Aerospace Engineer salary

At a glance

• Mostly Level II (mid-level). 35% of Aerospace Engineer filings are Level II, compared with 42% across all H-1B filings.
• Top filer: Infosys. 31 filings (7% of the total), median $111,405.
• Median up 30% since FY2020. From $105,747 in FY2020 to $137,758 in FY2026 (Q1–Q3). Nominal, not adjusted for inflation.

Aerospace Engineer H-1B salary overview

Employers filed 464 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications for Aerospace Engineer jobs in FY2025–FY2026 (occupation code 17-2011, Aerospace Engineers). The median base salary is $130,562, 6% above the median for all H-1B filings ($122,699), and half of the filings fall between $103,629 and $156,734. The most common wage level is Level II (mid-level), at 35% of filings. San Jose, CA has the most filings (51), and Infosys is the employer that files the most (31).

Top employers for Aerospace Engineer

Infosys31 filings · 7%$111,405 Joby Aero22 filings · 5%$174,750 Gulfstream Aerospace21 filings · 5%$135,519 The Boeing Company19 filings · 4%$151,195 Airbus Americas17 filings · 4%$117,270 Archer Aviation10 filings · 2%$176,897

Employers with the most Aerospace Engineer filings. Bar: share of all Aerospace Engineer filings. Figure: median base salary.

Pay by level

Aerospace Engineer pay by city

Median base salary in each metro area. Rent: HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027.

What a Aerospace Engineer does

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.

Typical tasks

• Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.
• Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
• Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
• Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
• Diagnose performance problems by reviewing reports or documentation from customers or field engineers or by inspecting malfunctioning or damaged products.
• Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.

Preparation

Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

O*NET occupation: Aerospace Engineers (17-2011.00). This section includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

H-1B pay vs. all U.S. workers

Across all U.S. workers in this occupation (Aerospace Engineers), the median annual wage was $134,960 in May 2025, with 67,710 people employed. The median H-1B base salary in FY2025–FY2026 is $130,562, 3% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). BLS wages cover all wage and salary workers and include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are the base salary offered on certified LCAs. The two sources cover different periods. BLS reports wages of $239,200 or more as a single top value.

Salary details

Salary range