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Aerodynamics engineer salary
Average aerodynamics engineer salary
$99,629
Understanding Aerodynamics Engineer Salaries
Aerodynamics Engineers play a crucial role in transportation, aerospace, and automotive industries, focusing on the behavior of air as it interacts with solid objects. As of October 2025, the average salary for an Aerodynamics Engineer is approximately $99,629 annually. Factors affecting this salary include geographic location, level of education, and years of experience.
For instance, entry-level positions in aerodynamics tend to offer lower salaries, while experienced engineers can command significantly higher wages. States like California and Texas generally offer higher salaries due to the concentration of aerospace and automotive companies. To maximize earning potential, consider pursuing advanced degrees or certifications in aerodynamics, which can enhance your qualifications and open up more lucrative job opportunities.
Salary Breakdown by Experience Level
- Entry-Level (0-3 years): $70,000 - $80,000
- Mid-Level (3-7 years): $85,000 - $110,000
- Senior-Level (7+ years): $120,000+
Furthermore, specialized roles such as Lead Aerodynamics Engineer or Principal Engineer often offer salaries exceeding the average. Staying informed about industry trends and salary benchmarks can help you navigate your career effectively in this field.
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Where can an Aerodynamics Engineer earn more?
Aerodynamics engineer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level aerodynamics engineer | $66,000 | $31.72 |
| Mid-level aerodynamics engineer | $90,700 | $43.60 |
| Senior-level aerodynamics engineer | $144,000 | $69.01 |
Aerodynamics engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average aerodynamics engineer salary by state
The average aerodynamics engineer salary in California, Arizona, and Rhode Island are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average aerodynamics engineer salary states are West Virginia, Indiana, and Louisiana.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for aerodynamics engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona | $112,002 | $53.85 |
| 2 | California | $116,455 | $55.99 |
| 3 | Nebraska | $103,839 | $49.92 |
| 4 | Washington | $101,851 | $48.97 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $111,581 | $53.64 |
| 6 | Nevada | $104,060 | $50.03 |
| 7 | Delaware | $98,297 | $47.26 |
| 8 | Alabama | $95,837 | $46.08 |
| 9 | Texas | $97,050 | $46.66 |
| 10 | Rhode Island | $109,225 | $52.51 |
| 11 | Maryland | $102,484 | $49.27 |
| 12 | Colorado | $99,623 | $47.90 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $100,876 | $48.50 |
| 14 | Wyoming | $95,032 | $45.69 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | $99,115 | $47.65 |
| 16 | Idaho | $99,495 | $47.83 |
| 17 | Virginia | $97,219 | $46.74 |
| 18 | Vermont | $95,493 | $45.91 |
| 19 | Utah | $91,613 | $44.04 |
| 20 | Ohio | $92,651 | $44.54 |
| 21 | Arkansas | $93,269 | $44.84 |
| 22 | Montana | $95,359 | $45.85 |
| 23 | Oregon | $91,686 | $44.08 |
| 24 | Pennsylvania | $91,277 | $43.88 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $91,008 | $43.75 |
| 26 | Georgia | $90,126 | $43.33 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $94,872 | $45.61 |
| 28 | Illinois | $91,615 | $44.05 |
| 29 | Minnesota | $90,972 | $43.74 |
| 30 | Michigan | $87,302 | $41.97 |
| 31 | New York | $90,693 | $43.60 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $90,648 | $43.58 |
| 33 | Alaska | $91,264 | $43.88 |
| 34 | Maine | $91,251 | $43.87 |
| 35 | South Carolina | $89,450 | $43.00 |
| 36 | South Dakota | $89,441 | $43.00 |
| 37 | Florida | $86,586 | $41.63 |
| 38 | Oklahoma | $88,165 | $42.39 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $85,863 | $41.28 |
| 40 | Wisconsin | $86,840 | $41.75 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $85,500 | $41.11 |
| 42 | Kansas | $84,877 | $40.81 |
| 43 | Connecticut | $86,124 | $41.41 |
| 44 | Indiana | $81,374 | $39.12 |
| 45 | West Virginia | $82,768 | $39.79 |
| 46 | Mississippi | $84,344 | $40.55 |
| 47 | Missouri | $84,730 | $40.74 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $76,230 | $36.65 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $77,895 | $37.45 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $77,696 | $37.35 |
| 51 | Iowa | $75,028 | $36.07 |
Highest paying cities for aerodynamics engineers
The highest-paying cities for aerodynamics engineers are Mountain View, CA, Seattle, WA, and Centennial, CO.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mountain View, CA | $124,053 | $59.64 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $102,459 | $49.26 |
| 3 | Centennial, CO | $99,619 | $47.89 |
| 4 | Fort Worth, TX | $97,526 | $46.89 |
| 5 | Arlington, VA | $97,394 | $46.82 |
| 6 | Middletown, OH | $91,275 | $43.88 |
| 7 | Savannah, GA | $91,232 | $43.86 |
| 8 | Minneapolis, MN | $91,097 | $43.80 |
| 9 | Salt Lake City, UT | $91,011 | $43.76 |
| 10 | Tallahassee, FL | $89,244 | $42.91 |
| 11 | Buffalo, NY | $88,472 | $42.53 |
| 12 | Warren, MI | $87,584 | $42.11 |
| 13 | La Crosse, WI | $86,352 | $41.52 |
| 14 | Wichita, KS | $86,128 | $41.41 |
| 15 | Middletown, CT | $86,122 | $41.40 |
| 16 | Concord, NC | $85,382 | $41.05 |
| 17 | Indianapolis, IN | $81,266 | $39.07 |
Aerodynamics engineer salary details
An aerodynamics engineer's salary ranges from $69,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $142,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an aerodynamics engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $142,000 | $11,833 | $68 |
| 75th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
| Average | $99,629 | $8,302 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $82,000 | $6,833 | $39 |
| 10th Percentile | $69,000 | $5,750 | $33 |
Highest paying aerodynamics engineer jobs
The highest paying types of aerodynamics engineers are tool engineer, research and development engineer, and research engineer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering Coordinator | $57,153 | $4,763 | $27.48 | 68,514 |
| Research And Development Engineer | $100,169 | $8,347 | $48.16 | 187,910 |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $78,522 | $6,543 | $37.75 | 115,384 |
| Product Development Engineer | $86,075 | $7,173 | $41.38 | 202,155 |
| Engineer | $92,076 | $7,673 | $44.27 | 618,207 |
| Development Engineer | $93,206 | $7,767 | $44.81 | 224,881 |
Top companies hiring aerodynamics engineers now:
Which companies pay aerodynamics engineers the most?
Aerodynamics engineer salaries at Gulfstream Aerospace and Ad Astra are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average aerodynamics engineer salary at companies like ABL Space Systems and NASCAR are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gulfstream Aerospace | $106,956 | $51.42 |
| 2 | Ad Astra | $106,291 | $51.10 |
| 3 | ABL Space Systems | $106,194 | $51.05 |
| 4 | NASCAR | $104,978 | $50.47 |
| 5 | Randstad North America, Inc. | $104,357 | $50.17 |
| 6 | Boeing | $103,423 | $49.72 |
| 7 | Bell Flight | $102,827 | $49.44 |
| 8 | Textron | $102,175 | $49.12 |
| 9 | Air Products | $101,639 | $48.86 |
| 10 | Tesla | $100,164 | $48.16 |
| 11 | Stratolaunch | $99,619 | $47.89 |
| 12 | General Electric | $99,615 | $47.89 |
| 13 | Trane | $99,110 | $47.65 |
| 14 | SpaceX | $97,462 | $46.86 |
| 15 | Rolls-Royce | $96,878 | $46.58 |
| 16 | General Motors | $96,793 | $46.54 |
| 17 | General Dynamics | $96,158 | $46.23 |
| 18 | Axient | $93,074 | $44.75 |
| 19 | Boom Supersonic | $91,381 | $43.93 |
| 20 | L3Harris | $91,006 | $43.75 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Aerodynamics Engineer salary by industry
The average aerodynamics engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average aerodynamics engineer salary in the automotive industry is $102,457, the highest of any industry.
- The average aerodynamics engineer salary in the finance industry is $99,333.
- Aerodynamics engineers in the manufacturing industry earn an average salary of $94,482, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for aerodynamics engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Automotive | $102,457 | $49.26 |
| 2 | Retail | $99,333 | $47.76 |
| 3 | Technology | $96,973 | $46.62 |
| 4 | Manufacturing | $94,482 | $45.42 |
High paying aerodynamics engineer jobs
Aerodynamics engineer salary trends
The average aerodynamics engineer salary has risen by $13,599 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average aerodynamics engineer earned $86,030 annually, but today, they earn $99,629 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for aerodynamics engineers over the last decade.
Compare aerodynamics engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average aerodynamics engineer salary over time
Compare aerodynamics engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Aerodynamics engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $99,600 | $47.90 | +1.8% |
| 2025 | $97,900 | $47.05 | +1.1% |
| 2024 | $96,800 | $46.53 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $94,900 | $45.65 | +3.0% |
| 2022 | $92,100 | $44.28 | +1.7% |
Recently added aerodynamics engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeppesen | Onboard Performance Tool (OPT) Aerodynamics Engineer | Seattle, WA | 06/30/2025 | $147,900 |
| Stratolaunch | Aerodynamics Engineer Lead | Mojave, CA | 06/29/2025 | $175,500 |
| Solar Turbines Incorporated | Turbine Aerodynamics Engineer | DeSoto, TX | 06/25/2025 | $125,925 |
| Solar Turbines Incorporated | Turbine Aerodynamics Engineer | San Diego, CA | 06/25/2025 | $125,925 |
| Archer Aviation | Aerodynamics Engineer, Flight Test | San Jose, CA | 06/25/2025 | $150,000 |
| Pivotal | Senior Aerodynamics Engineer | Palo Alto, CA | 06/24/2025 | $123,000 |
| Boeing | Onboard Performance Tool (OPT) Aerodynamics Engineer | Seattle, WA | 06/20/2025 | $147,900 |
| Archer | SR. Aerodynamics Engineer, Modeling and Simulation | San Jose, CA | 06/19/2025 | $150,000 |
| Storm4 | Senior Aerodynamics Engineer | Palo Alto, CA | 06/19/2025 | $120,000 |
| Garrett Advancing Motion | Aerodynamics Engineer | Torrance, CA | 06/10/2025 | $87,400 |
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