Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers Salary - BLS OEWS Wage Benchmarks
SOC 51-2011 · National · May 2025 OEWS Data
Median Annual Salary
$65,374
$31.43/hr
Verified BLS OEWS data · Updated May 18, 2026
Source: BLS OEWS · Published May 15, 2026
Next refresh: May 2027
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The national median salary for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers is $65,374 per year ($31.43/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $58,594 and $83,408 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $107,494 per year. There are approximately 34,020 aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Assemble, fit, fasten, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles, such as tails, wings, fuselage, bulkheads, stabilizers, landing gear, rigging and control equipment, or heating and ventilating systems.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-14.5%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
3K
per year, on avg
Workforce today
34K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 4 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing
NAICS 336400
31K
$66,250
Support Activities for Air Transportation
NAICS 488100
1K
$55,800
Employment Services
NAICS 561300
640
$47,120
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services
NAICS 541300
280
$85,990
Wage range across top 5 industries: $47,120 to $85,990 (82% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$22.74
$47,299
P25
$28.17
$58,594
P50MEDIAN
$31.43
$65,374
P75
$40.10
$83,408
P90
$51.68
$107,494
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · manufacturing sector
Stable
Openings Rate
3.5%
Quits Rate
1.4%
Manufacturing openings ticked up to 462K (+19K) in March, with the rate at 3.5%. Hires rose to 310K. The sector has stabilized after late-2025 softening.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers salary?
The national median salary for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers is $65,374 per year ($31.43/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $58,594 and $83,408 annually.
How much do top-earning aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers make?
The 90th percentile salary for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers is $107,494 per year ($51.68/hr). The 75th percentile is $83,408 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers?
Entry-level Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers (10th percentile) earn approximately $47,299 per year ($22.74/hr). The 25th percentile is $58,594 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
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