If you already hold your Airframe and Powerplant certificates you may be wondering what you could earn if you specialized in avionics. An avionics technician salary is actually closely aligned with what you earn as an A&P with the mean annual wage being $77,080.
While A&P mechanics focus on the big pieces of the aircraft — the airframe and engines — avionics techs focus on the smaller electronics bits and bobs that make it all work.
The work once centered around instruments and radios but now includes a wide variety of electronics that make up modern computerized aircraft.
Here’s a look at how well this career path can pay and how it compares to working as an airframe and powerplant mechanic.
What Is an Avionics Technician?
Before diving into an avionics tech salary, let’s take a quick look at what is an avionics technician and how the job compares to being a regular aircraft mechanic.
The career path looks very similar: both jobs usually start with an aircraft mechanic school or apprenticeship with more on-the-job training.
Both jobs involve working on all sorts of aircraft, but avionics technicians focus on the installed equipment instead of the airframe and engines.
Avionics refers to the instruments, computers, radios, and navigational systems installed that pilots use to fly the plane, but it also refers to passenger entertainment and internet connectivity systems.
Basically, avionics are all of the electronics that are installed onboard.
Avionics technicians might describe their jobs as being something of a hybrid between a regular aircraft mechanic and an IT computer engineer.
Compared to the typical pros and cons of being an aircraft mechanic, there’s a lot of running cables and physical installation, but there’s also a lot of software programming and troubleshooting.
Avionics specialists spend much more time working with aircraft electrical systems and wiring.
They also spend time at a workbench, testing and repairing individual components outside the aircraft. In bigger shops, some technicians may specialize in bench work while others focus on installations.
Avionics Technician Salary
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) tracks avionics technician salaries in the United States.
Of the approximately 21,000 individuals they have numbers for, the mean hourly wage is $37.06, and the mean annual wage is $77,080. The lowest 10% of workers make below $22.39/hour ($46,570/year), while the highest 10% make more than $51.62 ($107,370).
Most of these individuals work in Aerospace Products or Support Activities for Air Transportation.
Avionics Technician Salaries by State
States with the highest concentration of avionics technicians include Washington, Texas, Florida, California, and Georgia.
Washington state has more than twice as many as Texas, which isn’t surprising since it is home to Boeing. Washington is also the location for some of the best avionics tech pay: the median annual income there is $89,320.
Only Maryland and California have higher wages.
The states with the highest pay for avionics technicians are (in order) Maryland, California, Washington, Nevada, and Hawaii. By metro area, the top-paying choices include San Francisco, San Jose, Philadelphia, Bakersfield, and LA.
You can further divide total employment by metro area, with Seattle-Tacoma at the top, followed by Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Miami-Fort Lauderdale.
Top Pay for Avionics Technicians
According to the BLS, the top avionics tech salaries are in the Scheduled Air Transportation industry, where the mean annual wage is $105,070.
This follows the typical trend in most other aircraft mechanic positions: The best-paying jobs are with major air careers, working in unionized shops. Lower-paying jobs are found at small, independent repair stations.
Other Data Sources for Salaries for Avionics Technicians
Several other websites track avionics technician salaries. Overall, there is very little variation in the findings from the numbers reported by the BLS.
ZipRecruiter reports that the average hourly wage in the US is around $32. Indeed pins the number around $33, with the highest salaries reported in Washington, Connecticut, and Hawaii.
Key Takeaways
Compared to how much airplane mechanics make, it’s easy to see that the two career paths follow similar trajectories.
However, the numbers alone do not show the complexities and growth opportunities once inside the field.
Many A&Ps get into avionics over the course of their career. It’s an opportunity to learn new skills, take higher-paying positions, or diversify their qualifications.
In the end, an avionics technician salary may make slightly more than aircraft mechanics do. But the really important thing to remember is that both jobs provide career opportunities depending on where you are and when.
While some people get into avionics as soon as possible, others discover an aptitude and interest in it later on.
The two paths do not need to be mutually exclusive.
