Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Job outlook for spacecraft systems engineers in the United States
Are spacecraft systems engineer jobs in demand?
Spacecraft systems engineer job and salary trends over time
Spacecraft systems engineer jobs over time
Spacecraft systems engineer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 344 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 368 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 383 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 388 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 399 | 0.00% |
Average spacecraft systems engineer salary over time
Spacecraft systems engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $96,404 | $46.35 | +1.8% |
| 2024 | $94,689 | $45.52 | +1.1% |
| 2023 | $93,649 | $45.02 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $91,869 | $44.17 | +3.1% |
| 2021 | $89,121 | $42.85 | +1.7% |
Spacecraft systems engineer jobs by state
Most common states for spacecraft systems engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 541 | 78% |
| 2 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,532 | 30% |
| 3 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,452 | 24% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,556 | 23% |
| 5 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,205 | 21% |
| 6 | Delaware | 961,939 | 181 | 19% |
| 7 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 1,344 | 18% |
| 8 | Vermont | 623,657 | 108 | 17% |
| 9 | Alaska | 739,795 | 119 | 16% |
| 10 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 94 | 16% |
| 11 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 1,035 | 15% |
| 12 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 207 | 15% |
| 13 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 580 | 14% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 448 | 14% |
| 15 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 288 | 14% |
| 16 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 146 | 14% |
| 17 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 108 | 14% |
| 18 | California | 39,536,653 | 4,988 | 13% |
| 19 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 241 | 13% |
| 20 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 113 | 13% |
Most common cities for spacecraft systems engineers
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Englewood | 1 | 3% | $100,597 |
| 2 | Highlands Ranch | 2 | 2% | $100,597 |
| 3 | Littleton | 1 | 2% | $100,603 |
| 4 | Irvine | 2 | 1% | $102,476 |
| 5 | Pasadena | 1 | 1% | $104,286 |
| 6 | Aurora | 1 | 0% | $100,554 |
Spacecraft Systems Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of spacecraft systems engineer experts
Lycoming College
Indiana University Southeast
Alfred University
What's a good job out of college for Spacecraft Systems Engineers?
Dr. Jeremy Ramsey: The ideal first job for a chemistry major is one that provides advancement opportunities, possibilities for career development, and the ability to develop new skills. It may be that a first job after the degree will not provide all of these things, but any job in the chemical field will provide the opportunity to gain experience that can then lead to more desirable employment opportunities.
Dr. Sridhar Ramachandran
Department Head and Professor of InformaticsIndiana University Southeast
Department of Informatics
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Spacecraft Systems Engineers?
Dr. Sridhar Ramachandran: This is a good time to improve ones' digital literacy skills and so taking courses or getting certified in technologies and skills that are now more widely being adapted can increase ones' chances of employment. For example, becoming proficient in using multiple operating systems can help a graduate adapt to whatever employer machine is provided to them for remote work. Most companies require you to use the company provided laptop for company business since it has the security built in and has proprietary software installed on it. On the same lines, taking courses in computer networking, cybersecurity and computer assembly and architecture will help you become comfortable with troubleshooting computer and technological issues on your own when you are working remotely. Highlighting these skills on your cover letter and in your resume can help communicate to your prospective employer that you can work independently when working remotely.
How have salaries changed over time for Spacecraft Systems Engineers?
Tim Keenan Ph.D.: I am a relatively young biomaterials engineer, and so I cannot draw from a long career of working in this field, but I can say that I would not have spent nearly a decade in school to obtain knowledge across mathematics, chemistry, biology, and engineering if the statistics had not suggested that it would eventually be worth the time and effort. As any graduate with a degree related to biomedical engineering surely knows, this is not a niche field, but rather, a nearly all encompassing one, and so it is very difficult to point to the history of the salaries of one particular cohort of professionals to answer this question. With that said, it is generally suggested that with increased demand comes increased opportunity, and so with an ever-increasing global population and expanded life expectancies, and now with an accrued backlog of patients awaiting medical procedures, it is logical to assume that this industry will continue to grow, along with the salaries of its employees. One point which graduates should also consider is not only the salaries associated with positions, but where those positions are located, and how the employer is willing to allow you to work (i.e. on-site vs. remotely). When surveying the data on starting salaries, as I did when deciding my career path, there is often little consideration for the cost of living associated with where those types of jobs may be located. A large number of the companies associated with this sector are situated in some of the most expensive places to live across the entire country, both in terms of real estate costs and taxation, and so some of the salary information may be misleading if those additional factors are not also considered. So, although there is no doubt that graduates in this field can expect to earn a relatively high starting salary, I would urge them to consider their offers in terms of both salary and cost of living, so they can determine which is the most financially advantageous, especially if they are exiting their education with loans which need to be repaid.
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Spacecraft Systems Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Tim Keenan Ph.D.: This is difficult to predict, as responses to the pandemic have varied from state-to-state within the U.S., and from country-to-country around the world. With regards to how routine medical visits are conducted, I think this transition to a more electronic interaction will continue to gain momentum, as well as further development of the concept of medical personnel traveling to treat the elderly, rather than the other way around, and so I believe there will be an increase in opportunities for jobs related to telehealth and traveling medical personnel. Additionally, we are rounding the 1-year mark from which many people abstained from having elective or non-critical procedures conducted, and so I believe the next several years will see a dramatic increase in medical imaging and orthopedic, dental, and cosmetic procedures, in order to catch up with the accrued demand. This likely will not only lead to an increase in the number of professionals directly associated with conducting these procedures, but also with the professionals involved on the manufacturing side of the materials and instruments required for these procedures, which includes everything from R&D, QA, production, and packaging personnel, to financial, sales, marketing, and management personnel. Lastly, this pandemic has introduced many people to the fields of virology and epidemiology who may not have otherwise ever encountered these topics, and so I believe these fields will linger in the collective mind of the public for many years, and could potentially influence future policy decisions, which could ultimately act to procure significant funds for expanded growth in these fields.