Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021

17-3021 Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians

Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used to launch, track, position, and evaluate air and space vehicles. May record and interpret test data.

National estimates for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians
Industry profile for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians
Geographic profile for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians

National estimates for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Employment (1)	Employment RSE (3)	Mean hourly wage	Mean annual wage (2)	Wage RSE (3)
10,900	5.1 %	$ 35.34	$ 73,510	1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Percentile	10%	25%	50% (Median)	75%	90%
Hourly Wage	$ 22.62	$ 27.78	$ 35.37	$ 45.45	$ 49.64
Annual Wage (2)	$ 47,040	$ 57,780	$ 73,580	$ 94,530	$ 103,260

Industry profile for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	4,290	0.91	$ 37.22	$ 77,420
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	2,470	0.16	$ 34.88	$ 72,550
Scientific Research and Development Services	940	0.12	$ 32.48	$ 67,560
Computer Systems Design and Related Services	880	0.04	$ 27.31	$ 56,810
Management of Companies and Enterprises	370	0.01	$ 45.60	$ 94,850

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	4,290	0.91	$ 37.22	$ 77,420
Technical and Trade Schools	240	0.18	$ 35.11	$ 73,020
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services	2,470	0.16	$ 34.88	$ 72,550
Scientific Research and Development Services	940	0.12	$ 32.48	$ 67,560
Support Activities for Air Transportation	220	0.11	(8)	(8)

Top paying industries for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Industry	Employment (1)	Percent of industry employment	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Management of Companies and Enterprises	370	0.01	$ 45.60	$ 94,850
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	240	0.06	$ 39.99	$ 83,180
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	4,290	0.91	$ 37.22	$ 77,420
Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services	130	0.01	$ 35.64	$ 74,140
Technical and Trade Schools	240	0.18	$ 35.11	$ 73,020

Geographic profile for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Map of employment of aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians by state, May 2021

States with the highest employment level in Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Florida	2,490	0.29	3.74	$ 37.43	$ 77,860
Texas	1,350	0.11	1.43	$ 32.82	$ 68,270
California	1,120	0.07	0.88	$ 39.62	$ 82,420
Ohio	810	0.16	2.02	$ 33.45	$ 69,580
Alabama	770	0.40	5.19	$ 31.16	$ 64,820

Map of location quotient of aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians by state, May 2021

States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas	590	0.44	5.74	$ 30.43	$ 63,300
Alabama	770	0.40	5.19	$ 31.16	$ 64,820
Florida	2,490	0.29	3.74	$ 37.43	$ 77,860
New Mexico	170	0.22	2.90	$ 28.82	$ 59,950
Connecticut	280	0.18	2.28	$ 36.84	$ 76,630

Map of annual mean wages of aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians by state, May 2021

Top paying states for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

State	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 53.78	$ 111,870
Alaska	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 48.13	$ 100,120
Colorado	210	0.08	1.03	$ 47.85	$ 99,530
Washington	260	0.08	1.03	$ 44.78	$ 93,130
Maryland	270	0.10	1.35	$ 40.84	$ 84,950

Map of employment of aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians by area, May 2021

Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	1,020	4.62	59.65	$ 35.00	$ 72,800
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	730	0.20	2.64	$ 32.36	$ 67,320
Huntsville, AL	670	2.90	37.45	$ 30.80	$ 64,060
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	660	0.56	7.22	$ 44.32	$ 92,190
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	570	0.10	1.28	$ 40.80	$ 84,870
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	370	0.15	1.93	$ 35.65	$ 74,160
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	330	0.11	1.47	$ 51.43	$ 106,970
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ	320	0.15	1.94	$ 28.26	$ 58,780
San Diego-Carlsbad, CA	250	0.18	2.34	$ 37.72	$ 78,460
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	220	0.41	5.29	$ 36.19	$ 75,280

Map of location quotient of aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians by area, May 2021

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	1,020	4.62	59.65	$ 35.00	$ 72,800
Huntsville, AL	670	2.90	37.45	$ 30.80	$ 64,060
California-Lexington Park, MD	30	0.74	9.53	$ 42.65	$ 88,710
Las Cruces, NM	40	0.64	8.26	$ 28.47	$ 59,220
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	70	0.62	7.98	$ 40.00	$ 83,190
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	660	0.56	7.22	$ 44.32	$ 92,190
Dayton, OH	200	0.55	7.12	$ 31.51	$ 65,550
Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT	220	0.41	5.29	$ 36.19	$ 75,280
Tulsa, OK	140	0.34	4.46	$ 25.42	$ 52,880
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	730	0.20	2.64	$ 32.36	$ 67,320

Map of annual mean wages of aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians by area, May 2021

Top paying metropolitan areas for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians:

Metropolitan area	Employment (1)	Employment per thousand jobs	Location quotient (9)	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage (2)
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	330	0.11	1.47	$ 51.43	$ 106,970
Oklahoma City, OK	50	0.09	1.12	$ 44.97	$ 93,540
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	660	0.56	7.22	$ 44.32	$ 92,190
California-Lexington Park, MD	30	0.74	9.53	$ 42.65	$ 88,710
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 42.45	$ 88,290
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	570	0.10	1.28	$ 40.80	$ 84,870
Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	70	0.62	7.98	$ 40.00	$ 83,190
Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC	(8)	(8)	(8)	$ 38.10	$ 79,240
Bakersfield, CA	30	0.10	1.26	$ 37.84	$ 78,710
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	120	0.10	1.26	$ 37.75	$ 78,520

About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia. The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.

(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.

Other OEWS estimates and related information:

May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2021 Occupation Profiles

Technical Notes

Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022