Avionics Engineer salary: $155K median
The median advertised Avionics Engineer salary is $155K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $128K to $182K: counted from 174 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $75 an hour or $12,917 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $200K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll avionics engineer jobs
$155Kmedian advertised salary
$128K – $182Kmiddle half of roles
$157Kaverage advertised salary
174roles counted
Avionics Engineer salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $190K, 11% more than senior roles ($172K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $172K | $162K–$185K | 51 |
| Lead and above | $190K | $179K–$222K | 32 |
| No level in the title | $128K | $117K–$150K | 91 |
Avionics Engineer salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸California | $160K | 144 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $155K | 171 |
| 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA | $140K | 65 |
Skills that pay more for Avionics Engineer roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardware interfaces | $180K | +$25K | 23 |
| Siemens NX | $172K | +$16K | 19 |
| Linux | $170K | +$15K | 19 |
| Security clearance | $167K | +$12K | 23 |
| Mechatronics | $164K | +$8K | 34 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Shield AI | $235K | 5 |
| Muon Space | $202K | 4 |
| Astranis | $190K | 3 |
| Relativity Space | $185K | 16 |
| Varda Space Industries | $172K | 10 |
| Anduril Industries | $172K | 6 |
| Inversion | $165K | 12 |
| Apex Technology | $164K | 6 |
| Katalyst Space Technologies | $162K | 3 |
| Hermeus | $158K | 5 |
| Vast | $154K | 18 |
| Cowboyspace | $149K | 5 |
| K2 Space | $148K | 13 |
| Rocket Lab | $140K | 9 |
| Ursa Major | $139K | 4 |
| True Anomaly | $132K | 4 |
| Quest Defense Systems & Solutions, Inc. | $129K | 4 |
| SpaceX | $122K | 26 |
Highest-paying open Avionics Engineer roles
All avionics engineer jobs- Principal Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$267K - $400KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceCADAviation
- Sr. Staff Thermal Engineer - Aircraft Avionics & Thermal Systems (R3930)Shield AI · 🇺🇸Seattle, WA, US$208K - $312KLead and aboveSecurity clearanceCADAviation
- Director, AvionicsApex Technology · 🇺🇸Los Angeles$240K - $300KLead and aboveSalesforce administrationHardware testingAnalog design
- Principal Avionics Systems Engineer, IPT LeadCHAOS Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, California, United States$198K - $300KLead and above
- Head of AvionicsCowboyspace · 🇺🇸Kent, Washington$252K - $272KLead and abovePower AutomateHardware testingHigh-performance computing
- Avionics Design Reliability EngineerVast · 🇺🇸Long Beach, California, United States$162K - $265KPythonTableauMATLAB
- Principal Manufacturing Engineer (Avionics / Electromechanical / Harnessing)Varda Space Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, California, United States$182K - $263KLead and aboveControl systemsMechatronicsOptics
- Principal Space Avionics Hardware Development EngineerVarda Space Industries · 🇺🇸El Segundo, California, United States$182K - $263KLead and abovePythonMATLABTest planning
- Staff Avionics Hardware EngineerRelativity Space · 🇺🇸Long Beach, California, United States$175K - $263KLead and above
- Senior Manager, Avionics and Power SystemsVast · 🇺🇸Long Beach, California, United States$161K - $262KSeniorDriver's licenseAviation
- Staff DFx Manufacturing Engineer, Avionics & ElectronicsAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$183K - $243KLead and aboveComputer VisionPRDsMechatronics
- Principal Avionics Systems EngineerK2 Space · 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA$180K - $240KLead and abovePythonC++Linux
- Senior Avionics EngineerAstranis · 🇺🇸San Francisco$145K - $235KSeniorPythonC++Mechatronics
- Team Lead, Avionics - Vehicle ElectronicsAstranis · 🇺🇸San Francisco$155K - $235KLead and abovePythonC++Mechatronics
- Staff/ Principal Avionics EngineerPortal Space Systems · 🇺🇸Bothell, WA$165K - $235KLead and aboveVerilogMechatronicsHardware testing
- Senior Manufacturing Engineer II - Avionics & TestRocket Lab · 🇺🇸Long Beach, CA$132K - $233KSeniorMechatronicsTest equipmentAviation
- Senior Technical Program Manager, AvionicsMuon Space · 🇺🇸San Jose, CA$206K - $232KSeniorPythonLinuxJira
- Lead Avionics Integration & Test Engineer (Starshield)SpaceX · 🇺🇸Hawthorne, CA$165K - $230KLead and abovePythonSecurity clearanceHardware testing
- Lead Avionics Test Engineer (Starshield)SpaceX · 🇺🇸Hawthorne, CA$165K - $230KLead and abovePythonSecurity clearanceHardware testing
- Lead Avionics Survivability EngineerRelativity Space · 🇺🇸Long Beach, California, United States$151K - $227KLead and above
Questions about Avionics Engineer pay
- What is the average Avionics Engineer salary?
- $157K a year on average and $155K at the median, across 174 open Avionics Engineer 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 $128K to $182K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Avionics Engineer pay?
- Shield AI ($235K), Muon Space ($202K), Astranis ($190K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is an avionics engineer a high-paying job?
- The median Avionics Engineer posting advertises $155K a year, less than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 11% below the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as an avionics engineer?
- A tenth of the postings offer $200K a year or more; the highest open Avionics Engineer role advertises up to $400K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Avionics Engineer salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $155K a year is about $75 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $12,917 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $61 to $88 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Avionics Engineer roles?
- Postings that ask for Hardware interfaces (+$25K, 23 postings), Siemens NX (+$16K, 19 postings), Linux (+$15K, 19 postings) advertise more than the $155K median of all Avionics Engineer postings with pay.
- 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 Avionics Engineer roles at companies is $155K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $128K to $182K. Counted from 174 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/avionics/
Free to use with the link.