Aerospace Engineers Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for aerospace engineers in the U.S. is $134,960 ($64.89 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $134,960
- Mean annual wage
- $142,060
- Median hourly wage
- $64.89
- Employment
- 67,710
67,710 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $86,700 | $41.68 |
| 25th percentile | $106,110 | $51.02 |
| Median (50th) | $134,960 | $64.89 |
| 75th percentile | $169,690 | $81.58 |
| 90th percentile | $205,890 | $98.98 |
Highest-paying states for aerospace engineers
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $159,060 | 140 |
| Washington | $158,370 | 5,760 |
| California | $157,620 | 9,170 |
| District of Columbia | $157,600 | 290 |
| Maryland | $156,750 | 3,180 |
| Colorado | $156,190 | 4,070 |
| Massachusetts | $149,470 | 990 |
| Vermont | $144,400 | 100 |
| Virginia | $143,210 | 2,540 |
| Georgia | $140,460 | 2,230 |
Lowest-paying states
- Wisconsin: $88,400 median annual wage
- Idaho: $95,700 median annual wage
- Nevada: $96,730 median annual wage
- Alaska: $101,710 median annual wage
- Arkansas: $102,040 median annual wage
About this occupation
Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.
Typical tasks
- Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.
- Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.
- Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.
- Diagnose performance problems by reviewing reports or documentation from customers or field engineers or by inspecting malfunctioning or damaged products.
- Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
- Evaluate and approve selection of vendors by studying past performance or new advertisements.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: Bachelor's degree
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 0.4% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 2.0% |
| Some college, no degree | 3.7% |
| Associate's degree | 3.8% |
| Bachelor's degree | 51.1% |
| Master's degree | 33.4% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 5.6% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Civil Engineers$100,840
- Industrial Engineers$102,440
- Mechanical Engineers$104,110
- Electrical Engineers$120,630
- Engineers, All Other$122,930
- Architects, Except Landscape and Naval$99,280
- Architectural and Civil Drafters$66,150
- Electronics Engineers, Except Computer$130,220
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.