Aerospace Engineers Salary: $161,328 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 68,440 aerospace engineers nationally earn a mean of $161,328. Employment in the series shown fell about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 2.2% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Aerospace Engineers: what the data shows
Common questions about aerospace engineers careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a aerospace engineers?
Aerospace Engineers is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-2011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 68,440 workers.
What does a aerospace engineers do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Working with Computers, Processing Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a aerospace engineers make?
BLS national median annual wage: $134,830 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $161,328 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $105,162 |
| 25th percentile | $121,207 |
| Median (50th) | $147,770 |
| 75th percentile | $190,254 |
| 90th percentile | $230,766 |
What education do you need?
For Aerospace Engineers, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Critical Thinking, Science, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Mathematics, Complex Problem Solving, and knowledge areas including Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Design, Physics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is aerospace engineers in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 2.2% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -10.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -19.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 68,440.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do aerospace engineerss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 68,440 | 18.5% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 58,430 | 15.8% |
| Manufacturing | 30,890 | 8.3% |
| Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 25,930 | 7.0% |
| Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 25,920 | 7.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 22,670 | 6.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Aerospace Engineers in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Civil Engineers | 355,410 | $99,590 |
| Materials Engineers | 22,770 | $108,310 |
| Mechanical Engineers | 286,760 | $102,320 |
| Electrical Engineers | 188,790 | $111,910 |
| Software Developers | 1,654,440 | $133,080 |
| Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators | 30,780 | $75,190 |
| Nuclear Engineers | 14,740 | $127,520 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Aerospace Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
68,440 Workforce in 2023
The Aerospace Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Aerospace Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$161,328 Average Wage
In 2023, Aerospace Engineers earned an average of $161,328.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Aerospace Engineers.
Salary distribution for Aerospace Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
-2.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
32,964 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -10.4%
29,544 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -19.7%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Aerospace Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Aerospace Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Aerospace Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Aerospace Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
4.4% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Aerospace Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Aerospace Engineers.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 9,330 employees, $157,060 avg wage
- TX: 7,660 employees, $130,320 avg wage
- WA: 5,700 employees, $159,790 avg wage
- AL: 5,570 employees, $136,210 avg wage
- CO: 4,020 employees, $154,710 avg wage
- OH: 3,770 employees, $134,650 avg wage
- MD: 3,490 employees, $158,290 avg wage
- FL: 3,100 employees, $128,500 avg wage
- GA: 3,060 employees, $151,320 avg wage
- VA: 2,820 employees, $143,050 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Aerospace Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 6,090 employees, $161,870 avg wage
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA: 5,350 employees, $161,280 avg wage
- Huntsville, AL: 4,580 employees, $141,140 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 3,110 employees, $139,120 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2,750 employees, $160,510 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2,600 employees, $130,550 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,930 employees, $133,290 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 1,910 employees, $153,570 avg wage
- Wichita, KS: 1,510 employees, $125,910 avg wage
- Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN: 1,340 employees, $138,480 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Aerospace Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Aerospace Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Aerospace Engineers in 2023 was 68,440 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Aerospace Engineers.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Aerospace Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Aerospace Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Aerospace Engineers in 2023 were Aerospace Engineering, Engineering, Physics.
Common majors for Aerospace Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Aerospace Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Aerospace Engineers.
Skills
Aerospace Engineers need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Science, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Mathematics.
Required skills for Aerospace Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Aerospace Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Aerospace Engineers include Engineering and Technology, Mathematics, Design, Physics, Computers and Electronics.
Knowledge areas required for Aerospace Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Aerospace Engineers include Written Comprehension, Inductive Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Information Ordering.
Required abilities for Aerospace Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Aerospace Engineers.
Daily Activities
Aerospace Engineers spend their time on activities such as Working with Computers, Processing Information, Analyzing Data or Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Getting Information.
Most important work activities for Aerospace Engineers.
About
Aerospace Engineers
The average yearly wage for Aerospace Engineers was $161,328 in 2023.
SOC Code
17-2011 - Aerospace Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Aerospace Engineers reports an average salary of $161,328, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 68,440 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -2.2%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.