Talent Maps / Miami / Aerospace Engineers

Miami Aerospace Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What aerospace engineers earn in metro Miami, which engine, helicopter and defense employers hire them, where in South Florida they work, and the airport and engine overhaul projects competing for them.

Hiring aerospace engineers in Miami?

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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metro area, which spans Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Pay figures come from the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey (May 2025), and the demand picture uses employer and project data published from 2024 to 2026. Our engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Miami mechanical, electrical and industrial engineer talent maps.

$131,210Median aerospace engineer pay in metro MiamiBLS, May 2025

$180,780+What the top 10% of metro Miami aerospace engineers earnBLS, May 2025

20,000+Employees in aviation, aerospace and engineering across 1,760 Palm Beach County companiesPalm Beach BDB

2,000Pratt & Whitney employees in West Palm BeachPalm Beach BDB, 2025 to 2026

+40%Engine maintenance capacity added at Pratt & Whitney’s West Palm Beach Engine CenterRTX, April 2026

90,000Aviation jobs supported by Miami International AirportMiami-Dade Beacon Council

Aerospace engineer salaries in Miami

The median aerospace engineer in metro Miami earns $131,210 a year, $1,930 above the Florida median of $129,280 and $3,750 below the national median of $134,960. Miami tracks the state through the middle of the range and trails the nation at the top. Its 90th percentile is $180,780, against $177,070 statewide and $205,890 nationally. The hourly median is $63.08.

Annual pay percentile	Miami metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$81,030	$84,210	$86,700
25th percentile	$107,530	$104,790	$106,110
Median	$131,210	$129,280	$134,960
75th percentile	$163,430	$156,370	$169,690
90th percentile	$180,780	$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.

Metro Miami has a BLS estimate for aerospace engineers, so the table above is metro data rather than a state fallback. For context, mechanical engineers in the same metro earn a median of $99,660, which is $31,550 less. The aerospace 75th percentile of $163,430 is $7,060 above Florida’s.

What the spread means in practice: Tampa’s aerospace median is $126,500, which is $4,710 below Miami’s, and Tampa is lower at every percentile. Its 90th percentile is $162,330, against $180,780 in Miami. Employers hiring senior engineers in Miami and Palm Beach should expect candidates to compare offers against the national median of $134,960.

Where Miami’s aerospace engineers work

Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney reported 2,000 employees in West Palm Beach in the Palm Beach BDB’s 2025 to 2026 employer list. On April 21, 2026, RTX said a $20 million expansion added about 50,000 square feet to the West Palm Beach Engine Center and raised geared turbofan maintenance capacity by 40%.

In April 2024 the company announced a North American Technology Accelerator in Jupiter, a center of excellence for material restoration and process automation across its maintenance network.

Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky and defense

Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky, a Lockheed Martin company, reported 1,052 employees in Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach. L3Harris reported 500 in West Palm Beach and Belcan Engineering Group reported 396 in Palm Beach Gardens.

The BDB also names Aerojet Rocketdyne and Northrop Grumman among the county’s aerospace employers.

Airports and airlines

The Miami-Dade Beacon Council says Miami International Airport leads in Latin American flights and supports about 90,000 aviation jobs. The Miami-Dade Aviation Department is running a $12 billion capital program there.

Embraer Aircraft Holdings has a parts distribution warehouse at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport. Its engineering and technology center is in Melbourne, outside this metro.

Manufacturers and suppliers

Palm Beach County manufacturers on the BDB list include Power Systems Mfg in Jupiter with 480 employees and Johnson Controls with 741 in the Boca Raton and West Palm Beach area. The BDB puts the average wage in the county’s aviation, aerospace and engineering sector at $134,214.

Where the talent sits: Miami submarkets

West Palm Beach

EnginesDefense

Pratt & Whitney’s engine center and the L3Harris and Lockheed Martin sites are listed here by the Palm Beach BDB.

Jupiter and Palm Beach Gardens

MROEngineering services

Pratt & Whitney’s technology accelerator is in Jupiter, Power Systems Mfg has 480 employees there and Belcan has 396 in Palm Beach Gardens.

Riviera Beach

Rotorcraft

Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky list 1,052 employees across Riviera Beach and West Palm Beach. A local relocation guide describes Sikorsky as the maker of the Army’s UH-60M Black Hawk.

Fort Lauderdale

Business jetsParts

Embraer’s parts hub is a 31,000 square foot warehouse at Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, on a 15-acre site with a master plan that includes an aircraft maintenance facility.

Miami International Airport

AirlinesInfrastructure

The airport’s Concourse D West Extension will add 17 gates, with construction due in 2027 and completion in 2030.

What’s driving demand for aerospace engineers in Miami

Engine overhaul capacity. The West Palm Beach Engine Center’s 2026 expansion added machining, testing, cleaning, assembly and warehousing equipment. Since automated systems began in 2021, the center reported a 25% improvement in rotor yield and a 50% cut in turnaround time.
A deep local cluster. The BDB counts more than 20,000 employees at 1,760 aviation, aerospace and engineering companies in Palm Beach County, with an average wage of $134,214.
Technology accelerator. Pratt & Whitney said in April 2024 that it planned a 25% workforce increase over the following year as it opened the Jupiter accelerator and expanded the engine center.
Airport capital program. The Miami-Dade Aviation Department’s $12 billion program includes Concourse D, a new Concourse K under a $600.6 million design-build contract, and a $46 million chiller plant due in August 2027.
Defense and rotorcraft. Lockheed Martin, Sikorsky, L3Harris, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Northrop Grumman are all named by the BDB as county employers.

Aerospace specialties tied to these employers

Engine maintenance and overhaul engineers for geared turbofan work at West Palm Beach.
Materials and process engineers for restoration and process automation, the stated focus of the Jupiter accelerator.
Manufacturing and test engineers for machining, assembly and engine test.
Rotorcraft and defense systems engineers for Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin and L3Harris.
Airport and airside engineers for the Miami International Airport program.

The talent pipeline

University of Miami. The College of Engineering has a Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and lists aerospace among its undergraduate programs. It is the one South Florida university in our research with an aerospace engineering department. FIU’s mechanical and materials engineering department and Florida Atlantic University’s engineering college list mechanical engineering but no aerospace program.
Technician and aviation programs. Broward College offers a B.S. in Aerospace Sciences with Aerospace Management and Professional Pilot tracks, and an A.S. in Engineering Technology with an Advanced Manufacturing track. A local relocation guide says Florida Atlantic University, Lynn University and Palm Beach State College partner with manufacturers on aeronautics and engineering training.
Licensing. Some roles ask for a Florida PE license, issued by the Florida Board of Professional Engineers after the Fundamentals of Engineering and Principles and Practice of Engineering exams and the required experience. Many aerospace postings do not, so check each role.

What this means if you’re hiring

Price at or just above the Florida median. Metro Miami’s $131,210 is $1,930 above Florida and $3,750 below the US figure.
Expect Palm Beach County to be the competition. Pratt & Whitney, Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky together report more than 3,000 local employees.
Pay senior engineers at the 75th percentile or higher. That is $163,430 or more, and the top 10% earn $180,780.
Recruit beyond the metro. Only one local university in our research has an aerospace engineering department, so many hires will come from outside South Florida. See our Florida expansion guide.

Need aerospace engineers in Miami?

Apollo Technical has recruited engineers since 2010. Our recruiting teams place aerospace, propulsion, manufacturing, test and airframe engineers on a contract, contract-to-hire and direct hire basis.

Call 813.701.2797 or see our Miami engineering recruiters page.

Hire aerospace engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do aerospace engineers make in Miami?

The median aerospace engineer salary in metro Miami is $131,210 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $107,530 and $163,430, and the top 10% earn $180,780 or more.

Do aerospace engineers earn more in Miami or Tampa?

Miami. Its median is $131,210, against $126,500 in Tampa, and its 90th percentile is $180,780 against $162,330. See our Tampa aerospace engineer talent map.

Who hires aerospace engineers in Miami?

Pratt & Whitney in West Palm Beach and Jupiter, Lockheed Martin and Sikorsky in Riviera Beach, L3Harris, Belcan Engineering Group, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Northrop Grumman in Palm Beach County, plus airport and airline employers around Miami International Airport.

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