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.
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.
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.
| 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 |
| 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 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.
| 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 |
| 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 |
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.