Talent Maps / Jacksonville / Aerospace Engineers

Jacksonville Aerospace Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What aerospace engineers earn in metro Jacksonville, which aircraft makers, Navy depots and design firms employ them, where in the metro they work, and the new programs competing for them.

Hiring aerospace engineers in Jacksonville?

A talent map shows where a group of professionals works, what they are paid and who else is trying to hire them. This one covers aerospace engineers in the Jacksonville metro area (Duval, Clay, St. Johns, Nassau and Baker counties). Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses project and company data published from 2024 to 2026. Our engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Jacksonville mechanical, electrical and industrial engineer talent maps.

$119,430Median aerospace engineer pay in metro JacksonvilleBLS, May 2025

$166,700+What the top 10% of Jacksonville aerospace engineers earnBLS, May 2025

$245.8MBoeing’s maintenance, repair and overhaul hangar at Cecil Airport, opened February 2024Jax Daily Record, 2024

5,000Civilian, military and contract workers at Fleet Readiness Center SoutheastUS Navy

$430M+Otto Aerospace’s planned investment in a Cecil Airport business jet factoryJax Daily Record, 2025

300Phantom 3500 jets Flexjet agreed to buy from Otto, built in JacksonvilleJax Daily Record, 2025

Aerospace engineer salaries in Jacksonville

The median aerospace engineer in metro Jacksonville earns $119,430 a year, $9,850 below the Florida median of $129,280 and $15,530 below the national median of $134,960. The hourly median is $57.42. The gap grows at the top. Jacksonville’s 90th percentile is $166,700, against $177,070 statewide and $205,890 nationally. At the bottom Jacksonville is level with the state: its 10th percentile is $83,510, against $84,210.

Annual pay percentile	Jacksonville metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$83,510	$84,210	$86,700
25th percentile	$100,420	$104,790	$106,110
Median	$119,430	$129,280	$134,960
75th percentile	$137,350	$156,370	$169,690
90th percentile	$166,700	$177,070	$205,890

Aerospace Engineers (SOC 17-2011). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, May 2025, via O*NET OnLine. Wage surveys run about a year behind current offers.

BLS publishes no estimate for aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians (SOC 17-3021) in metro Jacksonville. The Florida median is $78,560, ranging from $57,200 at the 10th percentile to $122,870 at the 90th. The national median is $82,890.

What the spread means in practice: Orlando pays more at every level above the 10th percentile. Its median is $124,420 against $119,430 in Jacksonville, and its 90th percentile is $173,020 against $166,700. Otto Aerospace has said the average salary across its planned 1,200 Jacksonville jobs would be $90,000, a figure that covers all roles, not only engineers.

Where Jacksonville’s aerospace work is

Boeing at Cecil Airport

Boeing’s $245.8 million hangar has eight bays in a 385,000 square foot footprint, plus 110,000 square feet of office space. It services P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, KC-46 tankers and F/A-18 Super Hornets, including Blue Angels jets.

The company signed a 25-year lease with the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and added over 300 jobs. A separate $57.3 million component repair facility sits alongside it.

Navy aviation

Fleet Readiness Center Southeast started in 1940 as the assembly and repair department of Naval Air Station Jacksonville. It repairs aircraft, engines and components, employs about 5,000 people and has revenue above $1 billion.

The city’s economic development office also lists Naval Station Mayport and Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island among the area’s installations.

Northrop Grumman, St. Augustine

Grumman opened the site in 1980. It is the largest private employer facility in St. Johns County and has serviced more than 1,600 aircraft. It uses virtual reality training tools for mechanics.

New aircraft makers and design firms

Otto Aerospace is moving its headquarters from Fort Worth to Cecil Airport to build the Phantom 3500 business jet.

RS&H, headquartered in Deerwood Park, lists aviation and aerospace among its seven sectors. Haskell’s aviation and aerospace work includes repairs to Hangar 101 at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast.

Where the talent sits: Jacksonville submarkets

Cecil Airport

Aviation MROAircraft manufacturing

Boeing’s hangar and Otto’s planned campus. Otto’s R&D hangar renovation is $12.1 million over 59,000 square feet, with 600,000 or more square feet of future office and factory space planned.

NAS Jacksonville

Navy aviationDepot work

Home of Fleet Readiness Center Southeast, the largest maintenance, repair and overhaul provider in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia.

St. Augustine and St. Johns County

Aircraft integration

Northrop Grumman’s aircraft site has operated for more than 40 years. Its site leader says many Navy veterans who pass through Jacksonville want to stay in the area.

Blount Island and the Northside

Defense logistics

Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, one of the installations the city lists, is on Blount Island.

Deerwood Park and San Marco

Facility design

RS&H is headquartered at 10748 Deerwood Park Boulevard South and Haskell at 701 San Marco Boulevard. Both design aviation and aerospace facilities.

What’s driving demand for aerospace engineers in Jacksonville

Otto Aerospace. Otto plans $430 million or more across two phases at Cecil Airport and 1,200 jobs. Flight tests are targeted for 2027, and certification and market entry for 2030. Factory construction is planned for 2028.
Flexjet order. Flexjet signed a deal in September 2025 to buy 300 Phantom 3500 aircraft, one of the largest business jet orders reported.
Incentives. Reports from May 2025 put the Jacksonville Aviation Authority package at $34.9 million and a city tax incentive grant at $20 million over 20 years.
Boeing’s MRO hangar. It opened on February 9, 2024, and can hold up to eight P-8 aircraft at once. Boeing leadership suggested the facility should attract more aerospace suppliers.
Navy and Marine Corps work. The city’s economic development office credits military activity in Duval County with $9.1 billion of gross regional product and 68,060 jobs.
Population. The Jacksonville metro had 1,785,500 residents in July 2025, up about 26,000 in a year.

Aerospace specialties tied to these projects

Aircraft structures and repair engineers for P-8, KC-46 and F/A-18 work at Boeing and Fleet Readiness Center Southeast.
Avionics and systems engineers for the avionics upgrades done at Boeing’s Cecil facility.
Airframe design and composites engineers for Otto’s carbon-fiber, laminar-flow Phantom 3500.
Certification and flight test engineers for Otto’s 2027 flight tests and 2030 FAA certification target.
Aircraft integration engineers for Northrop Grumman’s St. Augustine site.
Hangar and airfield facility engineers for firms such as RS&H and Haskell.

The talent pipeline

University of North Florida. UNF’s ABET-accredited BS degrees in mechanical, electrical and advanced manufacturing engineering sit closest to this work.
Military talent. Northrop Grumman’s St. Augustine leader says many Navy personnel who pass through Jacksonville want to stay after service.
Licensing. Facility and hangar design roles can need a Florida PE license from the Florida Board of Professional Engineers. The path is an ABET-accredited degree, the FE exam, the PE exam and four years of experience.
Out of state. Aerospace employers here often hire from outside Florida. See our expanding into Florida page.

What this means if you’re hiring

Price against Florida, not the nation. The Jacksonville median is $9,850 below Florida’s. Senior hires will compare against $137,350 at the 75th percentile.
Expect new competition at Cecil. Boeing is already established, and Otto plans 1,200 jobs from 2028 onward. Engineers with certification or composites experience will have options.
Offer contract work for ramp-up phases. Otto’s flight tests are targeted for 2027 and its factory build for 2028, so project-based roles fit.
Recruit veterans. Navy aviation experience from NAS Jacksonville and Mayport matches the repair and integration work here.

Need aerospace engineers in Jacksonville?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place aerospace, aircraft structures, avionics and MRO engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 813.701.2797 or see our Jacksonville engineering recruiters page.

Hire aerospace engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do aerospace engineers make in Jacksonville?

The median aerospace engineer salary in metro Jacksonville is $119,430 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $100,420 and $137,350, and the top 10% earn $166,700 or more.

Do aerospace engineers earn more in Jacksonville or Orlando?

Orlando. Its median is $124,420 against $119,430 in Jacksonville, and its top 10% earn $173,020 against $166,700. See our Orlando aerospace engineer talent map.

Who hires aerospace engineers in Jacksonville?

Boeing at Cecil Airport, Fleet Readiness Center Southeast at NAS Jacksonville, Northrop Grumman in St. Augustine, Otto Aerospace, and design firms such as RS&H and Haskell.

Sources (15)