Aerospace Engineer Earnings

The median annual wage of aerospace engineers was $97,480 in May 2010. The median wage is the wage at which half of the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $60,620, and the top 10 percent earned more than $143,360.

Median annual wages in the industries employing the largest numbers of aerospace engineers in May 2010 were as follows:

Federal government	$111,370
Scientific research and development services	$105,470
Navigational, measuring, electromedical, and control instruments manufacturing	$101,760
Architectural, engineering, and related services	$95,220
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing	$88,340

A compensation study by Aviation Week found that average annual pay among all aerospace engineers ranges from $61,379 at the entry level to $145,832 for the most senior aerospace engineers in 2010. Mid-career aerospace engineers made an average of $88,342 in 2010.

Aerospace engineers typically work full time. Engineers who direct projects must often work extra hours to monitor progress, to ensure that the design meets requirements, to determine how to measure aircraft performance, to see that production meets design standards, and to ensure that deadlines are met.

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition