Pay for aerospace engineers is unusually consistent across the country: $79,610 at the bottom of the range, $191,260 at the top, a spread of only 2.4×. Where you work matters less for this role than it does for most — which usually points to pay being set by structure (scales, licensure, collective agreements) rather than local bidding.
Ten per cent of aerospace engineers earn below $86,700 and ten per cent above $205,890 — a 2.37× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 53%, which is a normal amount of room for experience and specialisation to matter. An offer below the 25th percentile is worth questioning; one above the 75th is worth taking seriously.
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont (CA) leads and Hot Springs (AR) trails, but the gap is modest. For a role like this the more useful comparison is not between cities but between the 10th and 90th percentile within one — see the band above.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $191,260 | $91.95 | 0.49 | 510 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $181,630 | $87.32 | 1.89 | 930 |
| Boulder CO | $167,160 | $80.36 | 9.56 | 800 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $166,980 | $80.28 | 2.06 | 1,220 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $166,420 | $80.01 | 1.77 | 2,420 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $163,580 | $78.64 | 6.03 | 5,480 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $163,280 | $78.50 | 1.91 | 5,200 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI | $159,950 | $76.90 | 0.14 | 120 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $156,190 | $75.09 | 2.86 | 2,010 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $151,980 | $73.07 | 7.18 | 990 |
| Provo-Orem-Lehi UT | $150,700 | $72.45 | 0.29 | 40 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $149,470 | $71.86 | 0.81 | 960 |
| New Orleans-Metairie LA | $149,430 | $71.84 | 0.22 | 40 |
| Cleveland OH | $143,020 | $68.76 | 1.03 | 460 |
| Waterbury-Shelton CT | $142,840 | $68.67 | 1.15 | 80 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray UT | $141,010 | $67.79 | 0.59 | 210 |
| Greeley CO | $140,780 | $67.69 | 0.87 | 50 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley WA | $140,540 | $67.57 | 0.55 | 60 |
| Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area | $139,710 | $67.17 | 0.95 | 40 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk VA-NC | $139,010 | $66.83 | 2.4 | 800 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro OR-WA | $138,670 | $66.67 | 0.22 | 110 |
| Decatur AL | $138,460 | $66.57 | 3.8 | 100 |
| Lexington Park MD | $138,380 | $66.53 | 31.18 | 960 |
| Charleston-North Charleston SC | $137,030 | $65.88 | 2 | 340 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $136,970 | $65.85 | 7.57 | 190 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hot Springs AR | $79,610 | $38.28 | 1.9 | 30 |
| Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area | $81,570 | $39.22 | 3.86 | 130 |
| Reno NV | $89,460 | $43.01 | 0.38 | 50 |
| Birmingham AL | $93,400 | $44.91 | 0.6 | 140 |
| Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area | $96,240 | $46.27 | 3.18 | 120 |
| Mobile AL | $97,730 | $46.99 | 3.02 | 230 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV | $98,510 | $47.36 | 0.36 | 180 |
| Buffalo-Cheektowaga NY | $100,580 | $48.36 | 0.14 | 30 |
| Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $101,020 | $48.57 | 0.77 | 60 |
| Anchorage AK | $101,710 | $48.90 | 0.97 | 70 |
Huntsville has 42.03× the national concentration of aerospace engineers — the densest market in the country for this role, with 4,880 employed locally. Pay there is $131,090, which does not put it near the top of the pay table. Concentration and compensation are different things — a dense market is easier to get hired in and easier to move around within, but the competition that makes it dense also caps what employers need to offer.
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville AL | $131,090 | $63.02 | 42.03 | 4,880 |
| Lexington Park MD | $138,380 | $66.53 | 31.18 | 960 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL | $131,570 | $63.26 | 12.71 | 1,360 |
| Wichita KS | $130,720 | $62.85 | 10.66 | 1,430 |
| Tucson AZ | $106,760 | $51.33 | 10.14 | 1,720 |
| Boulder CO | $167,160 | $80.36 | 9.56 | 800 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek OH | $129,410 | $62.22 | 8.6 | 1,400 |
| Northeast Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $136,970 | $65.85 | 7.57 | 190 |
| Colorado Springs CO | $151,980 | $73.07 | 7.18 | 990 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $163,580 | $78.64 | 6.03 | 5,480 |
| Bakersfield-Delano CA | $128,720 | $61.88 | 4.73 | 700 |
| Ogden UT | $134,240 | $64.54 | 4.67 | 550 |
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $163,580 | $78.64 | 6.03 | 5,480 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $163,280 | $78.50 | 1.91 | 5,200 |
| Huntsville AL | $131,090 | $63.02 | 42.03 | 4,880 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $134,570 | $64.70 | 1.95 | 3,430 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $166,420 | $80.01 | 1.77 | 2,420 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial CO | $156,190 | $75.09 | 2.86 | 2,010 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $133,970 | $64.41 | 1.32 | 1,890 |
| Tucson AZ | $106,760 | $51.33 | 10.14 | 1,720 |
| Wichita KS | $130,720 | $62.85 | 10.66 | 1,430 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek OH | $129,410 | $62.22 | 8.6 | 1,400 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $130,470 | $62.73 | 1.31 | 1,360 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville FL | $131,570 | $63.26 | 12.71 | 1,360 |
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 17-2011. OEWS surveys employers, so it reports what is actually paid rather than what job advertisements claim, and it excludes the self-employed. Estimates are published for 92 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 436 had too few survey responses for BLS to publish without risking disclosure, so they are absent here rather than estimated. For a specialised role that is normal. Read the methodology.