Greater OKC Region Aerospace Industry – 2025
Along with aerospace occupations, Figure 10 also provides a comparison of the overall wage structure for aerospace relative to the overall state wage rate across all occupations. Oklahoma ’s wage competitiveness is borne from an overall cost of living approximately 12% below the national level. Kansas is the only other major aerospace state with a similarly low cost of living (10% below the national level). Georgia and Texas have a cost of living about 3 percent below the national level, while the remaining major aerospace states in Figure 10 have a cost of living above the nation. Aerospace wages are generally highest in California and Washington where the cost of living is 12.6% and 8.6%, respectively, above the national level. Profile of Greater OKC Region Key Aerospace Occupations Figure 11 provides a detailed profile of several key occupations in the aerospace sector in the Greater OKC region. The employment estimates in this section reflect total employment in each key aerospace-related occupation, whether workers are employed directly in aerospace or in other industries. This provides an overall assessment of the depth of the labor market for key occupations needed by aerospace employers. The aerospace industry requires a diverse mix of workers with education requirements ranging from high school completion to a bachelor’s degree. Most aerospace occupations require little work experience in the industry. However, most occupations require significant on-the-job training, often over multiple years. Wages in most aerospace occupations in Oklahoma generally exceed overall state levels, with median hourly wages in aerospace generally above $30 per hour. The median hourly wage typically exceeds $45 per hour for engineers, air traffic controllers, pilots, and software developers. Median wages are below $25 per hour in only a few key aerospace occupations, primarily some aviation customer service-related jobs and entry level or lower-skill aircraft maintenance positions. Eleven key aerospace occupations in Figure 11 have a current employment base in the Greater OKC region of more than 1,000 workers. Several of these sectors have added more than 500 workers in the past five years, including Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators (+1,384); Software Developers (+1,336); Logisticians (+617); and Industrial Machinery Mechanics (+536). Key occupations adding between 100 and 500 jobs in the past five years include Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers (+337); Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians (+376); Reservations and Ticket Agents and Clerks (+193); Aerospace Engineers (+296); Industrial Engineers (+160); and Electrical Engineers (+103). The Greater OKC region has greatly expanded the overall number of engineers since 2020. Between 2020 and 2025, added engineering jobs by occupation include Aerospace Engineers (+296 jobs); Electrical Engineers (+103 jobs); Industrial Engineers (+160 jobs); Mechanical Engineers (+24 jobs); and Materials Engineers (+18 jobs). The amount of annual hiring is generally related to the size of the existing workforce within each occupation. The eight largest aerospace occupations have very active labor markets, with all adding approximately 1,000 new hires or more in 2025. The eight largest aerospace occupations also had approximately 250 or more job openings annually in the past five years. Approximately 500 or more job openings annually are found in Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators (762 jobs) and Software Developers (483 jobs). These numbers do not necessarily account for the full demand or job openings associated with Tinker AFB.
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