Propulsion engineer salary
Space employers offer propulsion engineers a median of $148k a year, and the middle half of their postings sits at $126k–$173k. That comes from 201 jobs at 34 employers whose own postings name a salary.
- 25th percentile$126,000/hr
- Median (50th)$147,500/hr
- 75th percentile$172,500/hr
- Distinct posted rates201
- Jobs stating an hourly rate201
- Employers34
The median is the middle of the 201 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $126,000–$172,500 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$126,000/hr
- Median (50th)$147,500/hr
- 75th percentile$172,500/hr
- Distinct posted rates201
- Jobs stating an hourly rate201
- Employers34
The median is the middle of the 201 distinct rates they post, and the middle half, $126,000–$172,500 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$147,500
- Hours in a full-time year2,080
- The same per hour, full time$70.91/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.
- Relativity Space24 jobs
- SpaceX22 jobs
- Rocket Lab21 jobs
- Ursa Major15 jobs
- Impulse Space14 jobs
- Blue Origin13 jobs
- True Anomaly10 jobs
- Cowboy Space8 jobs
- Varda Space Industries8 jobs
- Voyager Technologies7 jobs
Jobs stating pay, the employers with the most first: 142 at the 10 shown and 59 at 24 other employers, 201 in all.
The jobs themselves: Propulsion engineer jobs
What propulsion 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 $148k a year. Middle half $126k to $173k. Point at a bar for its count. Tap a bar for its count.
Posted on open jobs
Middle half of 201 distinct posted rates (a job posted many times at one rate counted once), median $148k. 73% of the 275 open propulsion engineer jobs state pay.
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Propulsion engineer pay by employer
What each employer posts for propulsion 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.
Propulsion 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $168k | $159k–$188k | n/a | 20 |
| California | $151k | $130k–$170k | n/a | 118 |
| Florida | $147k | $134k–$174k | n/a | 15 |
| Colorado | $143k | $114k–$196k | n/a | 44 |
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 propulsion engineer jobs
The current postings with the highest stated salaries, no more than two per employer.
$151,305–$327,810/yr- $151,305–$327,810/yr
$198,936–$273,537/yr
$185,000–$280,000/yr- $185,000–$280,000/yr
$185,000–$277,000/yr- $184,000–$276,000/yr
$177,000–$265,600/yr
$162,000–$270,000/yr- $162,000–$270,000/yr
$145,100–$269,500/yr- $145,100–$269,500/yr
Every open job: Propulsion engineer jobs
Questions about propulsion engineer pay in space
What do space companies pay propulsion engineers?
Postings that state a salary put the median at $148k a year and the middle half at $126k–$173k, across 201 postings from 34 employers (one employer's repeated posting counted once). Full time, the median is about $70.91/hr an hour.
Where do propulsion engineers earn the most?
Ranked by the median salary in each state's postings: Washington ($168k), California ($151k) and Florida ($147k) come first, Colorado ($143k), Florida ($147k) and California ($151k) last. A state's own salary page splits its figure by town and employer.
Which space companies pay propulsion engineers the most?
Of the employers that state a salary on at least 5 postings: True Anomaly ($203k), Lockheed Martin ($169k) and Relativity Space ($165k). The employer table covers the 34 with the most postings that state pay.
Where do these figures come from?
From the salaries in space companies' own postings, read every night: 201 of 275 current propulsion engineer postings (73%) 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.
Salaries in propulsion
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). Propulsion engineer salary. Data as of 7 Nov 2026. https://spacejobs.now/salaries/propulsion-engineers