Aeronautical Engineer Starting Salary

Aeronautical engineers design and develop various types of aircraft, as well as technologies to be used in aircraft such as navigation systems, instrumentation, communication, propulsion systems and more. Starting salaries are reasonably high, and these engineers can rapidly make more money with a few years of experience.

Starting Salary

According to the PayScale salary survey website, the starting median salary in 2009 for aeronautical engineers was about $57,000, with an increase to $71,000 yearly after five years experience.

Average Salary

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics includes alone astronautical engineers with aeronautical engineers in its salary figures, in the category of aerospace engineers. Average salary was about $45 an hour in 2008, or nearly $94,000.

Education Differences

The BLS shows that in 2007, the starting salary for aerospace engineers with a bachelor's degree was about $53,000; those with a master's degree, $62,000; and $74,000 yearly for those who have a doctorate degree.

General Range

Only the bottom 10 percent of aerospace engineers in 2008 were earning under $58,000, which may reflect starting salaries. The top 10 percent were making over $134,000, and the middle 50 percent had salaries between $72,000 and $114,000.

Gender Differences

PayScale shows that 90 percent of aeronautical engineers are men, who are paid about 12 percent more than women in the field.

References

• Information on aerospace engineering careers from the BLS
• Aerospace engineer salary details from the BLS
• Aeronautical engineer salary charts from PayScale