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Aerospace engineer salary
Average aerospace engineer salary
$100,401
Aerospace Engineer Salary Insights
The average salary for an aerospace engineer is approximately $100,401 annually, translating to around $48 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors like geographic location, education, and years of experience. For instance, aerospace engineers in states like California and Texas often report higher salaries due to the presence of major aerospace firms and government contracts.
Salary by Experience Level
Entry-level aerospace engineers can expect to earn around $70,000, while those with five to ten years of experience see their salaries increase to about $90,000. Engineers with over ten years of experience, particularly those in supervisory roles or specialized fields, may earn upwards of $120,000 annually.
Regional Salary Variations
Understanding salary variations by state is crucial. For example, aerospace engineers in Washington state average around $110,000, while those in Florida may earn closer to $85,000. This disparity highlights the importance of considering location when evaluating job offers.
Ultimately, as the demand for aerospace engineers grows, so too does the potential for higher salaries in this dynamic field. By staying informed about salary trends and industry demands, you can strategically navigate your career in aerospace engineering.
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Where can an Aerospace Engineer earn more?
Aerospace engineer salaries by experience level
| Experience level | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level aerospace engineer | $66,500 | $31.97 |
| Mid-level aerospace engineer | $91,400 | $43.94 |
| Senior-level aerospace engineer | $145,000 | $69.54 |
Aerospace engineer salary estimates from across the web
Average aerospace engineer salary by state
The highest-paying states for aerospace engineers are Arizona, Washington, and Nevada. The lowest average aerospace engineer salary states are Kansas, Florida, and Arkansas.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for aerospace engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $115,567 | $55.56 |
| 2 | Arizona | $115,785 | $55.67 |
| 3 | Utah | $102,458 | $49.26 |
| 4 | California | $108,806 | $52.31 |
| 5 | Nevada | $109,581 | $52.68 |
| 6 | District of Columbia | $107,525 | $51.69 |
| 7 | Massachusetts | $99,633 | $47.90 |
| 8 | Colorado | $98,829 | $47.51 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $95,879 | $46.10 |
| 10 | Maryland | $98,978 | $47.59 |
| 11 | Idaho | $101,937 | $49.01 |
| 12 | Oregon | $96,415 | $46.35 |
| 13 | New Mexico | $100,071 | $48.11 |
| 14 | Virginia | $94,189 | $45.28 |
| 15 | Alabama | $91,156 | $43.83 |
| 16 | Michigan | $91,863 | $44.16 |
| 17 | Vermont | $97,049 | $46.66 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $98,375 | $47.30 |
| 19 | Montana | $97,753 | $47.00 |
| 20 | North Dakota | $92,113 | $44.29 |
| 21 | Tennessee | $92,938 | $44.68 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $96,194 | $46.25 |
| 23 | West Virginia | $93,553 | $44.98 |
| 24 | Texas | $89,216 | $42.89 |
| 25 | Ohio | $87,890 | $42.25 |
| 26 | North Carolina | $89,630 | $43.09 |
| 27 | Indiana | $88,889 | $42.74 |
| 28 | Delaware | $88,914 | $42.75 |
| 29 | Illinois | $91,874 | $44.17 |
| 30 | Maine | $92,764 | $44.60 |
| 31 | South Carolina | $88,134 | $42.37 |
| 32 | South Dakota | $91,069 | $43.78 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $88,428 | $42.51 |
| 34 | Georgia | $88,212 | $42.41 |
| 35 | Alaska | $89,269 | $42.92 |
| 36 | Pennsylvania | $86,595 | $41.63 |
| 37 | Connecticut | $86,060 | $41.38 |
| 38 | New Hampshire | $85,294 | $41.01 |
| 39 | New Jersey | $88,960 | $42.77 |
| 40 | Nebraska | $80,121 | $38.52 |
| 41 | Mississippi | $83,155 | $39.98 |
| 42 | New York | $78,681 | $37.83 |
| 43 | Missouri | $83,427 | $40.11 |
| 44 | Florida | $77,076 | $37.06 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $80,384 | $38.65 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $64,176 | $30.85 |
| 47 | Kansas | $77,330 | $37.18 |
| 48 | Hawaii | $73,134 | $35.16 |
| 49 | Iowa | $74,354 | $35.75 |
| 50 | Oklahoma | $77,727 | $37.37 |
| 51 | Arkansas | $75,837 | $36.46 |
Highest paying cities for aerospace engineers
The highest-paying cities for aerospace engineers are San Francisco, CA, Phoenix, AZ, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $116,460 | $55.99 |
| 2 | Phoenix, AZ | $116,337 | $55.93 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $116,079 | $55.81 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $107,620 | $51.74 |
| 5 | Colorado Springs, CO | $99,341 | $47.76 |
| 6 | Arlington, VA | $94,565 | $45.46 |
| 7 | Mobile, AL | $93,673 | $45.04 |
| 8 | Ann Arbor, MI | $91,737 | $44.10 |
| 9 | Greensboro, NC | $89,540 | $43.05 |
| 10 | Fort Worth, TX | $89,492 | $43.02 |
| 11 | Savannah, GA | $88,557 | $42.58 |
| 12 | North Charleston, SC | $88,307 | $42.46 |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PA | $87,024 | $41.84 |
| 14 | Cincinnati, OH | $86,950 | $41.80 |
| 15 | Stratford, CT | $86,184 | $41.43 |
| 16 | Wichita, KS | $78,162 | $37.58 |
| 17 | Merritt Island, FL | $77,558 | $37.29 |
| 18 | Iowa City, IA | $74,383 | $35.76 |
Aerospace engineer salary details
An aerospace engineer's salary ranges from $71,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $140,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is an aerospace engineer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $140,000 | $11,667 | $67 |
| 75th Percentile | $119,000 | $9,917 | $57 |
| Average | $100,401 | $8,367 | $48 |
| 25th Percentile | $84,000 | $7,000 | $40 |
| 10th Percentile | $71,000 | $5,917 | $34 |
Highest paying aerospace engineer jobs
The highest paying types of aerospace engineers are senior principal engineer, principal engineer, and master lay out specialist.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stress Analyst | $85,194 | $7,100 | $40.96 | 8,437 |
| Engineering Scientist | $90,138 | $7,511 | $43.34 | 97,496 |
| Structural Analysis Engineer | $98,208 | $8,184 | $47.22 | 26,462 |
| Simulation Engineer | $97,266 | $8,105 | $46.76 | 46,570 |
| Manufacturing Engineer | $78,522 | $6,543 | $37.75 | 115,384 |
| Flight Test Engineer | $90,538 | $7,545 | $43.53 | 26,384 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for aerospace engineers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Daisy Huang
Assistant Professor, University of Alaska Fairbanks
Top companies hiring aerospace engineers now:
Which companies pay aerospace engineers the most?
Aerospace engineer salaries at Thrush Aircraft and Joby Aviation are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average aerospace engineer salary at companies like CTS and Learjet are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thrush Aircraft | $119,557 | $57.48 |
| 2 | Joby Aviation | $119,473 | $57.44 |
| 3 | CTS Corporation | $119,274 | $57.34 |
| 4 | Learjet | $118,975 | $57.20 |
| 5 | M.I.T. International, Inc. | $111,160 | $53.44 |
| 6 | Marposs | $110,332 | $53.04 |
| 7 | Callahan | $110,175 | $52.97 |
| 8 | Anduril | $109,677 | $52.73 |
| 9 | Gulfstream Aerospace | $109,444 | $52.62 |
| 10 | Liberty Partners | $109,317 | $52.56 |
| 11 | Honeywell | $108,227 | $52.03 |
| 12 | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America | $108,200 | $52.02 |
| 13 | Parsons | $107,860 | $51.86 |
| 14 | Driessen Aircraft Interior Systems, Inc. | $107,013 | $51.45 |
| 15 | Jacobs Enterprises | $106,846 | $51.37 |
| 16 | Advanced Technology | $106,845 | $51.37 |
| 17 | (i)Structure | $106,845 | $51.37 |
| 18 | Xwing | $106,845 | $51.37 |
| 19 | Federal Aviation Administration | $106,845 | $51.37 |
| 20 | Science | $106,845 | $51.37 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Aerospace Engineer salary by industry
The average aerospace engineer salary varies across industries:
- The average aerospace engineer salary in the manufacturing industry is $109,005, the highest of any industry.
- The average aerospace engineer salary in the finance industry is $102,100.
- Aerospace engineers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $87,573, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for aerospace engineers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manufacturing | $109,005 | $52.41 |
| 2 | Transportation | $102,100 | $49.09 |
| 3 | Technology | $94,615 | $45.49 |
| 4 | Professional | $87,573 | $42.10 |
High paying aerospace engineer jobs
Aerospace engineer salary trends
The average aerospace engineer salary has risen by $13,705 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average aerospace engineer earned $86,696 annually, but today, they earn $100,401 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for aerospace engineers over the last decade.
Compare aerospace engineer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average aerospace engineer salary over time
Compare aerospace engineer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Aerospace engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $100,000 | $48.27 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $98,600 | $47.41 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $97,500 | $46.89 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $95,700 | $46.00 | +3.0% |
| 2021 | $92,800 | $44.62 | +1.7% |
Recently added aerospace engineer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Electric Power Company, Inc. | Mechanical or Aerospace Engineer (Renewables) | Columbus, OH | 06/29/2025 | $96,110 |
| Analytical Mechanics Associates | Senior Aerospace Engineer | Mountain View, CA | 06/19/2025 | $180,000 |
| Axient | Junior Aerospace Engineer | Columbia, SC | 06/14/2025 | $80,000 |
| GE Aerospace | Mechanical/Aerospace Engineering Co-Op In Electrical Power-Fall 2026 | Dayton, OH | 06/14/2025 | $41,740 |
| Booz Allen Hamilton | Aerospace Engineer | Wharton, NJ | 06/12/2025 | $69,400 |
| Akkodis | Hil/Sil SW Aerospace | Long Beach, CA | 06/12/2025 | $93,915 |
| Job Listingsallied Universal | Cleared Security Professional-Aerospace Corporation | Sunnyvale, CA | 06/10/2025 | $60,335 |
| Real Estate Company | Principal Aerospace Engineer | Englewood, CO | 06/09/2025 | $147,000 |
| Sierra Nevada Company, LLC | Aerospace Engineer II | Lone Tree, CO | 06/07/2025 | $94,345 |
| Belcan | Aerospace Engineer III | Englewood, CO | 06/06/2025 | $123,717 |
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