Aerospace AI Engineer.
Wichita.
$111,000
median salary, 18% below the national average
$82,000 to $148,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
An Aerospace AI Engineer in Wichita earns a median of $111,000 in 2026. That is 18% below the national average. The range runs from $82,000 to $148,000, and where you land depends on your experience, your skills, and how well you negotiate. Compensation reflects specialization depth, production deployment scale, and the maturity of the AI systems being built. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Aerospace AI Engineer in Wichita, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $130,720 for Aerospace Engineers (SOC 17-2011) in the Wichita, KS metropolitan area, based on 1,430 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$81,100
25th percentile
$100,800
Median
$130,720
75th percentile
$166,900
90th percentile
$167,400
Workers surveyed
1,430
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Aerospace Engineers (SOC 17-2011) rather than Aerospace AI Engineer specifically. The Wichita range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 17-2011Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $100,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$72,000
to $89,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$94,000
to $117,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$122,000
to $144,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$139,000
to $172,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $31,000 to the total package.
Base
$111,000
Equity
$18,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $142,000
How Wichita compares.
Wichita, KS
$111,000
Cost of living: 18% below average
National Average
$135,000
Wichita is $24,000 below
Aerospace AI Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Wichita.
What you should know.
Here is what the Aerospace AI Engineer market actually looks like in Wichita. Wichita is the air capital of the world, home to major aerospace manufacturers including Spirit AeroSystems, Textron Aviation, and Airbus. The city's engineering talent pool is deep, and the extremely low cost of living means aerospace salaries deliver exceptional purchasing power. Compensation reflects specialization depth, production deployment scale, and the maturity of the AI systems being built. Aerospace AI Engineers who have shipped models serving millions of users command the highest premiums. Employer type matters significantly: AI labs and foundation model companies pay 20% to 40% more than enterprises adopting AI for internal use.
Entry-level Aerospace AI Engineers start near $168,000. Mid-career professionals with three to five years of experience reach $215,000 to $280,000. Senior-level roles command $275,000 to $333,000. Management transitions to director-level positions offer $355,000 and above. In Wichita, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 18% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at top-tier companies adds 30% to 60% above base salary. Annual bonuses of 15% to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $25,000 to $75,000 are common when changing roles. Refresher equity grants vest annually. Relocation packages and executive benefits like financial planning are typical. And on the tax side: kansas has a top income tax rate of 5.7%. Wichita has no city income tax. The moderate state rate combined with very low housing costs creates strong net pay. When someone quotes you $111,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight aerospace engineering expertise. Wichita manufacturers pay competitive national rates for specialized aviation and defense engineering talent. The range for Aerospace AI Engineers in Wichita runs from $82,000 to $148,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- An ML Engineer in Wichita earns $112,000 (1% more)
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- See all ai industrial roles tracked in Orbyt Intelligence
Common questions.
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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Aerospace AI Engineer Salary in Wichita, KS." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/aerospace-ai-engineer/wichita
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