Aerospace Engineers — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$134,960
United States, 2025
Employment
67,710
United States, 2025
Typical education
Not recorded
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.
- O*NET code
- 17-2011.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years
Typical tasks
- Maintain records of performance reports for future reference.
- Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.
- Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
- Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
- Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
- Diagnose performance problems by reviewing reports or documentation from customers or field engineers or by inspecting malfunctioning or damaged products.
- Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.
- Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$86,700
25th percentile
$106,110
75th percentile
$169,690
90th percentile
$205,890
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Critical Thinking4.1
- Writing4.0
- Mathematics4.0
- Science4.0
- Complex Problem Solving4.0
- Judgment and Decision Making4.0
- Operations Analysis3.9
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.9
- Active Learning3.9
- Monitoring3.8
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 23 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
23
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | 4.0 | 5.3 | Not selected | 5.3 |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 | 5.0 | Not selected | 5.0 |
| Science | 4.0 | 5.1 | Not selected | 5.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 4.1 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Writing | 4.0 | 4.8 | Not selected | 4.8 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.9 | 4.9 | Not selected | 4.9 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Active Learning | 3.9 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 3.9 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.6 | 3.9 | Not selected | 3.9 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.4 | 4.0 | Not selected | 4.0 |
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.4 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Technology Design | 3.3 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Coordination | 3.3 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 | 3.3 | Not selected | 3.3 |
| Negotiation | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Instructing | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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National median $78,190
Compare with Aerospace EngineersHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $191,260 | 510 | 2025 |
| San Jose, CA | $181,630 | 930 | 2025 |
| Omaha, NE | $171,380 | — | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $167,160 | 800 | 2025 |
| Baltimore, MD | $166,980 | 1,220 | 2025 |
| Washington, DC | $166,420 | 2,420 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $163,580 | 5,480 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $163,280 | 5,200 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $159,950 | 120 | 2025 |
| MN | $159,060 | 140 | 2025 |
| WA | $158,370 | 5,760 | 2025 |
| CA | $157,620 | 9,170 | 2025 |
| DC | $157,600 | 290 | 2025 |
| MD | $156,750 | 3,180 | 2025 |
| CO | $156,190 | 4,070 | 2025 |
| Denver, CO | $156,190 | 2,010 | 2025 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $151,980 | 990 | 2025 |
| Provo, UT | $150,700 | 40 | 2025 |
| Atlanta, GA | $150,220 | — | 2025 |
| Boston, MA | $149,470 | 960 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Aerospace Engineers to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.