Aerospace engineers earn a median annual salary of $134,830, according to May 2024 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That puts this field well above the median for all engineering occupations and roughly three times the median wage for U.S. workers overall. The full range is wide: the lowest-paid 10 percent earn less than $85,350, while the top 10 percent bring in more than $205,850.
What the Salary Range Looks Like
The median figure of $134,830 means half of all aerospace engineers earn more and half earn less. Where you fall in that range depends heavily on your experience, employer, security clearance status, and location. An engineer just starting out with a bachelor’s degree will typically land closer to the lower end of the spectrum, while a senior engineer with 15 or more years of experience, a master’s degree, and specialized expertise can push well past the median into the upper tier.
Entry-level aerospace engineers with a bachelor’s degree often start in the $70,000 to $90,000 range, depending on the employer and region. Mid-career professionals with five to ten years of experience generally earn between $110,000 and $150,000. Engineers who move into technical leadership, program management, or highly specialized roles in areas like propulsion, avionics, or systems integration can cross the $200,000 mark, particularly at major defense contractors or in the commercial space industry.
Where Aerospace Engineers Earn the Most
Location plays a significant role because aerospace jobs cluster around defense installations, NASA centers, and major manufacturing hubs. Based on May 2023 BLS data, the highest-paying areas for aerospace engineers include the District of Columbia ($152,400 average), Maryland ($152,180), Washington state ($150,390), Colorado ($143,630), and California ($143,050). These figures reflect the concentration of defense and space agencies, prime contractors, and commercial aerospace companies in those regions.
Keep in mind that higher salaries in these areas often come with a higher cost of living. An aerospace engineer earning $143,000 in a major coastal metro may have less purchasing power than one earning $120,000 in a lower-cost region with a significant aerospace presence.
How Your Employer Affects Pay
Aerospace engineers work across several distinct sectors, and each one pays differently. The major categories include:
- Defense contractors: Companies like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and Boeing employ the largest share of aerospace engineers. These roles frequently require security clearances, and compensation tends to be competitive, especially for engineers working on classified programs.
- Commercial aerospace and space: Companies building commercial aircraft, satellites, or launch vehicles often pay at or above the industry median. The growth of the commercial space sector has pushed salaries higher for engineers with relevant experience.
- Federal government: NASA, the Department of Defense, and other agencies hire aerospace engineers on the General Schedule (GS) pay scale. Government salaries may be slightly lower than private-sector equivalents at the senior level, but they come with strong benefits packages, pension options, and job stability.
- Research and development: Engineers working in R&D at national laboratories or private research firms may earn competitive salaries, particularly in niche specialties like hypersonics, propulsion, or advanced materials.
The Security Clearance Premium
A large portion of aerospace work involves classified defense or intelligence programs, which means holding a security clearance can directly increase your earning power. Engineers with an active clearance typically earn 10 to 20 percent more than their uncleared counterparts, with higher-level clearances (such as Top Secret/SCI) commanding the largest premiums. On a base salary of $130,000, that translates to an extra $13,000 to $26,000 per year. Clearances are sponsored by employers, not something you obtain on your own, so working for a defense contractor or government agency is the standard path to getting one.
Education and Credentials That Move the Needle
A bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, or a closely related field is the minimum requirement for most positions. That alone qualifies you for entry-level roles. Beyond that, a few credentials can meaningfully boost your salary over time.
A master’s degree is common among engineers who want to specialize in areas like orbital mechanics, computational fluid dynamics, or structural analysis. It can accelerate your path to senior technical roles and often adds $10,000 to $20,000 to your starting salary compared to a bachelor’s alone. A PhD is less common outside of research-focused positions but can open doors to principal engineer or chief scientist roles.
A Professional Engineer (PE) license is less universally required in aerospace than in civil or mechanical engineering, but it can be valuable for engineers working in consulting, systems certification, or roles that involve signing off on designs. Earning your PE typically requires passing two exams and accumulating four years of progressive engineering experience.
Job Outlook and Demand
Aerospace engineering is a relatively stable field with consistent demand driven by defense spending, commercial aviation, and the expanding commercial space industry. The BLS projects steady growth for the occupation, and retirements among older engineers continue to create openings. Engineers with skills in software-defined systems, autonomous vehicles, or additive manufacturing are especially sought after as the industry evolves.
The combination of a six-figure median salary, strong benefits (particularly in defense and government roles), and growing demand from the commercial space sector makes aerospace engineering one of the higher-paying and more secure paths within the broader engineering profession.