Agricultural Engineers
Median $98,590
Occupation · SOC 17-2011
Aerospace Engineers: pay and where the jobs are
What aerospace engineers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$134,960 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $142,060
- Median hourly wage
- $64.89
- Mean hourly wage
- $68.30
- Employment
- 67,710
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2011.
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See where your pay falls among aerospace engineers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do aerospace engineers make?
The median annual wage for aerospace engineers was $134,960 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $86,700 and the highest-paid 10% more than $205,890. As an hourly rate, the median is $64.89. About 67,710 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Minnesota ($159,060), Washington ($158,370) and California ($157,620). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Louisiana.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for aerospace engineers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $86,700 | $41.68 | $7,225 | $5,819 |
| 25th percentile | $106,110 | $51.02 | $8,843 | $6,957 |
| Median | $134,960 | $64.89 | $11,247 | $8,626 |
| 75th percentile | $169,690 | $81.58 | $14,141 | $10,604 |
| 90th percentile | $205,890 | $98.98 | $17,158 | $12,666 |
Aerospace Engineers: pay by state
41 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$114,687 take-home in national prices
2
$111,163 take-home in national prices
3
$110,504 take-home in national prices
Where a median aerospace engineer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | 140 | $159,060 | $85,330 | $194,950 | $109,630 | $111,163 |
| Washington | 5,760 | $158,370 | $112,580 | $207,710 | $117,315 | $109,627 |
| California | 9,170 | $157,620 | $104,370 | $220,670 | $106,537 | $96,222 |
| District of Columbia | 290 | $157,600 | $98,200 | $196,310 | $108,558 | $98,778 |
| Maryland | 3,180 | $156,750 | $97,460 | $232,930 | $110,960 | $105,718 |
| Colorado | 4,070 | $156,190 | $101,970 | $210,410 | $111,171 | $107,878 |
| Massachusetts | 990 | $149,470 | $89,750 | $217,840 | $105,488 | $99,745 |
| Vermont | 100 | $144,400 | $93,460 | $172,160 | $102,851 | $104,995 |
| Virginia | 2,540 | $143,210 | $95,420 | $226,950 | $101,730 | $100,619 |
| Georgia | 2,230 | $140,460 | $84,520 | $205,540 | $101,010 | $104,899 |
| Ohio | 3,710 | $138,440 | $82,830 | $201,670 | $102,519 | $110,504 |
| Hawaii | 40 | $137,240 | $117,700 | $247,260 | $96,044 | $87,351 |
| South Carolina | 650 | $137,030 | $81,460 | $170,150 | $98,753 | $105,337 |
| Louisiana | 90 | $136,970 | $110,300 | $197,930 | $101,162 | $114,687 |
| Utah | 1,010 | $135,840 | $85,230 | $183,810 | $98,068 | $99,195 |
| Nebraska | 130 | $135,670 | $86,760 | $217,240 | $98,703 | $109,545 |
| Pennsylvania | 990 | $133,940 | $89,230 | $179,820 | $98,608 | $101,062 |
| New Mexico | 570 | $132,850 | $97,350 | $195,110 | $96,890 | $105,073 |
| Missouri | 650 | $130,680 | $80,390 | $179,260 | $95,381 | $105,026 |
| Kansas | 1,730 | $130,330 | $80,860 | $167,400 | $93,874 | $104,226 |
| New York | 560 | $130,330 | $89,130 | $202,690 | $93,254 | $86,410 |
| Texas | 6,750 | $130,270 | $82,990 | $195,190 | $100,306 | $103,347 |
| Connecticut | 1,160 | $129,500 | $86,420 | $163,930 | $92,612 | $89,385 |
| Florida | 3,250 | $129,280 | $84,210 | $177,070 | $99,629 | $96,340 |
| Michigan | Not published | $128,960 | $76,130 | $180,160 | $94,180 | $97,883 |
| Tennessee | 610 | $128,510 | $79,690 | $171,560 | $99,103 | $107,873 |
| Alabama | 5,820 | $127,540 | $78,660 | $195,190 | $93,270 | $105,006 |
| New Jersey | 3,400 | $126,430 | $103,230 | $163,770 | $91,096 | $83,724 |
| Kentucky | 290 | $126,130 | $100,440 | $172,340 | $93,179 | $103,350 |
| Oklahoma | 1,090 | $125,470 | $80,040 | $161,780 | $91,924 | $104,646 |
| Oregon | 250 | $124,630 | $85,070 | $179,470 | $86,137 | $83,336 |
| Arizona | 3,110 | $123,170 | $88,920 | $193,990 | $92,767 | $92,143 |
| North Carolina | 650 | $122,930 | $79,310 | $176,720 | $90,892 | $96,360 |
| Mississippi | 90 | $109,200 | $78,640 | $171,220 | $82,016 | $94,322 |
| Illinois | 200 | $108,940 | $78,170 | $184,520 | $80,222 | $80,255 |
| Indiana | 440 | $107,400 | $82,530 | $176,860 | $81,247 | $87,055 |
| Arkansas | 180 | $102,040 | $72,590 | $155,680 | $77,040 | $88,616 |
| Alaska | 100 | $101,710 | $81,650 | $170,340 | $80,112 | $78,266 |
| Nevada | 270 | $96,730 | $77,920 | $179,050 | $76,880 | $76,896 |
| Idaho | 190 | $95,700 | $64,870 | $139,190 | $72,191 | $75,598 |
| Wisconsin | 120 | $88,400 | $65,720 | $147,560 | $67,280 | $71,503 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-2011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.