Aerospace Engineers
SOC 17-2011 · 2024-2034
Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft. May conduct basic and applied research to evaluate adaptability of materials and equipment to aircraft design and manufacture. May recommend improvements in testing equipment and techniques.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $162,032per year
- Projected openings
- 6,080
- Projected change
- +6.3%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Science
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Complex Problem Solving
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $174,283 | 2,830 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $171,888 | 560 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $164,926 | 90 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $149,824 | 90 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $141,164 | 950 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $135,916 | 570 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $135,269 | 20 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $132,742 | 80 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $132,249 | 50 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $131,376 | 420 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $129,650 | 90 |
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians | $101,771 | 1,580 | +12.5% |
| Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians | $83,833 | 1,700 | +5.3% |
| Avionics Technicians | $95,095 | 1,040 | +8.3% |
| Mechanical Engineers | $134,564 | 20,280 | +11.5% |
| Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $89,836 | 3,330 | +5.4% |
| Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | $88,534 | 11,680 | +12.8% |