How much do avionics technicians make in 2026?
Avionics technicians earn a national median of $82,280 a year ($39.56 an hour) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 for SOC 49-2091, with the bottom 10% near $49,410 and the top 10% at $113,680 across just 18,830 workers. That median sits above the general aircraft mechanic figure, and the reason is scarcity of a specific skill set. Avionics work covers navigation, communication, flight control, autopilot, radar and instrument systems — troubleshooting to component level using wiring diagrams and test equipment, installing and certifying new equipment, and increasingly working with integrated digital architectures where a fault in one system presents as a symptom in another. It is a small occupation, the training pipeline is narrower than for airframe and powerplant work, and the number of technicians who are genuinely strong at systems-level troubleshooting is smaller still. Defence and government avionics work usually requires a security clearance, which restricts the eligible pool further and supports pay at the upper end, though no published series separates cleared from uncleared wages. Employment is projected to grow 8.2% through 2034, notably faster than aircraft mechanics overall, with roughly 1,800 openings a year. → Full avionics technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $82,280 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Avionics Technicians earn a national median $82,280/yr ($39.56/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-2091); the P10 to P90 range is $49,410 to $113,680.
- The avionics median sits above general aircraft mechanic pay because the skill set is scarcer and the training pipeline is narrower.
- The work is systems-level troubleshooting on integrated digital architectures, where a fault in one system frequently presents as a symptom in another.
- Defence and government avionics work usually requires a security clearance, which restricts the eligible pool and supports upper-band pay, though no published series isolates the effect.
US Avionics Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do avionics technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 49-2091; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-2091, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an avionics technician earn at each career stage?
Avionics pay follows troubleshooting depth and the certifications behind it. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-2091.
By State
Which states pay avionics technicians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national avionics technician median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. With only 18,830 technicians nationally, positions concentrate around completion centres, repair stations and defence programmes rather than spreading across states by population.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($94,620), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay avionics technicians the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Business aviation completion centres and defence electronics facilities carry much of this employment and are highly clustered.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an avionics technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does avionics technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Avionics Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify avionics technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an avionics technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Avionics Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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