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
Is this a competitive Aircraft Structure salary in 2026?
Based on BLS OEWS wage percentiles, JOLTS June 2026 demand signals, and ECI Q2 2026 wage growth.
$Competitive · ~P50
P10$47K
P25$59K
P50$65K
P75$83K
P90$107K
Drag the dot or type an amount above.
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Demand: STABLE. Demand is stable -- manufacturing openings are at 3.7% (JOLTS, June 2026). A standard market: pay near the median, no urgency premium needed.
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Merit budget: Wages in manufacturing are rising about 3.3% a year (BLS ECI, Q2 2026). Budget a 2.9-3.4% merit increase to hold this role at market.
Our read
For a competitive 2026 offer, target $65,374 to $83,408 (market median to the 75th percentile). Anchor on the median.
Figures are market benchmarks from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; apply professional judgment before making pay decisions.
How Aircraft Structure pay is moving in 2026
Trend, demand, and spread context from BLS OEWS, JOLTS, and ECI
Pay trend
Median pay for this role rose 6.0% between the May 2024 and May 2025 BLS surveys, outpacing the 3.3% wage growth of Manufacturing (BLS ECI).
Hiring demand · STABLE
Manufacturing is running a 3.7% job-openings rate with quits at 1.5% (BLS JOLTS). The openings rate has drifted up from 3.4% to 3.7% over the past quarter.
Pay spread
Top earners (P90) make about 2.3 times what entry-level (P10) workers make in this role. That spread is in the typical range for U.S. occupations; standard 80% to 120% pay bands around the median work well.
What changed recently
Aug 4, 2026JOLTS June 2026: sector openings eased to 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback. Quits steady at 1.5%.
Commentary is generated from published BLS figures (OEWS May 2025 vs May 2024, JOLTS June 2026, ECI Q2 2026) and refreshed each release. It is interpretation, not a BLS product.
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
3.7%
Quits Rate
1.5%
Manufacturing openings eased to 481K (-36K) in June, rate 3.7%, with nondurable goods driving the pullback (-55K). Quits held at 1.5%. The sector remains stable.
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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