Side-by-side distribution
Aerospace Engineer
$137,800
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 64.6%
- Live roles
- 206
Materials Engineer
$133,125
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 45%
- Live roles
- 291
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Airframe Engineer - IPT Lead [AERO]
Staff Aeronautical Engineer (VMS & GNC)
Staff Aeronautical Engineer- Test & Evaluation
Staff Aeronautical Engineer - Hydraulics Responsible Engineer
Staff Engineer Aeronautical
Staff Aeronautical Engineer -Test and Evaluation Lead
Astrodynamics Aerospace Engineer
Astrodynamics Aerospace Engineer, Lead
Senior Aerospace Software Engineer
Structures Engineer, Aerospace & Defense (All Levels)
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Nuclear Materials Engineer
Materials Research and Development Engineer
Electro-Optics Materials and Device Engineer
Quantum Superconducting Materials Engineer
Principal TPS Materials Engineer
Staff Materials Engineer (Level 5)
Senior Data Engineer, Bioinformatics, Cheminformatics, Materials
Principal Propulsion Engineer - Materials and Processes
Senior Materials Engineer, Material Health Monitoring
Senior Electrical Engineer – Dielectric Materials Development
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$142,500 | 36 |
|
Blue Origin
|
$119,041 | 11 |
Xometry
|
$72,375 | 9 |
| BO Boeing | $132,000 | 8 |
| GV GE Vernova | $90,000 | 7 |
Leidos
|
$122,275 | 6 |
|
Booz Allen Hamilton
|
$163,675 | 4 |
TSC
|
$153,250 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Blue Origin
|
$119,041 | 21 |
Mitsubishi Chemical Group
|
$98,800 | 8 |
|
Helion
|
$200,000 | 7 |
Relativity Space
|
$155,000 | 7 |
SpaceX
|
$115,000 | 7 |
|
Northrop Grumman
|
$145,550 | 6 |
Anduril Industries
|
$171,500 | 5 |
|
Penn State University
|
$170,079 | 4 |
Aerospace Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $129,124 | 6 |
| Seattle | $125,894 | 10 |
| Denver | $109,121 | 11 |
Materials Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | $167,500 | 12 |
| San Francisco | $161,000 | 3 |
| Denver | $160,199 | 7 |
| Seattle | $119,041 | 21 |
Aerospace Engineer vs Materials Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Aerospace Engineer is $137,800 per year (typically $114,700–$160,375), versus $133,125 for Materials Engineer ($112,750–$170,744). That puts Aerospace Engineer about 4% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Aerospace Engineer and Materials Engineer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.