Talent Maps / Tampa / Aerospace Engineers

Tampa Aerospace Engineer Talent Map (2026)

What aerospace engineers earn in metro Tampa, which defense contractors and special operations programs employ them, where in the metro they work, and the Space Coast projects competing for them.

Hiring aerospace engineers in Tampa?

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 Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater metro area, which spans Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco and Hernando 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 2025 to 2026. Our engineering recruiters update it as new data comes out. See also our Tampa mechanical, electrical and controls engineer talent maps.

$126,500Median aerospace engineer pay in metro TampaBLS, May 2025

$162,330+What the top 10% of Tampa aerospace engineers earnBLS, May 2025

1,000+People at Raytheon’s Largo plant, in 450,000 square feetRTX

1,700Employees at 21 businesses on the 96-acre Young-Rainey STAR Center in LargoSt Pete Catalyst

$58MTampa Brass & Aluminum’s machinery investment for defense work, with 50 new jobsArea Development, Sept. 2026

$600MBlue Origin’s Space Coast factory expansion, announced May 22, 2026, with 500 jobsFlorida Governor’s office

Aerospace engineer salaries in Tampa

The median aerospace engineer in metro Tampa earns $126,500 a year, $2,780 below the Florida median of $129,280 and $8,460 below the national median of $134,960. The hourly median is $60.82. Tampa trails most at the top: its 90th percentile is $162,330, against $177,070 statewide and $205,890 nationally. The entry end is also lower, with a 10th percentile of $75,820 against $84,210 in Florida.

Annual pay percentile	Tampa metro	Florida	United States
10th percentile	$75,820	$84,210	$86,700
25th percentile	$91,380	$104,790	$106,110
Median	$126,500	$129,280	$134,960
75th percentile	$146,390	$156,370	$169,690
90th percentile	$162,330	$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 Tampa estimate for aerospace engineering technologists and technicians (SOC 17-3021). The national median for that group is $82,890. Mechanical engineers, who fill many aerospace design and test roles, earn a Tampa median of $100,290, which is $26,210 below the aerospace median. See our Tampa mechanical engineer talent map.

Orlando is close at the median, $124,420 against Tampa’s $126,500, so Tampa is $2,080 higher. Orlando pays more at the top, with a 90th percentile of $173,020 against $162,330. Candidates in either metro also look at the Space Coast, where Blue Origin is adding 500 jobs with an average salary above $98,000. See our Orlando aerospace engineer talent map.

Where Tampa’s aerospace engineers work

Defense electronics and avionics

Raytheon (RTX) builds RF and digital products, antennas and crypto hardware in Largo, with a TEMPEST-certified lab. RTX is the anchor tenant at the Young-Rainey STAR Center, and its lease runs to 2038.

Tampa Bay EDC also lists Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Honeywell and CAE among the region’s defense contractors. Honeywell has a Clearwater operation, and Pasco County firms include TRU Simulation + Training and Pall Aeropower.

MacDill Air Force Base and SOCOM

MacDill is the only US base that hosts two four-star commands, US Central Command and US Special Operations Command. Tampa Bay EDC counts 38 more mission partners on the base and more than 80,000 veterans in the regional workforce.

SOFWERX, set up in 2015 under a partnership with SOCOM, runs a Foundry for engineering, additive and traditional manufacturing for rapid prototyping.

Drone and defense startups

XTEND Reality, an Israeli drone developer, opened its US headquarters in Tampa on May 1, 2025, with 19 jobs planned for 2025 and up to 100 within three years. Orion Edge moved its headquarters from Colorado to Tampa and plans about 40 employees over two to three years.

Precision manufacturing

Tampa Brass & Aluminum makes precision components for missiles and submarines and supplies the Air Force and Navy. It announced a $58 million machinery investment on September 18, 2026.

Where the talent sits: Tampa submarkets

Largo and Pinellas County

Defense electronicsManufacturing

The STAR Center, at 7887 Bryan Dairy Road in Largo, was run by the Department of Energy until 1994 and bought by Pinellas County in 1995. It generates about $145 million in direct earnings a year.

South Tampa and MacDill

Special operationsCommand staff

MacDill hosts CENTCOM, SOCOM and two flying wings. Contractors cluster nearby to serve both commands.

East Tampa and Ybor City

PrototypingDrones

SOFWERX sits at 2002 E 2nd Avenue. XTEND Reality’s headquarters is at the Crossroads Industrial Center on Crossroads Park Drive.

Pasco County

SimulationAeropower

TRU Simulation + Training and Pall Aeropower, both aviation and defense contractors, have expanded in Pasco.

Space Coast, outside the metro

LaunchRockets

Blue Origin plans an 830,000-square-foot upper stage factory at its Rocket Park campus, and has nearly 4,000 employees in Florida.

What’s driving demand for aerospace engineers in Tampa

Special operations. SOCOM and CENTCOM keep a large defense workforce in the metro. Tampa Bay EDC reports 15% employment growth in defense and security over five years.
Raytheon in Largo. The plant employs more than 1,000 people on engineering, manufacturing and supply chain work. Its host site holds more than 1,700 jobs across 21 businesses.
STAR Center redevelopment. Pinellas County decided on redevelopment in November 2018 and has studied utility needs with Duke Energy (study completed February 2025) for a 69-year-old campus.
Defense manufacturing. Tampa Brass & Aluminum is adding machinery and 50 jobs at its Hillsborough County headquarters. Local partners also discussed Quick Response Training grants and an apprenticeship training center.
Drone and autonomy. XTEND and Orion Edge picked Tampa for its defense and public safety customers.
New local degree. USF launched aerospace engineering degrees at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels in Fall 2025, which should add local graduates over the next few years.
Space Coast pull. Blue Origin’s $600 million expansion is a competing employer for aerospace engineers across Florida.

Aerospace specialties tied to these employers

RF, antenna and electromechanical engineers for Raytheon’s Largo work.
Rapid prototyping and test engineers for SOFWERX and special operations suppliers.
Simulation and training systems engineers for firms such as CAE and TRU Simulation + Training.
Drone and autonomous systems engineers for XTEND, Orion Edge and similar startups.
Precision manufacturing and quality engineers for missile and submarine component suppliers.

The talent pipeline

University of South Florida. USF’s Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering department is ABET-accredited and added aerospace degrees in Fall 2025. Graduates in mechanical engineering also move into aerospace roles. See our guide to hiring a mechanical engineer.
Veterans. Tampa Bay EDC counts more than 80,000 veterans in the workforce, and ranks the metro fourth for veterans.
Licensing. When a role calls for a PE license, it is issued by the Florida Board of Professional Engineers after an ABET-accredited degree, the FE and PE exams and qualifying experience.

What this means if you’re hiring

Price against the state, not just the metro. Tampa’s median is $2,780 below Florida’s, but Space Coast offers pull toward the state figure and above.
Plan for Orlando to compete. The two medians are $2,080 apart, and Orlando’s 90th percentile is $10,690 higher.
Expect mechanical crossovers. Mechanical engineers earn $26,210 less at the median, so they are a lower-cost pool to train into aerospace roles.
Lean on the veteran pool. Tampa Bay EDC counts more than 80,000 veterans in the regional workforce.

Need aerospace engineers in Tampa?

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

Call 813.701.2797 or see our Tampa engineering recruiters page.

Hire aerospace engineers

Frequently asked questions

How much do aerospace engineers make in Tampa?

The median aerospace engineer salary in metro Tampa is $126,500 a year, according to May 2025 BLS data. The middle half earn between $91,380 and $146,390, and the top 10% earn $162,330 or more.

Do aerospace engineers earn more in Tampa or Orlando?

Tampa, by a small margin at the median. Its median is $126,500, against $124,420 in Orlando. Orlando is higher at the 90th percentile, $173,020 against $162,330. See our Orlando aerospace engineer talent map.

Who hires aerospace engineers in Tampa?

Defense contractors such as Raytheon (RTX), Northrop Grumman, General Dynamics, Honeywell and CAE, MacDill-based commands and SOFWERX, drone companies such as XTEND Reality and Orion Edge, and precision manufacturers such as Tampa Brass & Aluminum.

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