SalaryExplorer

SOC 17-2011 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Aerospace Engineers — Memphis

Memphis, TN-MS-AR · 2 metro areas compared

$129,830 /year
$62.42per hour
130jobs in area
−3.8%vs US median

The median wage for Aerospace Engineers in Memphis, TN is $129,830 per year, close to the national median of $134,960 for the same occupation.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $134,96010TH$111,280MEDIAN$129,83090TH$149,650

How pay has moved

$138,057$122,03320212022202320242025$129,830
$126,780 in 2021 to $129,830 in 2025, +2.4% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow faster than average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+6.1%
Openings per year
4,500
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Memphis, TN-MS-AR.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Aerospace Engineers in Memphis, TN is $129,830 per year, close to the national median of $134,960 for the same occupation. Pay ranges from under $111,280 at the tenth percentile to more than $149,650 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $129,030 to $131,310.

Employment stands at 130, or 0.2 jobs per thousand held locally. Nashville leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $133,810. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 24th of 564 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Memphis, TN-MS-AR · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$111,280−17.5%
25th$129,030−4.4%
Median (50th)$129,830−3.8%
75th$131,310−2.7%
90th$149,650+10.9%
Mean$132,410−1.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Tennessee

Median annual wage for Aerospace Engineers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Nashville$133,81070
2Knoxville$107,10090

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Memphis run 7.8% below the national average, so the median of $129,830 goes as far as $140,813 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 4.3% above the national median in real terms.

Published median

$129,830as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.2US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$140,813US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $129,830 a year, 3.8% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $111,280 to $149,650 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 130 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Nashville, at $133,810.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Aerospace Engineers in Memphis, TN?

The median annual wage is $129,830, or $62.42 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $134,960, so pay in Memphis, TN is 3.8% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Memphis, TN earns more than $149,650 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $111,280 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Nashville, at $133,810 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 130 jobs in this occupation in Memphis, TN. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.