Salary guide, May 2025
Aircraft Structures Assembler pay, United States
Manufacturing Headhunters uses the published BLS OEWS figures below. They describe the mapped occupation and area, not an individual offer.
This is what we do all day: recruit manufacturing professionals.
The median annual wage for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers in the United States was $65,380 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $58,600 and $83,410.
Also searched as: Aircraft Assembler, Structures Mechanic, Aerospace Sheet Metal Assembler, A&P Mechanic. These titles share this page because BLS reports them under one occupation.
Direct match · SOC 51-2011 Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
The Aircraft Structures Assembler title maps to the published occupation. The duties align, but BLS combines employers and industries.
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $47,310 | $58,600 | $65,380 | $83,410 | $107,500 |
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $22.74 | $28.17 | $31.43 | $40.10 | $51.68 |
BLS estimated 34,020 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 51-2011 Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, U.S.. Official occupation data · Official area tables. Released 2026-05-15.
How does pay compare in the target metros?
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $77,920 | $60,880 to $98,290 | 400 | 0.66 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | Not published by BLS for this area. National figures above apply. | |||
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | Not published by BLS for this area. National figures above apply. | |||
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | Not published by BLS for this area. National figures above apply. | |||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $58,590 | $49,500 to $61,110 | 200 | 0.09 |
| Northern New Jersey within New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $58,590 | $49,500 to $61,110 | 200 | 0.09 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $86,520 | $60,250 to $86,520 | 2,450 | 2.77 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Not published by BLS for this area. National figures above apply. | |||
Rank every metro for Aircraft Structures Assembler
What should you know about pay by manufacturing industry, United States?
Same BLS occupation, national estimates for each manufacturing industry (NAICS) BLS publishes, May 2025. Industry names are BLS labels. Nested NAICS rows overlap; they are not independent samples and must not be added together. Identical source rows repeated at different publication levels appear once.
- Transportation Equipment Manufacturing (NAICS 336000)$66,250
Bars compare up to 15 non-overlapping 3-digit manufacturing subsectors with exact annual medians. More detailed scopes remain in the table, identified by code and publication level.
| NAICS / scope | Industry | Employment | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31-33 · sector | Manufacturing | 31,200 | $59,670 | $66,610 | $84,950 |
| 336000 · 3-digit | Transportation Equipment Manufacturing | 30,820 | $59,580 | $66,250 | $84,950 |
| 336400 · 4-digit | Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing | 30,810 | $59,580 | $66,250 | $85,030 |
What should you know about manufacturing pay mix?
For Aircraft Structures Assembler, write the straight-time rate separately from shift coverage and extra hours. OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. It includes base rate, guaranteed pay, commissions and production bonuses. It excludes overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits.
An attendance bonus is not a production bonus; confirm its purpose and treatment rather than adding every bonus to the BLS figure. Skills-based pay steps affect the base rate when they are part of straight-time pay; BLS does not publish a separate rate for each plant's skill grade. Ask whether a tool allowance is expense reimbursement or wage pay. OEWS does not publish a separate tool-allowance component. Keep these items separate in the offer so the published wage is not mistaken for the whole package.
Pay mix here means how published medians for this one BLS occupation differ across manufacturing industries and against the all-industry median. It does not split pay into base, incentive or overtime. BLS wages are straight-time gross pay and exclude overtime, shift differentials and nonproduction bonuses.
What should you know about two BLS releases?
| Release period | 25th | Median | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | $53,180 | $61,680 | $75,240 |
| May 2025 | $58,600 | $65,380 | $83,410 |
These are two separate BLS estimates from different survey panels. The workers and employers behind them differ, so the gap is not like-for-like pay for the same workers and is not a growth rate. We show no percentage change.
What should you know about supervisory and worker occupations?
BLS publishes these as separate occupations. Pay for one is not a pay step for the other.
- Supervisor occupation: Production Supervisor pay (SOC 51-1011)
Recruiter's read. Qualitative, not BLS data.
What should you know about credentials and their limits?
An FAA airframe and powerplant certificate matters for some roles, especially repair and maintenance. For production assembly it often is not required. It shows broad aircraft knowledge but not skill on your product. We ask which your role truly needs.
What should you know about questions?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
What is the median pay for a Aircraft Structures Assembler?
The median annual wage for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers in the United States was $65,380 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of workers earned between $58,600 and $83,410.
What does the 10th percentile mean here?
10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than $47,310. 90% earned less than $107,500.
Does this include overtime or bonuses?
Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay. Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
Is this the pay for a Aircraft Structures Assembler at a plant?
The Aircraft Structures Assembler title maps to the published occupation. The duties align, but BLS combines employers and industries. These are occupation estimates across all industries, not an offer for a particular manufacturing title.
How many people work in this occupation?
BLS estimated 34,020 workers employed in this occupation in the United States.
What should you know about related?
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What does this data mean for your opening?
Manufacturing Headhunters evaluates the Aircraft Structures Assembler role, mapping it to the SOC 51-2011 category. This occupation encompasses workers assembling, rigging, and fastening aircraft components. For Aircraft Structures Assembler in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $65,380; the May 2024 median is $61,680. Their arithmetic difference is $3,700.
They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause. This change highlights the shift in market demand for workers capable of interpreting blueprints and performing precision fastening and sealing tasks.
For Aircraft Structures Assembler in the United States, percentiles describe the wage distribution of the mapped occupation. The published middle interval is $58,600 to $83,410 annually. They do not assign pay to plant size, seniority, credentials or job complexity. Assess duties and candidate requirements separately; these rows do not measure a premium for them. Within the national manufacturing sector, wages vary by specific industry. For example, Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing reports a median of $66,250, while the broader Transportation Equipment Manufacturing industry sits at $66,250. These figures illustrate that aircraft assembly roles are consistently aligned with the upper end of the national manufacturing occupation wage structure.
Comparing local concentrations, the Wichita, KS area shows an employment count of 9,460 with a median of $59,850. In contrast, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA area reports an employment count of 4,010 with a significantly higher median of $110,470. These variances in local medians often result from different regional living costs and industrial clusters. The location quotient in Wichita is 140.11, demonstrating a high concentration of assembly work compared to the national average, whereas Seattle reflects a lower concentration of 8.77 for this specific SOC.
For Aircraft Structures Assembler in the United States, OEWS measures straight-time gross wages, not pure base salary or total compensation. Commissions and production bonuses are included; overtime, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses and benefits are excluded. Because BLS combines all employers and industries into this SOC, the provided salary range includes various levels of seniority and specialized certifications that the BLS does not explicitly break down. As a result, hiring managers should consider these figures as a broad baseline for professional structure.
Which pay questions should you settle before hiring?
For Aircraft Structures Assembler in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $65,380; the May 2024 median is $61,680. Their arithmetic difference is $3,700. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.
How does the national median wage change compare for this role?
For Aircraft Structures Assembler in the United States, releases are separate survey estimates. The May 2025 median is $65,380; the May 2024 median is $61,680. Their arithmetic difference is $3,700. They are not the same workers' raises and do not establish a pay trend or its cause.
What is the P25/P75 band width for this occupation?
The national middle-band width is $24,810. This range represents the spread between the 25th percentile of $58,600 and the 75th percentile of $83,410.
Why does the Seattle area report higher wages than the national median?
Local labor markets like Seattle often reflect higher regional cost-of-living adjustments and specific industrial demands. These factors frequently push local medians above the national average.
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