Installation & Repair
Aircraft Mechanics
SOC 49-3011
Inspect and repair aircraft to exacting safety standards.
The job
Median pay
$80k
$63k to $99k typical range
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing fast
+5.4% projected
Openings a year
11k
BLS projection
Typical education
Postsecondary plus cert
Our model
AI displacement risk
Low
How much of this job AI may do instead of the person
Works with AI
15/100
AI alongside the person rather than instead of them
AI exposure
15th pct
More exposed than 15% of occupations · modeled estimate · 17th pct in Microsoft's data
Future-proof
61/100
Key skills
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Active Learning
Pay and jobs by state
BLS OEWS May 2025, 51 states. Sorted by jobs; per 1,000 is jobs per thousand workers in the state; vs national compares that rate with the country's. A tilde marks a figure estimated from the parent occupation group where BLS publishes none.
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 16,850 | 1.2 | 1.4× | $84k |
| Florida | 14,850 | 1.5 | 1.7× | $77k |
| California | 12,590 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $86k |
| Oklahoma | 8,550 | 5.0 | 5.6× | $74k |
| Georgia | 6,720 | 1.4 | 1.6× | $76k |
| Arizona | 5,670 | 1.8 | 2.0× | $75k |
| North Carolina | 4,700 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $77k |
| Tennessee | 4,670 | 1.4 | 1.6× | $81k |
| Washington | 4,480 | 1.3 | 1.4× | $99k |
| Alabama | 4,310 | 2.0 | 2.3× | $82k |
All 51 states
| State | Jobs | Per 1,000 | vs national | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 4,300 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $103k |
| Michigan | 3,380 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $75k |
| Illinois | 3,370 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $82k |
| Ohio | 2,840 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $81k |
| Colorado | 2,690 | 0.9 | 1.1× | $82k |
| Nevada | 2,570 | 1.7 | 1.9× | $95k |
| Minnesota | 2,390 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $82k |
| Virginia | 2,260 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $82k |
| Pennsylvania | 2,080 | 0.3 | 0.4× | $78k |
| Utah | 2,080 | 1.2 | 1.4× | $70k |
| New Jersey | 1,900 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $105k |
| Missouri | 1,700 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $71k |
| Kentucky | 1,680 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $68k |
| South Carolina | 1,660 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $75k |
| Indiana | 1,500 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $63k |
| Alaska | 1,470 | 4.5 | 5.1× | $91k |
| Kansas | 1,440 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $80k |
| Connecticut | 1,430 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $97k |
| Massachusetts | 1,410 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $93k |
| Mississippi | 1,360 | 1.2 | 1.3× | $75k |
| Wisconsin | 1,270 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $74k |
| Hawaii | 1,150 | 1.8 | 2.1× | $91k |
| Louisiana | 1,150 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $80k |
| Oregon | 1,080 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $83k |
| Maryland | 1,070 | 0.4 | 0.4× | $101k |
| New Mexico | 860 | 1.0 | 1.1× | $84k |
| Arkansas | 720 | 0.6 | 0.6× | $65k |
| Idaho | 600 | 0.7 | 0.8× | $61k |
| West Virginia | 590 | 0.8 | 0.9× | $45k |
| Nebraska | 410 | 0.4 | 0.5× | $64k |
| Wyoming | 340 | 1.2 | 1.4× | $57k |
| Iowa | 330 | 0.2 | 0.2× | $70k |
| Montana | 310 | 0.6 | 0.7× | $64k |
| Washington DC | 244 | 0.3 | 0.4× | $96k~ |
| Delaware | 240 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $84k |
| North Dakota | 200 | 0.5 | 0.5× | $78k |
| Maine | 190 | 0.3 | 0.3× | $68k |
| New Hampshire | 190 | 0.3 | 0.3× | $80k |
| Vermont | 160 | 0.5 | 0.6× | $76k |
| South Dakota | 150 | 0.3 | 0.4× | $76k |
| Rhode Island | 120 | 0.2 | 0.3× | $71k |
Top metro areas
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX8,000 jobs · $95k median
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL6,460 jobs · $78k median
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ5,110 jobs · $127k median
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA5,020 jobs · $83k median
- Tulsa, OK4,520 jobs
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA3,950 jobs · $104k median
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ3,810 jobs · $77k median
- Oklahoma City, OK3,310 jobs · $68k median
Explore the rankings
Explore Aircraft Mechanics interactively →Pay and outlook from BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.