Aerospace Engineer.
Los Angeles.
$166,000
median salary, 23% above the national average
$129,000 to $214,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Los Angeles is 18% more expensive than the national average. For Aerospace Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $166,000, with the full range spanning $129,000 to $214,000. Security clearance level and employer type drive the widest variance. Know the range before you walk in. 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 Engineer in Los Angeles, 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 $163,280 for Aerospace Engineers (SOC 17-2011) in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, based on 5,200 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$108,330
25th percentile
$130,530
Median
$163,280
75th percentile
$183,190
90th percentile
$227,440
Workers surveyed
5,200
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 Engineer specifically. The Los Angeles 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 $149,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$108,000
to $133,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$141,000
to $174,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$183,000
to $216,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$208,000
to $257,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $41,000 to the total package.
Base
$166,000
Equity
$23,000
Bonus
$15,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $207,000
How Los Angeles compares.
Los Angeles, CA
$166,000
Cost of living: 18% above average
National Average
$135,000
Los Angeles is $31,000 above
Aerospace Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in Los Angeles.
What you should know.
The Aerospace Engineer landscape in Los Angeles is not what most salary sites will tell you. Los Angeles blends a thriving entertainment industry with a growing tech and startup ecosystem, often called Silicon Beach. The city's diverse economy spans aerospace, healthcare, fashion, and gaming. LA offers strong salaries that, while below San Francisco levels, pair with a broader lifestyle appeal and lower housing costs relative to the Bay Area. Security clearance level and employer type drive the widest variance. Defense contractors pay 10 to 20% premiums for TS/SCI clearances. Specialization in propulsion, avionics, or spacecraft systems commands higher compensation than structural analysis. The growing commercial space sector is pushing salaries upward across all levels.
Junior aerospace engineers start at $88,000 to $100,000. Senior engineers reach $115,000 to $152,000 after six to eight years. Principal engineers and engineering directors earn $155,000 to $210,000, with chief engineers at major programs exceeding $230,000. In Los Angeles, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 18% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. Defense contractors offer 8 to 15% annual bonuses and retention bonuses of $10,000 to $30,000 for cleared engineers. Commercial space companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin add equity packages. Many roles include relocation assistance and clearance processing support. And on the tax side: california's 13.3% top state income tax rate applies to LA earners as well. There is no city income tax, but the high state rate makes take home pay lower than cities in no income tax states. When someone quotes you $166,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Highlight cross industry skills. LA employers value candidates who bridge entertainment and tech, so framing your experience across verticals can unlock higher offers. The range for Aerospace Engineers in Los Angeles runs from $129,000 to $214,000. 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
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Common questions.
Aerospace Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Los Angeles.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Aerospace Engineer Salary in Los Angeles, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/aerospace-engineer/los-angeles
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