Aerospace Engineer Salaries: Rocket Science Pays Well

Aerospace engineers design, develop, and test aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, missiles, and defense systems. It's one of the more specialized engineering disciplines — and BLS OEWS data shows wages that reflect both the deep technical requirements and the concentrated demand in defense and commercial aerospace clusters.

National Wage Overview

Aerospace engineering wages rank among the higher engineering specialties, driven by defense contractor demand and the complexity of the work. Clearance-eligible aerospace engineers command additional premiums. Browse wages in the Architecture and Engineering Occupations group.

Geographic Concentration

Aerospace employment is concentrated in a handful of states. Washington (Boeing's Puget Sound operations), California (SpaceX, Lockheed, Northrop), Texas (NASA JSC, Bell), and Colorado (Lockheed Space, Ball Aerospace) are the largest employment states. Florida's Space Coast (Brevard County) is also significant.

Defense vs. Commercial vs. NewSpace

Defense contractor aerospace engineering has historically offered stable employment at competitive wages with defined-benefit pension plans at some employers. NewSpace companies (SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab) offer equity compensation and faster-paced environments that attract different talent profiles.

Security Clearance Premium

Aerospace engineers who hold or can obtain security clearances — especially TS/SCI — command a meaningful premium in defense work. This isn't captured in BLS data but is well-documented in labor market surveys.