Aerospace Engineer Salary (2026)
Typical pay is $134,960 a year, with most aerospace engineers earning between $106,110 and $169,690. Based on the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data.
Salary Calculator›Aerospace Engineer
Nationally, the typical aerospace engineer earns $134,960 a year. Early-career pay starts around $106,110, experienced aerospace engineers earn $169,690 or more, and the top 10% make over $205,890. About 67,710 people work in this occupation in the US. Pay is highest in Minnesota ($159,060) and, among metro areas, in San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($191,260).
Aerospace Engineer salary in the United States
Annual pay, BLS survey of May 2025
What aerospace engineers do
Aerospace engineers design, analyze and test aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles and their systems. They work for aircraft makers, defense contractors, space companies and government agencies. Many roles require a security clearance, which can limit the candidate pool and raise pay.
Aerospace Engineer salary by state
Typical annual pay for aerospace engineers in every state where BLS publishes figures, highest first.
| State | Typical | Early career | Experienced |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $159,060 | $100,300 | $180,350 |
| Washington | $158,370 | $130,560 | $181,460 |
| California | $157,620 | $129,010 | $193,060 |
| District of Columbia | $157,600 | $105,870 | $195,190 |
| Maryland | $156,750 | $119,540 | $195,190 |
| Colorado | $156,190 | $128,440 | $180,310 |
| Massachusetts | $149,470 | $98,850 | $182,370 |
| Vermont | $144,400 | $110,470 | $164,590 |
| Virginia | $143,210 | $119,830 | $184,590 |
| Georgia | $140,460 | $106,510 | $162,060 |
| Ohio | $138,440 | $100,440 | $170,540 |
| Hawaii | $137,240 | $134,070 | $163,880 |
| South Carolina | $137,030 | $102,280 | $160,620 |
| Louisiana | $136,970 | $118,370 | $160,930 |
| Utah | $135,840 | $116,800 | $161,060 |
| Nebraska | $135,670 | $104,140 | $171,380 |
| Pennsylvania | $133,940 | $111,500 | $162,420 |
| New Mexico | $132,850 | $104,830 | $161,420 |
| Missouri | $130,680 | $96,790 | $179,260 |
| Kansas | $130,330 | $97,950 | $166,900 |
| New York | $130,330 | $101,970 | $162,210 |
| Texas | $130,270 | $103,810 | $166,980 |
| Connecticut | $129,500 | $104,560 | $142,970 |
| Florida | $129,280 | $104,790 | $156,370 |
| Michigan | $128,960 | $97,070 | $147,330 |
| Tennessee | $128,510 | $99,080 | $136,990 |
| Alabama | $127,540 | $98,190 | $165,410 |
| New Jersey | $126,430 | $103,980 | $159,710 |
| Kentucky | $126,130 | $105,000 | $166,300 |
| Oklahoma | $125,470 | $97,900 | $136,990 |
| Oregon | $124,630 | $99,250 | $162,550 |
| Arizona | $123,170 | $96,700 | $161,220 |
| North Carolina | $122,930 | $94,210 | $149,990 |
| Mississippi | $109,200 | $92,190 | $141,130 |
| Illinois | $108,940 | $98,300 | $153,800 |
| Indiana | $107,400 | $85,080 | $135,450 |
| Arkansas | $102,040 | $78,810 | $124,500 |
| Alaska | $101,710 | $98,330 | $114,310 |
| Nevada | $96,730 | $86,690 | $136,570 |
| Idaho | $95,700 | $76,970 | $120,000 |
| Wisconsin | $88,400 | $73,940 | $131,400 |
Highest-paying metro areas
| Metro area | Typical |
|---|---|
| 1. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $191,260 |
| 2. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $181,630 |
| 3. Omaha, NE-IA | $171,380 |
| 4. Boulder, CO | $167,160 |
| 5. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $166,980 |
| 6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $166,420 |
| 7. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $163,580 |
| 8. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $163,280 |
| 9. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $159,950 |
| 10. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $156,190 |
| 11. Colorado Springs, CO | $151,980 |
| 12. Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | $150,700 |
| 13. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $150,220 |
| 14. Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $149,470 |
| 15. New Orleans-Metairie, LA | $149,430 |
Pay in Apollo's markets
| Metro | Typical |
|---|---|
| Atlanta | $150,220 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $134,570 |
| Houston | $133,970 |
| Austin | $123,210 |
| Charlotte | $132,830 |
| Raleigh | Not published |
| San Antonio | $128,400 |
| Chicago | $134,510 |
| Orlando | $124,420 |
| Tampa | $126,500 |
| Miami | $131,210 |
| Jacksonville | $119,430 |
| Greenville-Spartanburg | $102,280 |
| Columbia, SC | Not published |
| Charleston, SC | $137,030 |
| Savannah | Not published |
Related engineering salaries
Aerospace Engineer salary FAQs
How much does a aerospace engineer make in the US?
The typical (median) aerospace engineer in the US earns $134,960 a year, or about $64.88 an hour (BLS, May 2025). Half earn more and half earn less.
What is the entry-level salary for a aerospace engineer in the US?
Early-career aerospace engineers in the US typically earn around $106,110 (the 25th percentile), and the lowest-paid 10% earn under $86,700. Degree, internships, licenses and the industry all move starting pay.
How much do experienced aerospace engineers earn in the US?
Experienced aerospace engineers in the US earn $169,690 or more (the 75th percentile), and the top 10% earn over $205,890.
Which state pays aerospace engineers the most?
Minnesota has the highest typical pay for aerospace engineers at $159,060 a year. The highest-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $191,260 (BLS, May 2025).
Are aerospace engineers in demand?
BLS projects employment in this occupation to grow 8.3% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% for all jobs, with about 3,800 openings a year nationally as people retire, change jobs or the field grows.
Hiring aerospace engineers?
Where these numbers come from
Pay figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), which surveys about 1.1 million employer locations and is the government's main source of pay by occupation and location. This page uses the May 2025 survey, released in 2026, and updates itself when BLS publishes the next year's figures. Job outlook comes from the BLS Employment Projections for 2025–35. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities for 2024, where the US average is 100.
Pay is base wages and salary before tax. It does not include bonuses, overtime, benefits or equity. Early career is the 25th percentile (a quarter of workers earn less), Typical is the median and Experienced is the 75th percentile. The bar shows the full range from the 10th to the 90th percentile. The salary rank check estimates a percentile by drawing straight lines between those five published points.
BLS groups some job titles together. Controls engineers, for example, are counted with electrical engineers, and CAD designers with drafters. Each result names the BLS occupation it uses so you can see exactly what is being measured. BLS does not publish every occupation in every area, for example when too few people in a job were surveyed or when a figure does not meet its reliability standards. When a metro figure is missing, the calculator shows the state figure, or the national figure if the state is also missing, and says so.
BLS occupation used on this page: Aerospace Engineers (SOC 17-2011).