Aerospace engineers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2021 Workforce

138k

Average Age

43.5

Estimated Job Growth

2.71%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$119,986

Average Male Salary

$121,974

Average Female Salary

$106,906

About

Aerospace engineers are most often employed by the Aircraft & parts manufacturing industry. The average yearly wage for Aerospace engineers was $119,986 in 2021.

The locations that employ the most Aerospace engineers are St. Mary's & Calvert Counties PUMA, MD, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach & Hermosa Beach Cities PUMA, CA, and Bothell (North), Mill Creek Cities & Silver Firs PUMA, WA. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Aerospace engineers are Beaches & Merritt Island PUMA, FL, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach & Hermosa Beach Cities PUMA, CA, and Lancaster City PUMA, CA.

Photo by U.S. Pacific Fleet

Management, business, science, & arts occupations Computer, engineering, & science occupations Architecture & engineering occupations

Employment and salary information for the Aerospace engineers workforce. Aerospace engineers workforce in 2021 was 137,506 people, of which 13.2% were women and 86.8% were men. Aerospace engineers are paid most in Orlando (North), Winter Park & Maitland Cities PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Beaches & Merritt Island PUMA, FL.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

119,359

Male Workforce

± 8.48k

18,147

Female Workforce

± 3.31k

The Aerospace engineers workforce in 2021 was 137,506 people (13.2% women and 86.8% men). This implies an average annual growth of 6.45% between 2014 (129,179) and 2021 (137,506).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

This map shows the states in the United States shaded by average wage for Aerospace engineers.

During 2021, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Oregon ($177,176), Rhode Island ($148,173), and Delaware ($146,155).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$119,986

AVERAGE WAGE

#24 in the ranking (2021)

$59,596

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2021, Aerospace engineers earned an average of $119,986, $60,390 more than the average national salary of $59,596

The graph shows the ranking of Aerospace engineers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2021.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.251

WAGE GINI

In 2021, Aerospace engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.251, which is lower than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Aerospace engineers (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

The graphic shows the distribution of average salaries by buckets for Aerospace engineers compared to the entire workforce in the country.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Aerospace engineers and on wages for those in the field. Aircraft & parts manufacturing is the industry that employs the most Aerospace engineers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Aerospace engineers, by average wage, is Employment services ($175,634).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

138k

2021 Workforce

± 9,100

4.06%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.09%

This graphic shows the share of Aerospace engineers employed by various industries. Aircraft & parts manufacturing employs the largest share of Aerospace engineers at 86.2%, followed by Aerospace products & parts manufacturing with 8.81% and Architectural, engineering & related services with 4.98%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Aerospace engineers in the US. The workforce of Aerospace engineers in 2021 was 137,506 people, with 13.2% woman, and 86.8% men. The average age of male Aerospace engineers in the workforce is 44.2 and of female Aerospace engineers is 39.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Aerospace engineers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Aerospace engineers in 2021 was 137,506 people, with 13.2% woman, and 86.8% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 55 to 59 years (19,271 people), 25 to 29 years (18,261 people), and 30 to 34 years (18,011 people). Among them they concentrated 40.5% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2021, 9.82% of Aerospace engineers workers were Hispanic and 90.2% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (67.9%), Puerto Rican (21.5)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (10.6)%

You can review this information by gender using the selectors above.

Races

In 2021, 74.2% of the Aerospace engineers workforce were White, of which 11.8% were women and 88.2% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (12.9%) and Black (5.27%).

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices for Aerospace engineers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Aerospace engineers is Engineering but the most specialized major according to RCA in 2021 were Engineering.

Among the necessary skills for Aerospace engineers, Science stands, but the revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Aerospace engineers need more than the average amount of Science.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

Type of Majors

Degree

The most common majors achieved by Aerospace engineers in 2021 (counting all academic degrees) were Engineering (89,300 people), Business (6,121 people), and Physical Sciences (5,317 people).

You can review this information for different academic grades by modifying the option selected in the selector above.

Education Levels

Metric

The main educational levels achieved by the Aerospace engineers workers were Bachelors Degree (70,275 people), Graduate Degree (51,424 people), and Some college (6,506 people).

The graphic shows the Aerospace engineers workforce by gender and educational level.

Skills

Chart

Value

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Aerospace engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Aerospace engineers need many skills, but most especially Science, Reading Comprehension, Operations Analysis.

Projections

Projections on job growth for Aerospace Engineers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Aerospace Engineers are expected to see a growth of 2.71% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

2.71%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Aerospace engineers. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.