122, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 24.1% of that income.
Commuting in San Benito County, CA
Workers in San Benito County, CA who travel to a workplace spend an average of 36.6 minutes each way, 28% above the California average of 28.7. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 6.1 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 11.8% of workers in San Benito County, CA work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Computer Hardware Engineers afford to live in San Benito County, CA?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $209,860 that ceiling is $5,246 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $2,296 is $2,950 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $44.15 an hour; the median for Computer Hardware Engineers is $100.89, which is 128% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $67.78 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 7.8 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $3,004 a month means $1,502 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $9,528 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $113,346.
How fast you can save
At $8,652 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 2 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 4 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Computer Hardware Engineers pay in San Benito County, CA
How much do Computer Hardware Engineers make per hour in San Benito County, CA?
The median is $100.89 per hour, based on $209,860 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $68.07 at the 10th percentile to $136.73 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Computer Hardware Engineers take home after taxes in San Benito County, CA?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $209,860 becomes $140,982 a year. That is $11,748 a month, $5,422 every two weeks or $2,711 a week.
How much tax do Computer Hardware Engineers pay in San Benito County, CA?
Total taxes are $68,878 a year, an effective rate of 32.8%: $39,433 federal income tax, $14,050 FICA and $15,395 California income tax.
Do Computer Hardware Engineers earn more in San Benito County, CA than elsewhere in California?
Yes. The local median of $209,860 is +9.2% versus the California average of $192,192, a difference of $17,668 a year.
Can Computer Hardware Engineers afford a one-bedroom apartment in San Benito County, CA?
A one-bedroom costs $2,296 a month against take-home pay of $11,748, which is 19.5% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $5,246 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Computer Hardware Engineers in San Benito County, CA?
About $8,652 a month ($103,818 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $37,163 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in San Benito County, CA at the 30% guideline?
$44.15 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $27,552 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Computer Hardware Engineers is $100.89.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the California rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.