Aerospace Test Engineer Salary in the United States

How much does an Aerospace Test Engineer make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for an Aerospace Test Engineer in the United States is $95,117 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $46.

However, an Aerospace Test Engineer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $105,028
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $88,482 to $100,305
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $82,440
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View as table View as graph 25% $88,482 10% $82,440 90% $105,028 75% $100,305 $95,117 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Aerospace Test Engineer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $100,305 $8,359 $1,929 $48
Average $95,117 $7,926 $1,829 $46
25th Percentile $88,482 $7,373 $1,702 $43
Check out Aerospace Test Engineer Job Openings in the United States
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Hartzell Propeller - Piqua, OH

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Aerospace Test Engineer

Odyssey Information Services - Dayton, OH

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Key Factors That Influence Aerospace Test Engineer Salaries

An Aerospace Test Engineer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Aerospace Test Engineer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Aerospace Test Engineer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $93,551
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $93,735
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $95,986
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $98,268
  • Expert (over 8 years): $98,431
Levels Salary
Entry Level Aerospace Test Engineer$93,551
Intermediate Level Aerospace Test Engineer$93,735
Senior Level Aerospace Test Engineer$95,986
Specialist Level Aerospace Test Engineer$98,268
Expert Level Aerospace Test Engineer$98,431
$93,551 0 yr
$93,735 < 2 yrs
$95,986 2-4 yrs
$98,268 5-8 yrs
$98,431 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Aerospace Test Engineers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $119,972
  • San Francisco: $118,792
  • Oakland: $116,157

What Skills Can Increase an Aerospace Test Engineer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Commitment (Mentioned in 8.61% Job Postings): An agreement or pledge to do something in the future a commitment to improve conditions at the prison especially : an engagement to assume a financial obligation at a future date.
  • Infection Control (Mentioned in 3.04% Job Postings): Infection control is the discipline concerned with preventing nosocomial or healthcare-associated infection, a practical (rather than academic) sub-discipline of epidemiology. It is an essential, though often underrecognized and undersupported, part of the infrastructure of health care. Infection control and hospital epidemiology are akin to public health practice, practiced within the confines of a particular health-care delivery system rather than directed at society as a whole. Anti-infective agents include antibiotics, antibacterials, antifungals, antivirals and antiprotozoals. Infection control addresses factors related to the spread of infections within the healthcare setting (whether patient-to-patient, from patients to staff and from staff to patients, or among-staff), including prevention (via hand hygiene/hand washing, cleaning/disinfection/sterilization, vaccination, surveillance), monitoring/investigation of demonstrated or suspected spread of infection within a particular health-care setting (surveillance and outbreak investigation), and management (interruption of outbreaks). It is on this basis that the common title being adopted within health care is "infection prevention and control."
  • HIPAA (Mentioned in 2.47% Job Postings): The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 is a federal law that required the creation of national standards to protect sensitive patient health information from being disclosed without the patient's consent or knowledge.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Commitment 8.61%
Infection Control 3.04%
HIPAA 2.47%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Aerospace Test Engineer's salary.
  • Organizational Skills: Can increase your salary by up to 11%.
  • Working With People: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Quality Improvement: Can increase your salary by up to 4%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Organizational Skills
$105,580
11%
Working With People
$100,824
6%
Quality Improvement
$98,922
4%
Process Improvement
$98,922
4%
Medical Records Audit
$98,922
4%
HIPAA
$98,922
4%
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How Education impacts an Aerospace Test Engineer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Aerospace Test Engineers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Aerospace Test Engineer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $98,551 and $103,995).

Aerospace Test Engineer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Aerospace Test Engineer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 1.9%
High School 1.9%
Associates 4.6%
Bachelors 32.4%
Masters 54.6%
Doctorate 6.5%
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Aerospace Test Engineer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Aerospace Test Engineer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on April 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Aerospace Test Engineer

Salaries for an Aerospace Test Engineer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $100,428 in 2023 to around $96,723 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Aerospace Test Engineer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Aerospace Test Engineer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$100,428
2024
$99,227
2025
$96,723
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $100,428
2024 $99,227
2025 $96,723
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Aerospace Test Engineer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Aerospace Test Engineer

Here are companies hiring for Aerospace Test Engineer and their salaries, click below for more details.

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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