# Aerospace Engineers

US SOC code 17-2011. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/17-2011

Also called: Aeronautical engineer, Astronautical engineer, Propulsion engineer, Avionics engineer, Systems engineer aerospace.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **67,710** US aerospace engineers, with median pay of **$134,960** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **86,720**, in May 2006. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.nasa.gov/history/the-national-advisory-committee-for-aeronautics-naca/) of **13,000** from 1940, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for aerospace engineers: Generative design, topology optimization, and additive manufacturing integration, 2015 to 2022.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 8.3% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=17-2011&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **51.8%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Aerospace Engineers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1903
- Latest US employment: 67,710 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [5]
- Latest US median pay: $134,960 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [11]
- Outlook: +8.3% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [31]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 21390)
  - Employment, 2020: 5,505. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [8]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 21390 Aerospace engineers, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$103,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [15]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 21390 Aerospace engineers, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 30 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1940 | 13,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., NASA History Office [1] |
| 1945 | 30,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., EH.net Encyclopedia [2] |
| 1960 | 80,000 (estimate) | $9,500 (estimate) | Est., Wikipedia (employment) [3]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [9] |
| 1969 | 125,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Wikipedia [4] |
| 1985 | n/a | $38,000 | BLS historical bulletin 1985 [10] |
| 1990 | 118,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., EH.net Encyclopedia [2] |
| 2000 | 76,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., EH.net Encyclopedia [2] |
| 2003 | 70,740 | $74,520 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [5] |
| 2004 | 73,650 | $79,100 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [5] |
| 2005 | 81,100 | $84,090 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [5] |
| 2006 | 86,720 | $87,610 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [5] |
| 2007 | 85,510 | $90,930 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [5] |
| 2008 | 67,800 | $92,520 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [5] |
| 2009 | 70,570 | $94,780 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [5] |
| 2010 | 78,450 | $97,480 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [5] |
| 2011 | 79,400 | $102,420 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [5] |
| 2012 | 80,420 | $103,720 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [5] |
| 2013 | 71,500 | $103,870 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [5] |
| 2014 | 69,080 | $105,380 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [5] |
| 2015 | 66,980 | $107,830 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [5] |
| 2016 | 68,510 | $109,650 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [5] |
| 2017 | 65,760 | $113,030 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [5] |
| 2018 | 63,960 | $115,220 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [5] |
| 2019 | 63,200 | $116,500 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [5] |
| 2020 | 60,630 | $118,610 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [5] |
| 2021 | 56,640 | $122,270 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [5] |
| 2022 | 61,580 | $126,880 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [5] |
| 2023 | 66,660 | $130,720 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [5] |
| 2024 | 68,440 | $134,830 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [5] |
| 2025 | 67,710 | $134,960 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [5] |

## Sources (99)

### Employment series

1. [NASA History Office — "The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)" (NACA staffing history, 426 employees in 1938)](https://www.nasa.gov/history/the-national-advisory-committee-for-aeronautics-naca/), NASA History Office
2. [EH.net Encyclopedia — "The History of the Aerospace Industry" (1943 aviation industry employment: 1,345,600 total; NACA 500-to-6,077 growth 1939-1945)](https://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-history-of-the-aerospace-industry/), EH.net / Economic History Association
3. [Wikipedia — "National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics" (NASA 1958 founding with NACA's ~8,000 employees; aeronautical engineer census growth 1950-1960)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Advisory_Committee_for_Aeronautics), Wikipedia / NASA primary sources
4. [Wikipedia — Apollo program (workforce: "400,000 employees and contractors" including 33,200 NASA staff and 377,000 contractor employees at peak in mid-1960s)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program), Wikipedia / NASA historical records
5. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

9. [University of Missouri Libraries — "Prices and Wages by Decade: 1960-1969" (BLS Monthly Labor Review occupational salary data; engineers median salary by field)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1960-1969), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
10. [BLS Monthly Labor Review — "Research Summaries: Occupational salary levels for white-collar workers, 1985" (engineering specialties salary data)](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/1985/10/rpt1full.pdf), Bureau of Labor Statistics
11. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
12. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
13. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
14. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
15. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

16. [NASA — "When the Computer Wore a Skirt: Langley's Computers, 1935-1970" (NACA human computers and wind tunnel era)](https://www.nasa.gov/history/langleys-computers-1935-1970/), NASA History Office
17. [NASA — "The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)" (overview of NACA facilities and research methods)](https://www.nasa.gov/history/the-national-advisory-committee-for-aeronautics-naca/), NASA History Office
18. [Wikipedia — IBM 701 (first IBM scientific mainframe, delivered to NACA and defense contractors 1952-1954)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBM_701), Wikipedia
19. [NASA — "From the NACA to NASA: 95 Years of Innovation in Flight" (computing capabilities at Langley and Ames in the early NASA era)](https://www.nasa.gov/aeronautics/from-the-naca-to-nasa-95-years-of-innovation-in-flight/), NASA
20. [NASA Technical Reports Server — "NASTRAN: Users' Experiences" (Langley Research Center, September 1971; NASTRAN publicly released 1971 by NASA Office of Technology Utilization)](https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19710026777), NASA / Langley Research Center
21. [Wikipedia — NASTRAN (development history, role in aerospace structural analysis)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASTRAN), Wikipedia
22. [Wikipedia — Boeing 777 (first commercial airliner designed entirely in 3D CAD using CATIA; entered service June 1995)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_777), Wikipedia
23. [Dassault Systèmes — CATIA history and aerospace applications (Boeing 777 as landmark 3D design program)](https://www.3ds.com/products/catia), Dassault Systèmes
24. [SAE ARP4754A — Guidelines for Development of Civil Aircraft and Systems (2010 revision, V-model and systems engineering process)](https://www.sae.org/standards/arp4754a-guidelines-development-civil-aircraft-systems/), SAE International
25. [Wikipedia — SysML (Systems Modeling Language, standardized 2007)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systems_Modeling_Language), Wikipedia
26. [Wikipedia — GE LEAP engine (3D-printed fuel nozzle, 20-part consolidation, qualifying 2016)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CFM_International_LEAP), Wikipedia
27. [Altair — OptiStruct topology optimization (aerospace structural design use cases)](https://www.siemens.com/en-us/products/simcenter/mechanical-simulation/optistruct/), Altair Engineering
28. [Synopsys — Ansys 2026 R1: GeomAI and restructured SimAI portfolio (10-100x CFD/FEA speedup)](https://news.synopsys.com/2026-03-11-Synopsys-Launches-Ansys-2026-R1-to-Re-Engineer-Engineering-with-Joint-Solutions-and-AI-Powered-Products), Synopsys / Ansys
29. [Siemens — NX Copilot launch (Summer 2025) and more than 40% time savings for early adopters](https://news.siemens.com/en-us/siemens-designcenter-nx-summer-2025/), Siemens
30. [NVIDIA Modulus — physics-informed neural network platform for computational science](https://developer.nvidia.com/physicsnemo), NVIDIA

### Forecasts and exposure studies

31. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 17-2011 Aerospace engineers (2025: 68.7 thousand; 2035: 74.4 thousand; +8.3%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=17-2011&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
32. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 17-2011.00, human-rated β 0.518)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

33. [Wikipedia — Wright brothers (first flight December 17, 1903; systematic engineering methodology)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wright_brothers), Wikipedia
34. [NASA — "110 Years Ago: The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics Founded" (March 3, 1915)](https://www.nasa.gov/history/110-years-ago-the-national-advisory-committee-for-aeronautics-founded/), NASA History Office
35. [EH.net Encyclopedia — "The History of the Aerospace Industry" (1943: 1,345,600 aviation industry workers; NACA 500 to 6,077 employees, 1939-1945)](https://eh.net/encyclopedia/the-history-of-the-aerospace-industry/), EH.net / Economic History Association
36. [Wikipedia — National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA to NASA transition, October 1, 1958)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Advisory_Committee_for_Aeronautics), Wikipedia
37. [Wikipedia — Apollo program (workforce: 400,000 total, including 33,200 NASA staff and 377,000 contractor employees; Apollo 11 July 20, 1969)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_program), Wikipedia / NASA historical records
38. [Wikipedia — Falcon 9 Full Thrust (first successful orbital booster landing, 22 December 2015 UTC / 21 December 2015 local time)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9_Full_Thrust), Wikipedia
39. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Aerospace Engineers (2024-34 projections context: commercial aviation demand and defense investment)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

40. [NASA History Office — NACA overview (11 technicians and 4 professionals at Langley opening in 1920)](https://www.nasa.gov/history/the-national-advisory-committee-for-aeronautics-naca/), NASA History Office
41. [Wikipedia — Aerospace engineering (origins in mechanical engineering, early aeronautical programs built on ME curricula)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerospace_engineering), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Aerospace Engineers (17-2011.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/17-2011.00), accessed 2026-05-23
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Aerospace Engineers (2024–2034, +6% projected)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/aerospace-engineers.htm), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Synopsys — Ansys 2026 R1: GeomAI and restructured SimAI portfolio (March 2026)](https://news.synopsys.com/2026-03-11-Synopsys-Launches-Ansys-2026-R1-to-Re-Engineer-Engineering-with-Joint-Solutions-and-AI-Powered-Products), accessed 2026-06-21
- [NVIDIA Modulus — physics-informed neural network platform for computational science](https://developer.nvidia.com/physicsnemo), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Dassault Systèmes — 3DEXPERIENCE AI and CATIA Magic / No Magic (MBSE + AI copilot)](https://www.3ds.com/products/catia/no-magic), accessed 2026-06-21
- [eCFR 14 CFR Part 183 — Representatives of the Administrator, including Designated Engineering Representatives (§ 183.29)](https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-14/chapter-I/subchapter-D/part-183), accessed 2026-06-21
- [RTCA DO-178C — Software Considerations in Airborne Systems and Equipment Certification](https://www.rtca.org/products/do-178c-electronic/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [SAE ARP4754A — Guidelines for Development of Civil Aircraft and Systems](https://www.sae.org/standards/arp4754a-guidelines-development-civil-aircraft-systems/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [NASA OpenMDAO — open-source multidisciplinary design analysis and optimization framework](https://openmdao.org/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Siemens — NX Copilot launch (Summer 2025) and \>40% time savings for early adopters](https://news.siemens.com/en-us/siemens-designcenter-nx-summer-2025/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Altair — AI-driven multidisciplinary optimization for aerospace (Altair AI MDO, 2025)](https://altair.com/altair-ai-studio/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Palantir — Foundry for defense MRO and sustainment analytics (Palantir Foundry AIP, 2025)](https://www.palantir.com/platforms/foundry/), accessed 2026-05-23
- [PTC — Creo 12 AI-driven generative design with thermal physics (June 2025)](https://www.ptc.com/en/news/2025/ptc-launches-creo-12), accessed 2026-05-23
- [Microsoft 365 Copilot — AI writing and document assistance in Word/Excel/Teams](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/copilot), accessed 2026-06-21

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.