Aerospace engineers
SOC Code: 17-2011
Aerospace engineers carries a 45% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $134,830 and +6.1% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 71,600 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 45% AI exposure, Aerospace engineers sits 8 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 81% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
68/100
Aerospace engineers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $134,830
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth A- +6.1%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 45% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Aerospace engineers in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Aerospace engineers shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Average (378 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Aerospace engineers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Aerospace engineers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
45% Higher than most higher than 81% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Aerospace engineers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Aerospace engineers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Aerospace engineers's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 17-2011) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Aerospace engineers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Aerospace engineers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Formulate mathematical models or other methods of computer analysis to develop, evaluate, or modify design, according to customer engineering requirements.
- 2. Plan or conduct experimental, environmental, operational, or stress tests on models or prototypes of aircraft or aerospace systems or equipment.
- 3. Formulate conceptual design of aeronautical or aerospace products or systems to meet customer requirements or conform to environmental regulations.
- 4. Plan or coordinate investigation and resolution of customers' reports of technical problems with aircraft or aerospace vehicles.
- 5. Write technical reports or other documentation, such as handbooks or bulletins, for use by engineering staff, management, or customers.
- 6. Direct or coordinate activities of engineering or technical personnel involved in designing, fabricating, modifying, or testing of aircraft or aerospace products.
- 7. Diagnose performance problems by reviewing reports or documentation from customers or field engineers or by inspecting malfunctioning or damaged products.
- 8. Evaluate product data or design from inspections or reports for conformance to engineering principles, customer requirements, environmental regulations, or quality standards.
- 9. Direct aerospace research and development programs.
- 10. Develop design criteria for aeronautical or aerospace products or systems, including testing methods, production costs, quality standards, environmental standards, or completion dates.
Key Skills Required
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Science
- Active Listening
- Writing
- Speaking
- Mathematics
- Complex Problem Solving
- Operations Analysis
- Monitoring
Knowledge Areas
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Design
- Physics
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Mechanical
- Production and Processing
- Transportation
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Aerospace engineers?
Aerospace engineers has an AI exposure score of 45%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Aerospace engineers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Aerospace engineers is projected to grow by 6.1% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 71,600 workers.
What skills are needed for Aerospace engineers?
Key skills for Aerospace engineers include Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Science, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Aerospace engineers earn?
The median annual wage for Aerospace engineers is $134,830, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Aerospace engineers?
The typical entry-level education for Aerospace engineers is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Aerospace engineers?
Aerospace engineers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Aerospace engineers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (45% here).
- Airfield operations specialists · AI exposure 45%
- Couriers and messengers · AI exposure 45%
- First-line supervisors of gambling services workers · AI exposure 45%
- Human resources managers · AI exposure 45%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+6.1% here).
- Fast food and counter workers · growth +6.1%
- Psychiatrists · growth +6.1%
- Transportation, storage, and distribution managers · growth +6.1%
- Entertainers and performers, sports and related workers, all other · growth +6.0%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 15 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Aerospace engineers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Aerospace engineers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).