Aviation salary: $170K median
The median advertised Aviation salary is $170K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $136K to $198K: counted from 1,074 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $82 an hour or $14,167 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $224K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll Aviation jobs
$170Kmedian advertised salary
$136K – $198Kmiddle half of roles
$170Kaverage advertised salary
1,074roles counted
Aviation salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $214K, 22% more than senior roles ($176K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $176K | $165K–$200K | 333 |
| Lead and above | $214K | $193K–$238K | 204 |
| No level in the title | $138K | $120K–$162K | 528 |
Aviation salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸San Francisco Bay Area | $202K | 165 |
| 🇺🇸Seattle, WA | $178K | 78 |
| 🇺🇸California | $172K | 761 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $170K | 1,034 |
| 🇺🇸Denver, CO | $170K | 39 |
| 🇺🇸Texas | $164K | 20 |
| 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA | $147K | 278 |
Skills that pay more for Aviation roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| C++ | $177K | +$7K | 204 |
| Sensor fusion | $172K | +$2K | 218 |
| Security clearance | $172K | +$2K | 327 |
| Hardware testing | $172K | +$2K | 293 |
| Hardware interfaces | $172K | +$2K | 159 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Shield AI | $214K | 60 |
| Reliable Robotics | $211K | 34 |
| Muon Space | $202K | 20 |
| Skydio | $190K | 122 |
| Astranis | $190K | 17 |
| Amca | $181K | 6 |
| True Anomaly | $175K | 43 |
| Portal Space Systems | $175K | 9 |
| Cowboyspace | $175K | 29 |
| Anduril Industries | $172K | 205 |
| Applied | $171K | 16 |
| Archer | $171K | 24 |
| Swarmaero | $170K | 10 |
| Hermeus | $163K | 18 |
| Gravitics, Inc | $160K | 9 |
| Varda Space Industries | $160K | 34 |
| Apex Technology | $158K | 47 |
| K2 Space | $158K | 61 |
| Vast | $154K | 53 |
| Starpath.space | $148K | 8 |
| Rocket Lab | $144K | 55 |
| Skyryse | $142K | 14 |
| ALTEN Technology USA | $138K | 6 |
| Katalyst Space Technologies | $128K | 9 |
| SpaceX | $125K | 125 |
Highest-paying open Aviation roles
All Aviation jobs- Autonomous Systems Security EngineerAnthropic · 🇺🇸Remote-Friendly (Travel Required) | San Francisco, CA$320K - $405KRemoteGitData centersIncident response
- Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$267K - $400KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceCADAviation
- Director of Product ComplianceSkydio · 🇺🇸San Mateo, California, United States$230K - $348KHybridLead and aboveRegulatory complianceAviation
- Director of Legal, Government ContractsSpaceX · 🇺🇸Washington, DC$275K - $340KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceLaw degreeBar admission
- Director of Legal, Government ContractsSpaceX · 🇺🇸Hawthorne, CA$275K - $340KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceLaw degreeBar admission
- Chief Engineer, Conventional ISRAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$253K - $336KLead and aboveComputer VisionSecurity clearanceHardware testing
- Chief Engineer, FQ-44 FuryAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$254K - $336KLead and aboveAgileComputer VisionSecurity clearance
- Principal Embedded Systems Security EngineerTrue Anomaly · 🇺🇸Denver, CO; Long Beach, CA$225K - $330KLead and aboveC++LinuxEmbedded C
- Senior Manager, Hardware Design EngineeringSkydio · 🇺🇸San Mateo, California, United States$230K - $325KSeniorMechatronicsRF engineeringCAD
- Lead, Electrical Engineering (R5116)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$217K - $325KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceFirmwareFPGA
- Senior Manager, Electrical Engineering - DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$258K - $316KSeniorTest equipmentHardware interfacesPCB design
- Senior Software Engineer - Pipeline Infrastructure & IntegrationZoox · 🇺🇸Foster City, CA$219K - $315KSeniorPythonTypeScriptReact
- Principal GNC EngineerTrue Anomaly · 🇺🇸Denver, CO; Long Beach, CA$220K - $315KLead and abovePythonC++Security clearance
- Director, Structures EngineeringArcher · 🇺🇸San Jose, California, United States$249K - $311KLead and aboveWorkforce planningAviation
- Senior Manager, Mechanical Engineering - DroneApplied · 🇺🇸Sunnyvale$225K - $310KSeniorCADAviationCNC machining
- Chief EngineerSkyryse · 🇺🇸El Segundo, CA$250K - $300KLead and aboveTest planningControl systemsAviation
- Director, AvionicsApex Technology · 🇺🇸Los Angeles$240K - $300KLead and aboveSalesforce administrationHardware testingAnalog design
- Director, Model & SimulationValar Atomics · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$225K - $300KLead and abovePythonHigh-performance computingAviation
- Systems Engineer - Mission DefinitionReliable Robotics · 🇺🇸Mountain View, CA$190K - $300KAviation
- Sr. Flight Software EngineerReliable Robotics · 🇺🇸Mountain View, CA$215K - $300KSeniorC++CControl systems
Questions about Aviation pay
- What is the average Aviation salary?
- $170K a year on average and $170K at the median, across 1,074 open Aviation postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $136K to $198K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Aviation pay?
- Shield AI ($214K), Reliable Robotics ($211K), Muon Space ($202K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is an aviation a high-paying job?
- The median Aviation posting advertises $170K a year, less than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 2% below the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as an aviation?
- A tenth of the postings offer $224K a year or more; the highest open Aviation role advertises up to $405K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Aviation salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $170K a year is about $82 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $14,167 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $65 to $95 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Aviation roles?
- Postings that ask for C++ (+$7K, 204 postings), Sensor fusion (+$2K, 218 postings), Security clearance (+$2K, 327 postings) advertise more than the $170K median of all Aviation postings with pay.
- What does an entry-level aviation make?
- 9 junior and intern Aviation postings state pay, with a median of $125K a year ($60 an hour).
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for Aviation roles at companies is $170K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $136K to $198K. Counted from 1,074 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/aviation/
Free to use with the link.