Aerospace engineers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2020 Workforce

132k

Average Age

43.7

Estimated Job Growth

2.71%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$115,040

Average Male Salary

$116,848

Average Female Salary

$103,007

About

Aerospace engineers are most often employed by the Aircraft & parts manufacturing industry. The average yearly wage for Aerospace engineers was $115,040 in 2020.

The locations that employ the most Aerospace engineers are Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach & Hermosa Beach Cities PUMA, CA, Mukilteo & Everett (Southwest) Cities PUMA, WA, and St. Mary's & Calvert Counties PUMA, MD. The locations with a relatively high concentration of Aerospace engineers are Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach & Hermosa Beach Cities PUMA, CA, Beaches & Merritt Island PUMA, FL, 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 2020 was 132,147 people, of which 13.1% were women and 86.9% were men. Aerospace engineers are paid most in Orlando (North), Winter Park & Maitland Cities PUMA, FL but are relatively concentrated in Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach & Hermosa Beach Cities PUMA, CA.

Employment Over Time

Metric

Grouping

114,886

Male Workforce

± 8.32k

17,261

Female Workforce

± 3.23k

The Aerospace engineers workforce in 2020 was 132,147 people (13.1% women and 86.9% men). This implies an average annual growth of 2.3% between 2014 (129,179) and 2020 (132,147).

Employment by Location

Level

Metric

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

During 2020, the states that concentrated the best average annual wage were Oregon ($159,542), District of Columbia ($146,771), and Rhode Island ($133,992).

Yearly Wage Ranking

$115,040

AVERAGE WAGE

#22 in the ranking (2020)

$55,954

NATIONAL AVERAGE WAGE

For all occupations across the US

In 2020, Aerospace engineers earned an average of $115,040, $59,086 more than the average national salary of $55,954

The graph shows the ranking of Aerospace engineers in relation to all Detailed Occupation in 2020.

Wage Distribution

Gender

0.25

WAGE GINI

In 2020, Aerospace engineers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.25, 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 ($159,777).

Occupations by Industries

Metric

Value

132k

2020 Workforce

± 8,921

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 9.48%

This graphic shows the share of Aerospace engineers employed by various industries. Aircraft & parts manufacturing employs the largest share of Aerospace engineers at 85.9%, followed by Aerospace products & parts manufacturing with 9.32% and Architectural, engineering & related services with 4.8%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Aerospace engineers in the US. The workforce of Aerospace engineers in 2020 was 132,147 people, with 13.1% woman, and 86.9% men. The average age of male Aerospace engineers in the workforce is 44.3 and of female Aerospace engineers is 39.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Aerospace engineers is White.

Gender and Age

Metric

The workforce of Aerospace engineers in 2020 was 132,147 people, with 13.1% woman, and 86.9% men.

The age ranges that concentrated the largest workforce were 55 to 59 years (19,220 people), 25 to 29 years (17,450 people), and 30 to 34 years (17,198 people). Among them they concentrated 40.9% of the total workforce.

Ethnicity

Gender

In 2020, 10% of Aerospace engineers workers were Hispanic and 90% non-Hispanic.

The treemap shows the distribution of Hispanic workers according to their origin, highlighting Mexican (66.9%), Puerto Rican (21.1)%, and All Other Spanish/Hispanic/Latino (12)%

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

Races

In 2020, 76.8% of the Aerospace engineers workforce were White, of which 11.5% were women and 88.5% men. Other races that concentrated a significant number of workers were Asian (12.4%) and Black (4.61%).

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 2020 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 2020 (counting all academic degrees) were Engineering (85,738 people), Business (5,639 people), and Physical Sciences (4,979 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 (67,743 people), Graduate Degree (48,510 people), and Some college (6,938 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.