What a aircraft mechanic earns, by metro
Median pay for aircraft mechanics runs from $37,870 in South Illinois nonmetropolitan area to $127,140 in New York-Newark-Jersey City — a 3.36× range across 262 metropolitan areas. The national median of $79,870 sits inside that range but describes no particular market.
Aircraft Mechanic — nationalBLS OEWS · May 2025
$79,870Median annual
$38.40Median hourly
$48,78010th percentile
$128,89090th percentile
138,090Employed nationally
Median means half earn more and half earn less — it says nothing about
how far. The percentile columns are where the information is.
What the percentile band tells you
Ten per cent of aircraft mechanics earn below $48,780 and ten per cent above $128,890 — a 2.64× band. The upside from median to 90th percentile is 61%, 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.
Where the money is
New York-Newark-Jersey City (NY-NJ) leads and South Illinois nonmetropolitan area () 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.
Highest paying metros
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $127,140 | $61.13 | 0.61 | 5,110 |
| Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area | $113,290 | $54.47 | 4.31 | 340 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $103,900 | $49.95 | 2.13 | 3,950 |
| Waterbury-Shelton CT | $101,660 | $48.87 | 0.51 | 70 |
| Trenton-Princeton NJ | $101,590 | $48.84 | 0.54 | 120 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson MD | $100,940 | $48.53 | 0.48 | 580 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin IL-IN | $100,610 | $48.37 | 0.52 | 2,090 |
| Lexington Park MD | $100,500 | $48.32 | 3.1 | 190 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara CA | $98,760 | $47.48 | 0.26 | 260 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $98,300 | $47.26 | 1.08 | 2,770 |
| Kahului-Wailuku HI | $98,280 | $47.25 | 1.85 | 120 |
| Yuba City CA | $97,240 | $46.75 | 1.83 | 80 |
| Eastern New Mexico nonmetropolitan area | $96,000 | $46.16 | 2.13 | 320 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $94,920 | $45.63 | 2.23 | 8,000 |
| Northeastern Wisconsin nonmetropolitan area | $94,900 | $45.63 | 0.21 | 40 |
| Anchorage AK | $94,120 | $45.25 | 6.39 | 1,010 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV | $93,910 | $45.15 | 0.52 | 1,440 |
| Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area | $93,670 | $45.03 | 0.46 | 30 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont CA | $93,400 | $44.90 | 0.45 | 940 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton MA-NH | $93,280 | $44.84 | 0.51 | 1,220 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL | $92,430 | $44.44 | 1.9 | 2,380 |
| Memphis TN-MS-AR | $92,180 | $44.32 | 3.94 | 2,140 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas NV | $91,940 | $44.20 | 1.89 | 1,900 |
| Bakersfield-Delano CA | $91,750 | $44.11 | 2.37 | 710 |
| Raleigh-Cary NC | $91,600 | $44.04 | 0.5 | 330 |
Lowest paying metros
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Illinois nonmetropolitan area | $37,870 | $18.21 | 0.38 | 50 |
| North Florida nonmetropolitan area | $38,070 | $18.30 | 1.52 | 150 |
| Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers AR | $44,190 | $21.24 | 0.34 | 80 |
| Northern West Virginia nonmetropolitan area | $44,850 | $21.56 | 3.48 | 450 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas PR | $45,130 | $21.70 | 0.93 | 570 |
| Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area | $46,840 | $22.52 | 1.47 | 130 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen TX | $47,180 | $22.68 | 0.41 | 60 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission TX | $47,840 | $23.00 | 0.31 | 80 |
| East Tennessee nonmetropolitan area | $48,840 | $23.48 | 0.26 | 30 |
| Spartanburg SC | $50,050 | $24.06 | 0.85 | 120 |
Warner Robins is the cluster
Warner Robins has 12.56× the national concentration of aircraft mechanics — the densest market in the country for this role, with 850 employed locally. Pay there is $69,330, 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.
Where the role is most concentrated
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warner Robins GA | $69,330 | $33.33 | 12.56 | 850 |
| Border Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area | $74,640 | $35.89 | 8.29 | 350 |
| Anchorage AK | $94,120 | $45.25 | 6.39 | 1,010 |
| Wichita Falls TX | $67,270 | $32.34 | 5.82 | 290 |
| Southwest Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area | $78,520 | $37.75 | 5.65 | 310 |
| Oklahoma City OK | $68,140 | $32.76 | 5.49 | 3,310 |
| Mobile AL | $82,260 | $39.55 | 5.47 | 840 |
| Eastern North Carolina nonmetropolitan area | $77,460 | $37.24 | 4.58 | 1,080 |
| Balance of Nevada nonmetropolitan area | $113,290 | $54.47 | 4.31 | 340 |
| Tucson AZ | $73,340 | $35.26 | 4.02 | 1,390 |
| Memphis TN-MS-AR | $92,180 | $44.32 | 3.94 | 2,140 |
| Fairbanks-College AK | $81,520 | $39.19 | 3.92 | 130 |
Largest employers by metro
| Metropolitan area | Median | Hourly | LQ | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX | $94,920 | $45.63 | 2.23 | 8,000 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach FL | $78,260 | $37.62 | 2.58 | 6,460 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City NY-NJ | $127,140 | $61.13 | 0.61 | 5,110 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim CA | $83,250 | $40.03 | 0.9 | 5,020 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue WA | $103,900 | $49.95 | 2.13 | 3,950 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler AZ | $76,610 | $36.83 | 1.81 | 3,810 |
| Oklahoma City OK | $68,140 | $32.76 | 5.49 | 3,310 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell GA | $98,300 | $47.26 | 1.08 | 2,770 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands TX | $85,400 | $41.06 | 0.93 | 2,710 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford FL | $92,430 | $44.44 | 1.9 | 2,380 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels TX | $78,240 | $37.61 | 2.18 | 2,180 |
| Memphis TN-MS-AR | $92,180 | $44.32 | 3.94 | 2,140 |
Current openings
Remote Aircraft Mechanic
Dallas-Fort Worth-ArlingtonMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm BeachNew York-Newark-Jersey CityLos Angeles-Long Beach-AnaheimSeattle-Tacoma-BellevuePhoenix-Mesa-ChandlerOklahoma CityAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell
About this data
Figures come from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, May 2025 release, SOC code 49-3011. 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 262 of 528 metropolitan areas; the remaining 266 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.