Occupations · Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Avionics Technicians
Install, inspect, test, adjust, or repair avionics equipment, such as radar, radio, navigation, and missile control systems in aircraft or space vehicles.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 49-2091.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 89% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $109,030 | 4,870 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $80,380 | 840 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $82,850 | 760 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $86,850 | 760 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $95,990 | 460 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $75,890 | 340 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $65,660 | 290 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $79,780 | 280 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $81,810 | 250 |
| San Diego-Carlsbad, CA | $90,270 | 240 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ | $84,910 | 210 |
| St. Louis, MO-IL | $80,060 | 200 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: Postsecondary nondegree award · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Test and troubleshoot instruments, components, and assemblies, using circuit testers, oscilloscopes, or voltmeters.
- Keep records of maintenance and repair work.
- Adjust, repair, or replace malfunctioning components or assemblies, using hand tools or soldering irons.
- Install electrical and electronic components, assemblies, and systems in aircraft, using hand tools, power tools, or soldering irons.
- Set up and operate ground support and test equipment to perform functional flight tests of electrical and electronic systems.
- Assemble components such as switches, electrical controls, and junction boxes, using hand tools or soldering irons.
- Connect components to assemblies such as radio systems, instruments, magnetos, inverters, and in-flight refueling systems, using hand tools and soldering irons.
- Lay out installation of aircraft assemblies and systems, following documentation such as blueprints, manuals, and wiring diagrams.
- Interpret flight test data to diagnose malfunctions and systemic performance problems.
- Coordinate work with that of engineers, technicians, and other aircraft maintenance personnel.
- Fabricate parts and test aids as required.
- Assemble prototypes or models of circuits, instruments, and systems for use in testing.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2015-07
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2015-07
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
Tasks O*NET flags as emerging
- Perform installation, testing, adjustment, and repair of avionics equipment in uncrewed aerial vehicles, such as drones.
O*NET 30.3 emerging tasks
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 16
No longer listed 3
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| avionics technician | 7421.2 | exact |
| aircraft maintenance engineer | 3153.1 | close |
| aircraft maintenance technician | 7232.5 | broader |
| aerospace engineering technician | 3115.1.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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