Aerospace Engineering in Oregon

📊 Employment Overview

Oregon employs 845 aerospace engineering professionals, representing approximately 1.1% of the national workforce in this field. Oregon ranks #27 nationally for aerospace engineering employment.

💰 Salary Information

Aerospace Engineering professionals in Oregon earn competitive salaries across all experience levels, with an average annual salary of $119,000.

Note: Salaries are adjusted for cost of living and local market conditions. Data based on BLS statistics and industry surveys (2024-2025).

🎓 Schools Offering Aerospace Engineering

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🚀 Career Insights

Key information for aerospace engineering professionals in Oregon.

🏢 Industry Landscape & Top Employers

Oregon's aerospace engineering market — 845 engineers earning an average of $119,000 — is anchored by Boeing's significant commercial aircraft manufacturing presence and a growing aerospace technology sector in the Portland metro that increasingly overlaps with the state's broader technology community. Oregon's aerospace engineers work at the intersection of commercial aviation manufacturing, defense systems, and the advanced materials and manufacturing technologies that are transforming how aircraft are built.

Major Employers: Boeing Commercial Airplanes (Portland / Gresham / Aurora) maintains significant Oregon operations — the company's 737 tail and 777X wing work creates Oregon aerospace manufacturing engineering employment, and Boeing's Aurora facility produces FAR Part 23 unmanned aircraft systems. Precision Castparts (Portland) — a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary — is one of the world's leading manufacturers of structural aerospace castings, forgings, and fasteners, employing aerospace and manufacturing engineers for titanium and nickel superalloy component production that feeds directly into Boeing, Airbus, GE Aerospace, and Pratt & Whitney supply chains. Tillamook Air Station (Tillamook) and Kingsley Field (Klamath Falls) operate Oregon Air National Guard F-15C Eagle fighters, creating military aviation engineering demand. Pacific Air Industries (Hillsboro Airport) provides aircraft maintenance and modification services. Daimler Trucks North America's Portland engineering has aerospace-adjacent propulsion technology. The Port of Portland's aviation operations employ facility systems engineers. Airbus helicopters has Oregon sales and support presence. Oregon State University's aerospace engineering research and University of Portland's engineering programs contribute to the state's aerospace talent pipeline.

Precision Castparts — The Invisible Aerospace Giant: Precision Castparts' Portland headquarters controls an extraordinary empire of aerospace manufacturing — its investment castings, forged airframe structures, and fastener systems are found in virtually every jet engine and airframe manufactured in the Western world. The structural titanium forgings that make up the Boeing 787's wing spars, the nickel superalloy turbine blades in GE9X and LEAP engines, and the fasteners that hold commercial airliners together are largely produced by PCC's manufacturing network. Oregon aerospace engineers at PCC work on the materials science and manufacturing engineering that enables commercial aviation's continuous performance improvement.

📈 Career Growth & Pathways

Oregon's aerospace engineering careers offer advancement in commercial aerospace manufacturing engineering at Precision Castparts and Boeing's Oregon operations, military aviation systems at the Oregon Air National Guard, and the growing aerospace technology sector that leverages Portland's broader technology community.

Typical Career Trajectory:

• Junior Aerospace Engineer (0–2 years): $79,000–$102,000 — Entry at Precision Castparts, Boeing Oregon operations, or Oregon ANG support organizations. Oregon State University is the primary engineering feeder, with Portland State University providing an additional urban pathway. Oregon's income tax (up to 9.9%) reduces take-home pay meaningfully versus no-tax states.
• Mid-Level Engineer (3–7 years): $102,000–$138,000 — PCC aerospace casting and forging engineers with nickel superalloy or titanium processing expertise, Boeing manufacturing engineers with 777X composite structures experience, and Oregon ANG F-15 support engineers advance strongly.
• Senior Engineer (7–12 years): $138,000–$172,000 — Technical authority at PCC on major aerospace component product lines or Boeing Oregon senior manufacturing engineers. PCC's supply relationships with every major aerospace OEM create senior engineer roles with global program influence.
• Principal/Fellow Engineer (12+ years): $172,000–$240,000+ — PCC Distinguished Materials Engineers and Boeing senior technical leaders represent Oregon's aerospace apex. Oregon's income tax at these levels is significant — Vancouver, WA residence for Oregon-employed engineers saves $12,000–$22,000+ annually.

Precision Castparts Materials Engineering Depth: Engineering at Precision Castparts requires deep integration of metallurgy, thermomechanical processing, and fracture mechanics in ways that most aerospace engineering programs don't fully prepare graduates for. Engineers who develop PCC-level expertise in nickel superalloy investment casting or titanium forging — understanding how microstructure determines fatigue life in aerospace structural components — build materials engineering credentials that are recognized across every aerospace OEM and engine manufacturer globally.

💰 Salary vs. Cost of Living

Oregon's $119,000 average aerospace salary reflects the premium of PCC and Boeing's manufacturing engineering compensation, but Portland's elevated cost of living and Oregon's high income tax require careful analysis of effective purchasing power.

Portland Metro (PCC / Boeing Oregon): Oregon's primary aerospace employment zone, with cost of living 25–35% above the national average. Median home prices of $460,000–$600,000 in desirable communities present meaningful homeownership challenges. Oregon's income tax reaching 9.9% adds $8,000–$15,000 annually at aerospace salary levels — a significant reduction in take-home pay versus no-tax states.

Vancouver, WA Residence Strategy: Many Oregon aerospace engineers live in Vancouver, Washington — just across the Columbia River — avoiding Oregon's income tax while commuting to Portland-area employers. For engineers earning $119,000+, the annual tax savings ($8,000–$12,000) plus Washington's no-income-tax policy create financial advantages of $8,000–$20,000 annually versus Oregon residence. This arrangement is extremely common among Oregon aerospace engineers.

Eugene / Corvallis: More affordable than Portland — cost of living near the national average, median homes of $380,000–$490,000. Oregon State University's aerospace proximity creates engineering employment in the research and startup ecosystem, with better purchasing power than the Portland metro for engineers who can find relevant work.

📜 Licensing & Professional Development

Oregon's aerospace professional development reflects its advanced materials manufacturing, commercial aircraft structures, and military aviation sectors — with aerospace materials science credentials, FAA production engineering expertise, and F-15 airworthiness knowledge being the most career-relevant.

The Oregon State Board of Examiners for Engineering and Land Surveying administers PE licensure via the standard pathway.

High-Value Credentials in Oregon's Aerospace Market:

• Aerospace Materials Engineering (PCC — ASM International): For Precision Castparts engineers, membership and active participation in ASM International — particularly in the Aerospace Metals Engineering Committee — builds professional standing in the global aerospace structural materials community. PCC engineers who present at TMS (The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society) conferences on nickel superalloy heat treatment optimization or titanium forging microstructure control develop credentials recognized by GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Boeing's materials engineers worldwide.
• FAA Production Approval Engineering (Part 21 Subpart G): For PCC and Boeing Oregon manufacturing engineers, deep familiarity with FAA Production Approval Holder requirements — governing the quality management systems under which FAA-approved aerospace components are manufactured — is foundational. Engineers who have led FAA production approval audits or managed first article inspection approval processes for new aerospace forgings build credentials recognized across the aerospace manufacturing supply chain.
• DOD Secret Clearances (Oregon ANG F-15 Programs): For Oregon Air National Guard contractor engineers supporting F-15C operations at Kingsley Field, clearances are required for classified avionics and electronic warfare system support. The F-15C fleet is nearing replacement by F-15EX or F-35 — creating a transition period of elevated engineering demand for airworthiness support of aging aircraft systems.
• AS9100 Quality Management Systems: For aerospace manufacturing engineers across Oregon's PCC and Boeing supply chain, AS9100 aerospace quality management system familiarity and auditor certification is a foundational professional credential for every manufacturing engineering leadership role in the state's aerospace sector.

Education: Oregon State University (Corvallis) is the state's primary aerospace and materials engineering program, with growing connections to PCC's manufacturing engineering community. Portland State University provides an additional urban engineering pathway with growing aerospace technology connections.

📊 Job Market Outlook

Oregon's aerospace market is expected to grow steadily, driven by Precision Castparts' supply growth with commercial aviation recovery, Boeing's 777X production ramp, and the state's growing aerospace technology sector.

Commercial Aviation Production Recovery: The recovery of Boeing and Airbus production rates from pandemic-era lows is driving PCC's castings and forgings demand growth proportionally. As narrowbody and widebody aircraft production rates approach pre-pandemic levels and then exceed them (driven by fleet renewal programs and travel demand growth), PCC's Oregon manufacturing operations are in a sustained period of production engineering expansion.

777X Production Ramp: Boeing's 777X — featuring composite wings manufactured at Everett, WA with Oregon supply chain connections — is advancing toward FAA certification and first deliveries. As 777X production ramps up, the supply chain engineering demand at Boeing's Oregon operations and PCC's titanium forging facilities grows proportionally.

Advanced Manufacturing Technology: Oregon's aerospace manufacturing community is increasingly investing in additive manufacturing and advanced forming technologies that could eventually supplement or partially replace investment casting for complex aerospace components. PCC's research into additive manufacturing for aerospace applications creates engineering positions for materials and manufacturing engineers with both traditional metallurgy and emerging AM technology expertise.

🕐 Day in the Life

Aerospace engineering in Oregon means producing the structural components that every major commercial aircraft and jet engine depends on, building the composite structures of the world's most fuel-efficient widebody airliner, and working within a state whose Pacific Northwest outdoor access, vibrant food culture, and proximity to Sierra Nevada recreation create one of the most lifestyle-complete engineering environments in the country.

At Precision Castparts (Portland): Nickel superalloy investment casting engineers developing a new turbine blade design for a next-generation commercial engine work with alloy composition specialists, heat treatment engineers, and mechanical testing teams to characterize how a modified casting process affects the creep resistance and low-cycle fatigue life of the blade material. The engineering chain extends from atomic-scale diffusion kinetics in the nickel superalloy matrix through macroscale mechanical property predictions to the structural analysis that confirms the blade meets its service life requirements in the engine's combustion environment. When the engine enters service 5 years later — certified by the FAA based in part on the property data generated in Oregon — the engineering work done in Portland is flying in thousands of engines daily at 35,000 feet.

Lifestyle: Oregon's lifestyle is defined by the Pacific Northwest's extraordinary outdoor access. Mount Hood (11,249 feet) is 90 minutes from PCC's Portland campus — skiing in winter, hiking in summer, and the specific beauty of a volcanic summit accessible after work. The Columbia River Gorge's waterfalls (Multnomah Falls, Crown Point) are 30 minutes east. The Oregon coast's dramatic sea stacks, tide pools, and beachcombing culture is 90 minutes west. Portland's food scene — with more food trucks per capita than any other US city and a restaurant culture that has produced James Beard Award-recognized chefs — creates daily culinary access of genuine quality. For engineers who can manage the income tax through Washington State residence, Oregon's aerospace career plus Pacific Northwest lifestyle creates one of the most complete engineering life propositions available in the western US.

🔄 Compare with Other States

See how Oregon compares to other top states for aerospace engineering: