Sometimes. Machinists at space companies post pay about 47% above the national median for machinists, and welders about 16% above, but avionics and wire-harness technicians post about 9% below the national median for avionics technicians. The premium is real for some trades and absent for others, and it depends heavily on where the job is.
Key numbers (SpaceJobs as of October 19, 2026; BLS May 2025):
- Machinists: median posted pay $41.50/hr (67 postings with pay) vs a national median of about $28.25/hr, a 47% premium.
- Welders: $30.00/hr (33 postings) vs $25.84/hr nationally, a 16% premium.
- Avionics and wire-harness technicians: $36.00/hr (45 postings) vs about $39.56/hr for avionics technicians nationally, 9% below.
- Electricians: $38.75/hr vs $30.38/hr nationally, but only 5 of 31 open electrician roles list pay, so treat it as a hint, not a finding.
- Of 874 open trades roles across 58 companies, 431 (49%) list a pay range.
How the comparison works
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes the median wage that workers in each occupation actually earn, across every industry and experience level, as of May 2025. SpaceJobs has something different: the pay range an employer prints on a live job posting. We take the midpoint of each range, convert salaries to hourly at 2,080 hours a year, and report the median across postings that list pay.
That makes the two numbers close cousins, not twins. A posted range is an offer for a new hire, not what the average incumbent earns, and our postings cluster in high-cost metros and at larger employers. The comparison tells you what space companies are advertising against what the country pays, not what every rocket welder takes home.
| Trade | Open roles | Roles listing pay | Posted median (SpaceJobs) | Middle half of postings | BLS national median, May 2025 | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Machinists | 113 | 67 | $41.50/hr | $32.50–$47.36 | $28.25/hr | +47% |
| Electricians | 31 | 5 | $38.75/hr | $37.50–$41.50 | $30.38/hr | +28% (small sample) |
| Welders | 99 | 33 | $30.00/hr | $25.00–$40.00 | $25.84/hr | +16% |
| Avionics and wire-harness technicians | 66 | 45 | $36.00/hr | $32.38–$43.25 | $39.56/hr | -9% |
Machinists: the clearest premium
Machinists show the strongest pattern. Of 67 postings with pay, 54 have a midpoint above the national machinist median, and in 46 even the bottom of the posted range is higher than it. That holds in the biggest sample: in the LA South Bay the median is $42.50/hr across 41 postings, and in Seattle it is $41.50/hr across 15. Colorado’s five postings come in at $39.17/hr. See the machinist trade page for open roles.
Welders: a premium that depends on the city
Welders are more mixed. Nineteen of 33 postings have a midpoint above the national welder median; 13 have a floor above it. The headline 16% premium hides a split: 26 of the 33 pay ranges are in the LA South Bay, where the median posted welder pay is $25.00/hr, about 3% below the national median. The premium comes from the smaller set of postings elsewhere (the range tops out at $64.02/hr for a senior welder and fabrication role in Long Beach). Welder postings at Starbase, Huntsville and on the Space Coast almost never list pay (1 of 53 does), so those markets cannot be judged here. See the welder trade page.
Avionics technicians: the exception
Only 16 of 45 avionics and wire-harness postings have a midpoint above the BLS avionics technician median, and just 8 have a floor above it. Two things explain part of this. Our category includes wire-harness and cable-assembly roles, which may pay less than experienced avionics work, and BLS reports its avionics figure as an annual wage ($82,280), which we converted at 2,080 hours. The combined BLS group for aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians is $38.55/hr, which gives a similar picture. Details are on the avionics technician page.
What it means for you
- Machinists have the most to gain by looking at space employers; the bottom of most posted ranges (46 of 67) clears the national median.
- Welders should compare offers to local pay, not the national figure. In Southern California, posted space-industry welder pay is near the national median, so the draw there is the work, not a pay premium. The highest ranges go to senior roles.
- Avionics technicians should not assume a space premium; check whether a role is harness assembly or full avionics integration before comparing.
- Everyone: about half of trades postings list pay. Where a range is missing, ask for it before you interview.
Full tables by trade and hub are in our space trades pay guide, and the salaries page covers the wider job market. If you do not have a degree, see space jobs without a degree.
Sources and method
- BLS national medians, May 2025 data (Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics), as shown in the Occupational Outlook Handbook; each page was last modified August 27, 2026: Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers ($25.84/hr, $53,750/yr); Machinists and Tool and Die Makers (machinists $58,750/yr; we divided by 2,080 to get $28.25/hr); Electricians ($30.38/hr); Aircraft and Avionics Equipment Mechanics and Technicians (avionics technicians $82,280/yr, converted to $39.56/hr; combined group $38.55/hr).
- SpaceJobs figures are computed from the October 19, 2026 snapshot of 10,109 live postings at 58 companies, collected from employers’ own job boards. A role counts as a trade when its title names a hands-on trade. Pay is the midpoint of each posted range, salaries converted at 2,080 hours a year, ranges below $8 or above $110/hr dropped as parsing noise, and medians require at least 3 ranges.
- Limitations: posted pay is not paid pay; BLS medians cover all industries, experience levels and regions, while our postings skew toward California and Washington; our trade categories and BLS occupations do not map one to one; electrician results rest on 5 postings.