Flight Test Engineer
Flight Test Engineer Salary
$43.5K - $58K
2% of jobs
$58K - $72.5K
1% of jobs
$72.5K - $87K
5% of jobs
$87K - $101.5K
14% of jobs
$104.3K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$101.5K - $116K
13% of jobs
$116K - $130.5K
11% of jobs
The median wage is $135.1K / yr.
$130.5K - $145K
12% of jobs
$156.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$145K - $159.5K
21% of jobs
$159.5K - $174K
16% of jobs
$174K - $188.5K
3% of jobs
$188.5K - $203K
2% of jobs
$43.5K
$136K
$204K
$134,885
/year
$64.85
/hour
Flight Test Engineer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$134,885
Columbus
Ohio
$130,285
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How much does a Flight Test Engineer make?
As of Jul 19, 2026, the average annual pay for a Flight Test Engineer in the United States is $134,885 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $64.85 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,593/week or $11,240/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $204,000 and as low as $43,500, the majority of Flight Test Engineer salaries currently range between $105,500 (25th percentile) to $160,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $174,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Flight Test Engineer varies greatly (by as much as 54500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Flight Test Engineer in your area makes on average $130,285 per year, or $4,600 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $134,885. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Flight Test Engineer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Flight Test Engineer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Flight Test Engineer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Flight Test Engineer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Flight Test Engineer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Nome, AK, , with California City, CA, and Berkeley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Berkeley, CA, beats the national average by $30,273 (22.4%), and Nome, AK, furthers that trend with another $32,439 (24.0%) above the $134,885 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Flight Test Engineer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Nome, AK, and San Francisco, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Flight Test Engineer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Nome, AK | $167,324 | $80.44 |
California City, CA | $165,429 | $79.53 |
Berkeley, CA | $165,158 | $79.40 |
Redwood City, CA | $165,146 | $79.40 |
Sitka, AK | $162,493 | $78.12 |
Mojave, CA | $162,395 | $78.07 |
Campbell, CA | $161,598 | $77.69 |
San Bruno, CA | $161,145 | $77.47 |
Mountain View, CA | $159,121 | $76.50 |
San Francisco, CA | $158,917 | $76.40 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Flight Test Engineer Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Flight Test Engineer job category, we found that System Integration Test Engineer jobs have average salaries greater than Flight Test Engineer jobs.
Significantly, System Integration Test Engineer jobs pay $22,157 (16.4%) more than the average Flight Test Engineer salary of $134,885. If you're qualified, finding work as a System Integration Test Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Flight Test Engineer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
System Integration Test Engineer | $157,042 | $75.50 |
Senior Systems Test Engineer | $118,516 | $56.98 |
Flight Operations Engineer | $118,512 | $56.98 |
Avionics Software Engineer | $111,304 | $53.51 |
Test Developer | $102,810 | $49.43 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
