Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians
SOC 49-3011 · 2024-2034
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul aircraft engines and assemblies, such as hydraulic and pneumatic systems.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
What California expects of this job
- Typical pay in California
- $88,534per year
- Projected openings
- 11,680
- Projected change
- +12.8%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary non-degree award
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Equipment Maintenance
- Repairing
- Troubleshooting
- Operations Monitoring
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $106,547 | 330 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $105,674 | 540 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $98,528 | 290 |
| Yuba City MSA (Sutter and Yuba Counties) | $97,623 | 100 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $96,124 | 20 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $92,653 | 590 |
| Vallejo MSA (Solano County) | $92,067 | 80 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $89,148 | 3,680 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $87,405 | 1,720 |
| Stockton-Lodi MSA (San Joaquin County) | $87,158 | 130 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $85,371 | 50 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $85,115 | 440 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $83,009 | 1,060 |
| Hanford-Corcoran MSA (Kings County) | $82,794 | 150 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $82,537 | 120 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $80,914 | 90 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $80,719 | 40 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $79,764 | 190 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $76,404 | 520 |
| Redding MSA (Shasta County) | $76,129 | 40 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $67,482 | 250 |
What the pay actually ranges across
- The lowest-paid tenth earn under
- $55,383
- A quarter earn under
- $70,324
- Half earn under
- $88,534
- Three quarters earn under
- $102,468
- The highest-paid tenth earn over
- $119,989
A median is one point. These are the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2026 figures for California, and they say how far apart the people doing this job actually are. Read them as the spread across everyone already in the work — not as a starting wage and not as a promise about where anyone lands.
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| Occupation | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers | $65,092 | 2,580 | -13.3% |
| Avionics Technicians | $95,095 | 1,040 | +8.3% |
| Aircraft Service Attendants | $47,824 | 3,870 | +13% |
| Engine and Other Machine Assemblers | $47,878 | 960 | -16.7% |
| Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians | $101,771 | 1,580 | +12.5% |
| Motorboat Mechanics and Service Technicians | $64,092 | 1,350 | +7.7% |
Programs that train for this job — 7
Aviation Technology/Aircraft Structures Mechanic Apprenticeship
West Los Angeles College · Culver City · $10,186
Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) / Aeronautics (Powerplant)
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $1,912
Aircraft Maintenance Technology (AMT) / Aeronautics (Airframe-Maintenance Technology)
City College of San Francisco · San Francisco · $1,912
Aviation Maintenance Technology Certificate
San Joaquin Valley College - Central Administration Office · Visalia · $41,050
Aviation Maintenance Technology Diploma
California Aeronautical University · Bakersfield · $34,075
Aircraft Fabrication and Assembly Technician
Antelope Valley College · Lancaster · $1,449
Low Observable Technician
College of the Canyons · Santa Clarita · $6,000