SOC 53-2022 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Airfield Operations Specialists — New York
New York · 2 metro areas compared
At $42,000, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Airfield Operations Specialists, 26.1% beneath the national figure of $56,850.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow about as fast as average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +4.2%
- Openings per year
- 1,600
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
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 New York.
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
At $42,000, this is one of the lower medians recorded for Airfield Operations Specialists, 26.1% beneath the national figure of $56,850. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $37,760 and $47,930. The lowest tenth earn under $32,410, while the highest tenth earn more than $67,710.
Employment stands at 2,190, or 0.2 jobs per thousand held locally. Among the 35 states with published data for this occupation, New York ranks 26th by median wage. New York leads the state's metro areas for this occupation, at $42,000. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 718th of 776 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $32,410 | −43.0% |
| 25th | $37,760 | −33.6% |
| Median (50th) | $42,000 | −26.1% |
| 75th | $47,930 | −15.7% |
| 90th | $67,710 | +19.1% |
| Mean | $46,380 | −18.4% |
Highest-paying metro areas in New York
| # | Metro area | Median | Jobs | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | $42,000 | 2,090 | |
| 2 | Kiryas Joel | $34,430 | — |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in New York run 7.9% above the national average, so the median of $42,000 buys what $38,925 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way the gap against the national median narrows to 31.5% below the national median in real terms.
Published median
$42,000as reported by BLSLocal price level
107.9US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$38,925US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $42,000 a year, 26.1% below the national median.
- Published pay spans $32,410 to $67,710 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 2,190 jobs in this occupation.
- It ranks 26th of 35 states for this occupation.
- The highest-paying metro area covered is New York, at $42,000.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Airfield Operations Specialists in New York?
The median annual wage is $42,000, or $20.19 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 $56,850, so pay in New York is 26.1% 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 New York earns more than $67,710 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $32,410 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 New York, at $42,000 per year.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 2,190 jobs in this occupation in New York. 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.
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