How Much Does a Aircraft Mechanic Make? (2024)
Automotive · SOC Code 49-3011 · 2-year apprenticeship
The average aircraft mechanic earns $79,931 per year ($38/hour) as of 2024, according to BLS data. Yearly income ranges from $61,630 to $100,320 depending on city, with entry-level workers earning about $60,820 and top earners making $130,940+.
Yes — top-decile aircraft mechanics clear $100K in 24 of 30 metros
The 90th-percentile aircraft mechanic in San Francisco, CA earns $130,940 per year ($63/hour). Reaching that tier typically takes journeyman-to-master progression plus union membership, specialization, or running a small contracting business. Median aircraft mechanic pay nationally is $79,931 — the $100K mark is the high-earner ceiling, not the middle.
National Salary Range
Aircraft Mechanic salaries range from $61,630 to $100,320 median across cities, depending on location, union membership, and experience level.
Aircraft Mechanic Salary by City
| City | Median | Range (10th-90th) | COL-Adjusted | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $100,320 | $60,820 – $130,940 | $52,800 | C | 1,030 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $99,510 | $60,960 – $125,570 | $95,683 | B | 1,800 |
| New York, NY | $98,730 | $66,900 – $130,540 | $52,797 | C | 3,760 |
| Atlanta, GA | $95,920 | $49,910 – $130,020 | $90,491 | B | 3,200 |
| Boston, MA | $95,690 | $60,310 – $131,030 | $62,954 | C | 1,410 |
| Chicago, IL | $89,960 | $46,850 – $127,780 | $84,075 | C | 2,570 |
| Dallas, TX | $88,280 | $46,590 – $127,200 | $86,549 | B | 7,180 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $86,640 | $58,870 – $136,890 | $81,736 | C | 2,000 |
| Seattle, WA | $86,010 | $56,730 – $109,540 | $57,725 | C | 3,670 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $85,550 | $49,140 – $126,280 | $51,536 | C | 4,860 |
| Portland, OR | $82,930 | $61,110 – $134,770 | $63,792 | C | 610 |
| Denver, CO | $82,570 | $61,710 – $130,610 | $64,508 | C | 1,870 |
| Houston, TX | $80,850 | $45,930 – $127,920 | $84,219 | C | 3,060 |
| Raleigh, NC | $80,590 | $56,740 – $137,340 | $80,590 | C | 420 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $79,650 | $49,270 – $118,390 | $77,330 | C | 3,010 |
| Miami, FL | $79,130 | $40,160 – $136,030 | $64,861 | C | 6,610 |
| Tampa, FL | $76,750 | $48,590 – $122,720 | $75,990 | C | 830 |
| Nashville, TN | $76,550 | $55,020 – $124,850 | $74,320 | C | 1,160 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $76,090 | $39,230 – $105,700 | $79,260 | C | 460 |
| San Antonio, TX | $74,700 | $46,230 – $82,870 | $83,000 | C | 1,810 |
| Detroit, MI | $74,490 | $56,270 – $130,610 | $83,697 | C | 1,370 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $73,850 | $52,150 – $136,990 | $71,010 | C | 920 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $73,180 | $47,540 – $103,970 | $63,635 | C | 1,040 |
| St. Louis, MO | $71,010 | $32,700 – $98,890 | $78,900 | C | 790 |
| Columbus, OH | $70,710 | $45,300 – $103,940 | $76,032 | C | 1,180 |
| New Orleans, LA | $65,350 | $50,940 – $95,760 | $68,789 | C | 460 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $64,190 | $43,400 – $98,310 | $69,772 | C | 510 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $63,660 | $44,520 – $89,090 | $69,956 | C | 760 |
| Kansas City, MO | $63,450 | $25,580 – $91,560 | $67,500 | C | 350 |
| Charlotte, NC | $61,630 | $58,590 – $137,800 | $62,888 | C | 2,020 |
About Aircraft Mechanic Pay
Aircraft Mechanics earn a national median salary of $79,931 based on 2024 BLS occupational wage data. The highest-paying city for this trade is San Francisco at $100,320 median, while Charlotte offers the lowest at $61,630.
Becoming a aircraft mechanic typically requires a 2-year apprenticeship program. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) can expect around $60,820, while master-level tradespeople (90th percentile) earn $130,940 or more. With 6% wage growth over the past 5 years, this trade is growing at a steady pace.
See how this compares to other trades on our highest paying trades ranking, or browse the best cities for trade workers.
Thinking about becoming a aircraft mechanic?
Step-by-step path: 2-year apprenticeship, certifications, state licensing, and apprentice-to-master pay timeline.
Related Automotive Trades
Frequently Asked Questions
Realistically, no — even the 90th-percentile aircraft mechanic in the highest-paying metro (San Francisco) tops out at $130,940, below $300K. National median aircraft mechanic pay is $79,931. Outliers — overtime-heavy industrial work, union foremen, or contractor-owners — can reach those numbers, but they sit outside what the BLS wage survey captures for typical W-2 employment.
The highest-paying aircraft mechanic jobs are in San Francisco, CA, where the 90th percentile reaches $130,940 and the median is $100,320. The pay-driving specialties tend to be aircraft systems knowledge and similar high-skill roles — workers who layer certifications and union membership on top of journeyman experience typically reach the 90th percentile within 10-15 years of entering the trade.
Aircraft Mechanic work is physically demanding and can be stressful, especially under deadline pressure or in unsafe conditions. Aircraft mechanics work in hangars and on airport ramps. Exposure to noise, fumes, and weather. Shift work including nights, weekends, and holidays at airlines. The trade rewards problem-solving, attention to detail, and the ability to work safely with tools and equipment. Most aircraft mechanics say the difficulty drops sharply once they finish their apprenticeship and gain field experience.
Realistically, no — even the 90th-percentile aircraft mechanic in the highest-paying metro (San Francisco) tops out at $130,940, below $200K. National median aircraft mechanic pay is $79,931. Outliers — overtime-heavy industrial work, union foremen, or contractor-owners — can reach those numbers, but they sit outside what the BLS wage survey captures for typical W-2 employment.
The average aircraft mechanic salary is $79,931 per year ($38/hour) based on 2024 BLS OEWS data. Average yearly income ranges from $61,630 to $100,320 depending on city, experience, and union status.
Aircraft Mechanics earn an average hourly wage of $38/hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. Entry-level (10th percentile) hourly pay is about $29/hour, while top earners (90th percentile) make $63/hour or more.
San Francisco offers the highest median pay for aircraft mechanics at $100,320. However, cost of living matters, the COL-adjusted pay may tell a different story. Check our city-by-city breakdown above.
With a Trade Pay Score of B and 6% wage growth over 5 years, aircraft mechanic offers steady career prospects. There are approximately 60,720 jobs nationwide across 30 metro areas.
Becoming a aircraft mechanic typically requires a 2-year apprenticeship program combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Entry-level pay starts around $60,820 (10th percentile).
Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024. Trade Pay Scores are a composite of median wage vs. metro income, wage growth, job demand, and COL-adjusted pay.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.