Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering salary in California
A real-employer view of Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering pay, clustered from DOL OFLC certified filings. Variants like Senior, Lead, and II/III titles fold into this cluster — the wage range below reflects all of them.
Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 32 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $149,752. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level I — entry | 2 | $98,975 |
| Level II — qualified | 11 | $109,574 |
| Level III — experienced | 10 | $156,707 |
| Level IV — fully competent | 9 | $172,578 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings. Click a company for its full H-1B salary breakdown.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering | 17 | $162,344 |
| Amgen Inc. | Engineer | 2 | $113,152 |
| Bionova Scientific, LLC | Sr. Engineer, MSAT | 2 | $105,995 |
| Sandisk Technologies, Inc. | Staff Engineer, Technology Development Engineering | 2 | $151,070 |
| Sila Nanotechnologies, Inc. | Sr. Engineer, Battery Capabilities | 2 | $139,750 |
| Archer Aviation Operating Corp. | Sr. Engineer, State Estimation and Modeling | 1 | $159,638 |
| Atlas Data Storage, Inc. | Sr Staff Engineer, Chemical | 1 | $200,000 |
| BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM FREMONT, INC. | Sr. Engineer, Equipment | 1 | $148,503 |
| Clariant Corporation | Senior Engineer | 1 | $110,781 |
| E Ink Corporation | Senior Engineer II | 1 | $172,578 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Engineer at Amgen Inc.$107,304Thousand OaksWage Level IDecided Feb 23, 2026I-200-26044-640373
- Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering at Western Digital Technologies, Inc.$178,651San JoseWage Level IVDecided Sep 8, 2025I-200-25241-276978
- Sr Staff Engineer, Chemical at Atlas Data Storage, Inc.$200,000South San FranciscoWage Level IIIDecided Aug 12, 2025I-200-25217-222200
- Sr. Engineer, MSAT at Bionova Scientific, LLC$105,995FremontWage Level IIDecided Jul 28, 2025I-200-25202-187824
- Sr. Engineer, MSAT at Bionova Scientific, LLC$105,995FremontWage Level IIDecided Jul 28, 2025I-200-25202-188695
- Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering at Western Digital Technologies, Inc.$178,651San JoseWage Level IVDecided Jul 25, 2025I-200-25199-186448
- Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering at Western Digital Technologies, Inc.$178,651FREMONTWage Level IVDecided Jul 25, 2025I-200-25199-186456
- Staff Engineer, Technology Development Engineering at Sandisk Technologies, Inc.$151,070MilpitasWage Level IIIDecided Jul 14, 2025I-200-25188-157297
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.