Quick answer: The Orlando metro employs about 240 aerospace engineers (BLS OEWS, May 2025), and licensing is set at the state level, through your state engineering licensing board.
Licensing is a state matter, not a city one. Aerospace engineering sits on the standard Professional Engineer path the state boards administer: an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam, qualifying experience and the PE exam. In practice the license is required less often here than in civil work, because most aerospace engineers are employed by manufacturers and defense contractors under what is commonly called the industrial exemption. Clearance eligibility affects hiring more than licensure does.
See the Florida licensing and pay overview for the statewide picture, and confirm current requirements with your state engineering licensing board.
Schools in our database near this area, ranked by BOC Score. The list favors schools with a related program on record, but program availability and delivery format change, so confirm directly with any school that it currently offers the program you want.
This page lists 6 schools within 202 miles, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 6 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Aerospace Engineers in the Orlando area earn a median $124,420 per year, below the national median of $134,960 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Metric | Orlando metro | Florida | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $124,420 | $129,280 | $134,960 |
| 10th percentile | $82,120 | $84,210 | $86,700 |
| 25th percentile | $102,840 | $104,790 | $106,110 |
| 75th percentile | $143,600 | $156,370 | $169,690 |
| 90th percentile | $173,020 | $177,070 | $205,890 |
| Employment | 240 | 3,250 | 67,710 |
| Location quotient | 0.39 | - | 1.00 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Metro figures cover the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metropolitan statistical area.
The Orlando median of $124,420 is below the national median of $134,960, and below the Florida statewide median of $129,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The metro’s location quotient of 0.39 means aerospace engineers are less concentrated here than in the average U.S. labor market (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Higher concentration generally means more employers competing for the same people, and an easier job change later.
Aerospace employment is unusually concentrated, clustering around aircraft and spacecraft manufacturing, federal facilities and defense contractors rather than spreading with population.
| Metro area | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Palm Bay | $131,570 | 1,360 |
| Miami | $131,210 | 460 |
| Jacksonville | $119,430 | 360 |
| Crestview | $128,440 | 190 |
| Tampa | $126,500 | 140 |
Figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Wage and employment figures describe the occupation as measured by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, not the graduates of any particular program, and individual outcomes may vary. Licensing rules change; confirm current requirements with the responsible state board before enrolling.
The median annual wage for aerospace engineers in the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area is $124,420, below the national median of $134,960 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL metro area employs about 240 aerospace engineers (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Licensing is handled at state level rather than by city. Aerospace engineering sits on the standard Professional Engineer path the state boards administer: an ABET-accredited degree, the NCEES Fundamentals of Engineering exam, qualifying experience and the PE exam. In practice the license is required less often here than in civil work, because most aerospace engineers are employed by manufacturers and defense contractors under what is commonly called the industrial exemption. Clearance eligibility affects hiring more than licensure does. Confirm current requirements with your state engineering licensing board.
The academic portion of these programs is widely available online for working adults, while labs, clinical hours or supervised field work are completed in person. Check that the program's accreditation satisfies your state engineering licensing board.
The Orlando metro median is $124,420 against a statewide median of $129,280 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Compare that gap with the difference in living costs before treating it as a raise.
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
