Aerospace engineer salary
Space employers offer aerospace engineers a median of $165k a year, and the middle half of their postings sits at $149k–$191k. That comes from 21 jobs at 14 employers whose own postings name a salary.
- 25th percentile$148,675/hr
- Median (50th)$165,000/hr
- 75th percentile$191,000/hr
- Distinct posted rates21
- Jobs stating an hourly rate21
- Employers14
The median is the middle of the 21 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $148,675–$191,000 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- 25th percentile$148,675/hr
- Median (50th)$165,000/hr
- 75th percentile$191,000/hr
- Distinct posted rates21
- Jobs stating an hourly rate21
- Employers14
The median is the middle of the 21 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $148,675–$191,000 an hour, runs from their 25th percentile to their 75th: half of the rates fall between them. Each range counts at its midpoint, and a job posted many times at one rate counts once, so no employer's posting volume sets the figure.
- Median posted pay, a year$165,000
- Hours in a full-time year2,080
- The same per hour, full time$79.33/hr
Every figure here is a year's pay: a job that posts pay counts at 2,080 hours (40 a week for 52 weeks). Rounded to the nearest $100.
- Inversion Space4 jobs
- Virgin Galactic2 jobs
- Vantor2 jobs
- Varda Space Industries2 jobs
- Lockheed Martin2 jobs
- Ursa Major1 job
- Outpost1 job
- Northrop Grumman1 job
- KBR1 job
- Leidos1 job
Jobs stating pay, the employers with the most first: 17 at the 10 shown and 4 at 4 other employers, 21 in all.
The jobs themselves: Aerospace engineer jobs
What aerospace engineers are paid
How many postings fall in each salary step, a range counted at its midpoint; the darker bars are the middle half of what employers offer.
Median $165k a year. Middle half $149k to $191k. Point at a bar for its count. Tap a bar for its count.
Posted on open jobs
Middle half of 21 distinct posted rates (a job posted many times at one rate counted once), median $165k. 64% of the 33 open aerospace engineer jobs state pay.
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Aerospace engineer pay by employer
What each employer posts for aerospace engineers, the employers with the most jobs stating pay first. An employer with at least 5 such jobs has a page of its own with every range it posts.
Median of each employer's own jobs (a range at its midpoint), and the lowest and highest rate it posts. Jobs stating pay link to the employer's open jobs.
Aerospace engineer pay by state
States where at least 8 open jobs from 3 employers state pay, highest median first. Each opens the state's own page, with its towns and employers.
| State | Median posted | Middle half | BLS median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $169k | $162k–$191k | n/a | 11 |
Median and middle half of employers' rates in the state. BLS medians are for the occupation's main SOC code in the state (latest release).
Best-paid open aerospace engineer jobs
The current postings with the highest stated salaries, no more than two per employer.
$176,598–$269,442/yr
$185,000–$250,000/yr
$170,000–$225,000/yr
$152,900–$229,300/yr
$161,000–$221,000/yr- $161,000–$221,000/yr
$154,000–$211,700/yr- $143,031–$218,132/yr
$118,000–$219,100/yr
$140,000–$187,000/yr- $140,000–$187,000/yr
$140,333–$179,314/yr
Every open job: Aerospace engineer jobs
Questions about aerospace engineer pay in space
What do space companies pay aerospace engineers?
Postings that state a salary put the median at $165k a year and the middle half at $149k–$191k, across 21 postings from 14 employers (one employer's repeated posting counted once). Full time, the median is about $79.33/hr an hour.
Where do these figures come from?
From the salaries in space companies' own postings, read every night: 21 of 33 current aerospace engineer postings (64%) state one. Nothing is estimated for a posting without pay, "up to" ceilings are set aside, and an hourly rate counts as 2,080 hours.
Sources and method
- SpaceJobs.Now: salaries stated in space companies' own postings, read every night, published 7 Nov 2026
Cite this page
SpaceJobs.Now. (2026). Aerospace engineer salary. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/salaries/aerospace-engineers