Airfield Operations Specialists Salary: $71,446 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 16,640 airfield operations specialists nationally earn a mean of $71,446. Employment in the series shown fell about 4% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 7.7% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Airfield Operations Specialists: what the data shows
Common questions about airfield operations specialists careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a airfield operations specialists?
Airfield Operations Specialists is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-2022.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 16,640 workers.
What does a airfield operations specialists do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Documenting/Recording Information, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a airfield operations specialists make?
BLS national median annual wage: $56,750 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $71,446 — 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 | $47,200 |
| 25th percentile | $53,459 |
| Median (50th) | $62,585 |
| 75th percentile | $80,838 |
| 90th percentile | $100,843 |
What education do you need?
For Airfield Operations Specialists, 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 Active Listening, Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Public Safety and Security, Transportation, English Language, Customer and Personal Service. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is airfield operations specialists in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 7.7% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 45.1%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 110.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 16,640.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do airfield operations specialistss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 16,640 | 23.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 12,160 | 17.5% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 10,560 | 15.2% |
| Air Transportation | 8,350 | 12.0% |
| Scheduled Air Transportation | 7,380 | 10.6% |
| Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) | 4,170 | 6.0% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Airfield Operations Specialists 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents | 472,300 | $78,140 |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 1,189,330 | $66,260 |
| General and Operations Managers | 3,584,420 | $102,950 |
| Information Security Analysts | 179,430 | $124,910 |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | 964,530 | $37,230 |
| Pest Control Workers | 96,110 | $44,730 |
| Intelligence Analysts | 110,790 | $93,580 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Airfield Operations Specialists workforce.
Employment Over Time
16,640 Workforce in 2023
The Airfield Operations Specialists workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$71,446 Average Wage
In 2023, Airfield Operations Specialists earned an average of $71,446.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Salary distribution for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Employment Growth Projections
7.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
6,295 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 45.1%
9,131 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 110.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 7.7% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Airfield Operations Specialists and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Airfield Operations Specialists employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Wage Trends by Industry
-6.5% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Airfield Operations Specialists.
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:
- FL: 3,670 employees, $82,220 avg wage
- TX: 1,550 employees, $83,890 avg wage
- NY: 1,430 employees, $49,620 avg wage
- CA: 1,150 employees, $69,750 avg wage
- NC: 800 employees, $42,410 avg wage
- PA: 550 employees, $57,410 avg wage
- NJ: 480 employees, $52,260 avg wage
- GA: 470 employees, $49,830 avg wage
- MI: 430 employees, $63,810 avg wage
- TN: 380 employees, $45,280 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,770 employees, $50,310 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 520 employees, $67,060 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 320 employees, $55,100 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 280 employees, $62,690 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 270 employees, $56,380 avg wage
- Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI: 250 employees, $67,240 avg wage
- Salt Lake City-Murray, UT: 220 employees, $62,130 avg wage
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: 210 employees, $57,200 avg wage
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL: 180 employees, $50,360 avg wage
- Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN: 180 employees, $47,260 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Diversity
Demographic information on Airfield Operations Specialists in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Airfield Operations Specialists in 2023 was 16,640 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Airfield Operations Specialists.
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 Airfield Operations Specialists.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Airfield Operations Specialists in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Airfield Operations Specialists workers.
Education level distribution for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Skills
Airfield Operations Specialists need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Monitoring, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking.
Required skills for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Airfield Operations Specialists include Public Safety and Security, Transportation, English Language, Customer and Personal Service, Education and Training.
Knowledge areas required for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Airfield Operations Specialists include Problem Sensitivity, Deductive Reasoning, Oral Expression, Oral Comprehension, Written Comprehension.
Required abilities for Airfield Operations Specialists.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Airfield Operations Specialists.
Daily Activities
Airfield Operations Specialists spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates.
Most important work activities for Airfield Operations Specialists.
About
Airfield Operations Specialists
The average yearly wage for Airfield Operations Specialists was $71,446 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-2022 - Airfield Operations Specialists
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Airfield Operations Specialists reports an average salary of $71,446.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 16,640 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 7.7%, 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.