Quick answer: The Providence metro employs about 460 computer hardware engineers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state engineering licensing board.
Compare computer engineering programs enrolling now:
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Computer engineering is not a licensed occupation for most hardware work, so no board gates entry. The credential that matters is an ABET-accredited bachelor’s, from the Engineering Accreditation Commission. Professional Engineer licensure exists and a minority pursue it, but hardware and embedded work is largely exempt because it does not produce stamped drawings.
See the Rhode Island licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state engineering licensing board.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 1 school within 24 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 1 of them carries a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Computer Hardware Engineers in the Providence area earn a median $125,060 per year, below the national median of $161,740 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Providence metro | Rhode Island | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $125,060 | $119,510 | $161,740 |
| 10th percentile | $86,530 | $80,620 | $92,940 |
| 25th percentile | $99,130 | $96,750 | $126,090 |
| 75th percentile | $153,650 | $144,910 | $202,990 |
| 90th percentile | $172,750 | $158,570 | $225,330 |
| Employment | 460 | 390 | 76,660 |
| Location quotient | 1.31 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metropolitan statistical area.
The Providence median of $125,060 is below the national median of $161,740, and above the Rhode Island statewide median of $119,510 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 1.31 means computer hardware engineers are more concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Computer hardware work concentrates around semiconductor fabs, defense and federal laboratory sites, and the large technology employers, so local employment is far more uneven than in the building trades
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
The median annual wage for computer hardware engineers in the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area is $125,060, below the national median of $161,740 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area employs about 460 computer hardware engineers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Computer engineering is not a licensed occupation for most hardware work, so no board gates entry. The credential that matters is an ABET-accredited bachelor's, from the Engineering Accreditation Commission. Professional Engineer licensure exists and a minority pursue it, but hardware and embedded work is largely exempt because it does not produce stamped drawings. Confirm current requirements with your state engineering licensing board.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state engineering licensing board.
The Providence metro median is $125,060 against a statewide median of $119,510 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
