Find a Job You Really Want In
Aircraft Mechanics are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as aircraft mechanics in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since aircraft mechanics are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where aircraft mechanics have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for aircraft mechanics.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s aircraft mechanics:
So there you have it — Aircraft Mechanics And Service Technicians is the best of the best when it comes to being an aircraft mechanic.
How did Aircraft Mechanics And Service Technicians end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for aircraft mechanics and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
- Best Companies to Work For in Louisville
- These Are The 100 Highest Paying Jobs In Kentucky
- These Are The 100 Largest Companies In Kentucky
How we determined the best states to be an aircraft mechanic
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for aircraft mechanics in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well aircraft mechanics get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for aircraft mechanics in California is $70,750 and the average salary in Illinois is $63,840, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for aircraft mechanics in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for aircraft mechanics.
1. Kentucky
Total Jobs: 2,930
Average Annual Salary: $79,590
Average Entry Level Salary: $44,980
Average Experienced Salary: $127,820
Location Quotient: 1.71
2. Georgia
Total Jobs: 8,800
Average Annual Salary: $76,310
Average Entry Level Salary: $45,220
Average Experienced Salary: $106,650
Location Quotient: 2.2
3. Nevada
Total Jobs: 1,730
Average Annual Salary: $78,380
Average Entry Level Salary: $55,220
Average Experienced Salary: $113,390
Location Quotient: 1.41
4. Texas
Total Jobs: 17,160
Average Annual Salary: $63,860
Average Entry Level Salary: $36,580
Average Experienced Salary: $96,380
Location Quotient: 1.56
5. Utah
Total Jobs: 2,220
Average Annual Salary: $60,770
Average Entry Level Salary: $42,430
Average Experienced Salary: $82,120
Location Quotient: 1.68
6. Colorado
Total Jobs: 1,890
Average Annual Salary: $73,130
Average Entry Level Salary: $42,170
Average Experienced Salary: $103,500
Location Quotient: 0.79
7. Missouri
Total Jobs: 1,860
Average Annual Salary: $62,490
Average Entry Level Salary: $37,210
Average Experienced Salary: $93,920
Location Quotient: 0.73
8. North Carolina
Total Jobs: 4,150
Average Annual Salary: $60,820
Average Entry Level Salary: $36,400
Average Experienced Salary: $93,940
Location Quotient: 1.04
9. Washington
Total Jobs: 5,320
Average Annual Salary: $68,140
Average Entry Level Salary: $37,520
Average Experienced Salary: $101,210
Location Quotient: 1.8
10. Kansas
Total Jobs: 1,460
Average Annual Salary: $56,840
Average Entry Level Salary: $39,370
Average Experienced Salary: $75,190
Location Quotient: 1.17
There You Have It – The Best States To Be An Aircraft Mechanic
If you’re looking to start out your career as an aircraft mechanic these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be an aircraft mechanic in America:
Detailed List Of The Best States For aircraft mechanics
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kentucky | $79,590 |
| 2 | Georgia | $76,310 |
| 3 | Nevada | $78,380 |
| 4 | Texas | $63,860 |
| 5 | Utah | $60,770 |
| 6 | Colorado | $73,130 |
| 7 | Missouri | $62,490 |
| 8 | North Carolina | $60,820 |
| 9 | Washington | $68,140 |
| 10 | Kansas | $56,840 |
| 11 | Florida | $63,040 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $60,340 |
| 13 | Illinois | $63,840 |
| 14 | Ohio | $59,490 |
| 15 | Michigan | $58,350 |
| 16 | Arizona | $62,280 |
| 17 | Wyoming | $58,390 |
| 18 | Virginia | $67,000 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania | $66,830 |
| 20 | Idaho | $54,960 |
| 21 | Tennessee | $58,170 |
| 22 | Delaware | $62,250 |
| 23 | South Carolina | $62,120 |
| 24 | Maryland | $72,650 |
| 25 | Minnesota | $62,050 |
| 26 | New Mexico | $62,140 |
| 27 | North Dakota | $57,360 |
| 28 | Connecticut | $78,240 |
| 29 | Iowa | $55,940 |
| 30 | Montana | $55,900 |
| 31 | Alaska | $67,400 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $69,090 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $51,150 |
| 34 | West Virginia | $54,220 |
| 35 | Oregon | $61,090 |
| 36 | Wisconsin | $53,360 |
| 37 | South Dakota | $53,730 |
| 38 | California | $70,750 |
| 39 | Indiana | $49,090 |
| 40 | Hawaii | $65,260 |
| 41 | Vermont | $60,280 |
| 42 | New York | $67,840 |
| 43 | Massachusetts | $67,420 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | $57,270 |
| 45 | Nebraska | $46,180 |
| 46 | Maine | $51,570 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | $51,670 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
