Aerospace Engineers pay range in San Diego
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $96,650 a year or less, while the top 10% make $209,080 or more. The middle half of aerospace engineers in San Diego earn between $114,730 and $164,110.
- $97K10th
- $115K25th
- $135KMedian
- $164K75th
- $209K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $144,280 | $12,023 | $69.37 |
| Median | $135,010 | $11,251 | $64.91 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $114,730 | $9,561 | $55.16 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $164,110 | $13,676 | $78.90 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Aerospace Engineers salary after taxes in San Diego
On the average salary of $144,280, a single filer in San Diego takes home about $100,555 a year, or $8,380 a month and $3,868 every two weeks. Taxes take 30% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is San Diego a good place for aerospace engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the San Diego area are 12% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 111.9), so the average $144,280 buys what about $128,952 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.3 times the median wage of all jobs in San Diego ($58,690). A typical home costs $946,365, or 6.6 years of this average salary before tax.
Aerospace Engineers salary in other California cities
San Diego ranks 5th of 10 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($183,920).
- San Francisco$183,920
- San Jose$181,690
- Los Angeles$161,520
- Sacramento$144,960
- San Diego$144,280
- San Luis Obispo$143,350
- Riverside$141,070
- Santa Maria$137,690
- Bakersfield$134,930
- Oxnard$133,000
Highest-paying cities for aerospace engineers
San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($183,920).
- San Francisco, CA$183,920
- San Jose, CA$181,690
- Omaha, NE$172,720
- Washington, DC$168,780
- Boulder, CO$165,500
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Aerospace Engineers salary in San Diego: questions
How much do aerospace engineers make an hour in San Diego?
$69.37 an hour on average, and $64.91 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level aerospace engineers salary in San Diego?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $96,650 a year and the 25th percentile is $114,730, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the aerospace engineers take-home pay in San Diego?
About $100,555 a year ($8,380 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $144,280. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do aerospace engineers earn more in San Diego than elsewhere?
The average here is about the same as the U.S. metro average for this job ($144,780).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2011; area San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (41740). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 0.7%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.20, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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