Salary comparison
Aerospace Engineer vs Software Engineer salary
Aerospace Engineers out-earn software engineers by about $1,750 at the median. Here is the full side-by-side breakdown — pay range, top states, and experience.
Aerospace Engineers earn more — a median of $134,830 versus $133,080 for software engineers, a gap of about $1,750 (1%). Both figures are published national wage benchmarks.
Aerospace Engineer
Verified$134,830
Median annual wage
- Entry (10th pct)
- $85,350
- Top 10%
- $205,850
- Discipline
- Architecture & Engineering
Software Engineer
Verified$133,080
Median annual wage
- Entry (10th pct)
- $79,850
- Top 10%
- $211,450
- Discipline
- Software & Technology
Aerospace Engineer vs Software Engineer — pay distribution
Percentile-by-percentile comparison of national annual wages.
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentileAerospace Engineer | $85,350 |
| MedianAerospace Engineer | $134,830 |
| 90th percentileAerospace Engineer | $205,850 |
| 10th percentileSoftware Engineer | $79,850 |
| MedianSoftware Engineer | $133,080 |
| 90th percentileSoftware Engineer | $211,450 |
Pay by experience
Modeled progression from entry to principal level for each role (estimated from the national percentile curve).
Aerospace Engineer
Software Engineer
Where each role pays most
Highest-paying states by published median wage.
Aerospace Engineer
- District of Columbia$175,350
- Washington$158,600
- Maryland$158,220
- Massachusetts$152,210
- Colorado$151,570
Software Engineer
- California$170,910
- Washington$166,910
- New York$161,260
- Massachusetts$150,520
- Maryland$137,890
Which should you choose?
On pay alone, aerospace engineers earn about 1% more at the median — but location and specialization routinely move pay by more than that gap.
Pick aerospace engineer if…
Aerospace engineers design aircraft, spacecraft, satellites, and missiles, and test prototypes to ensure they function safely.
- ▹Defense/space clearance requirements
- ▹Industry (commercial aviation, defense, new space)
- ▹Years of experience
Pick software engineer if…
Software engineers design, build, and maintain the software systems, applications, and services that companies run on — from web and mobile apps to backend infrastructure.
- ▹Years of experience and seniority (junior → staff/principal)
- ▹Company type (Big Tech and trading firms pay well above median)
- ▹Equity and bonus, which can exceed base pay at senior levels
Aerospace Engineer vs Software Engineer — frequently asked
Who earns more, aerospace engineers or software engineers?
What is the salary range for aerospace engineers vs software engineers?
Should I become a aerospace engineer or a software engineer?
Source details
Published wage from BLS OEWS May 2024 for SOC 17-2011 (Aerospace Engineers), national.
Benchmarks come from published government wage data via BLS OEWS. Local and emerging-role figures are labeled estimates. Full methodology →