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Astronaut vs aviator

The differences between astronauts and aviators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an astronaut and an aviator. Additionally, an aviator has an average salary of $97,217, which is higher than the $73,142 average annual salary of an astronaut.

Astronaut vs aviator overview

AstronautAviator
Yearly salary$73,142$97,217
Hourly rate$35.16$46.74
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs1983,482
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 100%Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Astronaut vs aviator salary

Astronauts and aviators have different pay scales, as shown below.

AstronautAviator
Average salary$73,142$97,217
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $111,000Between $76,000 And $122,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between astronaut and aviator education

There are a few differences between an astronaut and an aviator in terms of educational background:

AstronautAviator
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 100%Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Most common majorAerospace EngineeringAerospace Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Texas at AustinStanford University

Astronaut vs aviator demographics

Here are the differences between astronauts' and aviators' demographics:

AstronautAviator
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 87.5% Female, 12.5%Male, 94.7% Female, 5.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 2.5% White, 84.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.5% Hispanic or Latino, 7.0% Asian, 2.7% White, 81.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between astronaut and aviator duties and responsibilities

Astronaut example responsibilities.

  • Spearhead implementation of new scheduling tool that eliminate syllabus deviations, adopt as squadron standard.
  • Coordinate bi-national testing of aircraft countermeasures against next-generation missile seekers.

Aviator example responsibilities.

  • Lead first successful DoD disaster recovery program utilizing a commercial backup.
  • Assist in select flying operations during a USAF training team visit.
  • Land aircraft with critical malfunctions, preserving millions of dollars in ISR assets.
  • Project manager; organize & execute complex research projects for DoD & interagency customers.
  • Progress to PIC, follow by appointment as company check airman for the Westwind.
  • Experience with multiple specialty payload platforms expanding on the versatile nature of the UAS platform.
  • Show more

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