Career profile · 49-2091
Avionics Technicians
Install, inspect, test, adjust, or repair avionics equipment, such as radar, radio, navigation, and missile control systems in aircraft or space vehicles.
What the work can involve
- Adjust, repair, or replace malfunctioning components or assemblies, using hand tools or soldering irons.
- Lay out installation of aircraft assemblies and systems, following documentation such as blueprints, manuals, and wiring diagrams.
- Keep records of maintenance and repair work.
- Test and troubleshoot instruments, components, and assemblies, using circuit testers, oscilloscopes, or voltmeters.
- Connect components to assemblies such as radio systems, instruments, magnetos, inverters, and in-flight refueling systems, using hand tools and soldering irons.
- Install electrical and electronic components, assemblies, and systems in aircraft, using hand tools, power tools, or soldering irons.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Writing
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Computers and Electronics
- Mechanical
- English Language
- Engineering and Technology
- Customer and Personal Service
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Documenting/Recording Information
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
- Getting Information
- Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 69.3%08/2026 · sample 12 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 64.1%08/2026 · sample 12 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 33.0%08/2026 · sample 12 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 32.3%08/2026 · sample 12 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 42.7%08/2026 · sample 12 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 65.7%08/2026 · sample 12 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 44.3%08/2026 · sample 12 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 84.6%08/2026 · sample 12 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Avionics system testing software, Computer diagnostic software
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systemes CATIA
- Development environment software: Software development tools
- Document management software: Technical Data Management System TDMS
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software, Workday software
- Facilities management software: Maintenance record software
- Object or component oriented development software: C++, Oracle Java
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Operating system software: Linux, UNIX
- Portal server software: Apache HTTP Server
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for avionics technicians
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 42 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $95,920 | $46.12 | 910 |
| Alaska | $94,810 | $45.58 | 50 |
| Arizona | $79,770 | $38.35 | 600 |
| Arkansas | $54,160 | $26.04 | 100 |
| California | $92,480 | $44.46 | 1,220 |
| Colorado | $79,000 | $37.98 | 220 |
| Florida | $83,800 | $40.29 | 2,400 |
| Georgia | $79,060 | $38.01 | 1,820 |
| Hawaii | $86,260 | $41.47 | 90 |
| Idaho | $80,620 | $38.76 | 80 |
| Illinois | $81,170 | $39.03 | 300 |
| Indiana | $76,770 | $36.91 | 60 |
| Kansas | $59,810 | $28.75 | 170 |
| Kentucky | $42,440 | $20.40 | Not published |
| Louisiana | $80,250 | $38.58 | 200 |
| Maryland | $97,490 | $46.87 | 160 |
| Massachusetts | $89,340 | $42.95 | 40 |
| Michigan | $58,280 | $28.02 | 300 |
| Minnesota | $55,660 | $26.76 | Not published |
| Mississippi | $65,830 | $31.65 | 160 |
| Missouri | $71,520 | $34.39 | 90 |
| Montana | $57,420 | $27.61 | Not published |
| Nevada | $80,040 | $38.48 | 50 |
| New Hampshire | $86,830 | $41.74 | 30 |
| New Jersey | $100,250 | $48.20 | 260 |
| New Mexico | $94,020 | $45.20 | Not published |
| New York | $83,150 | $39.98 | 130 |
| North Carolina | $78,710 | $37.84 | 520 |
| North Dakota | $59,900 | $28.80 | 80 |
| Ohio | $60,080 | $28.89 | 160 |
| Oklahoma | $70,640 | $33.96 | 530 |
| Oregon | $83,830 | $40.30 | 140 |
| Pennsylvania | $117,470 | $56.48 | 70 |
| South Carolina | $81,720 | $39.29 | 270 |
| South Dakota | $83,220 | $40.01 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $60,820 | $29.24 | 480 |
| Texas | $81,950 | $39.40 | 1,710 |
| Utah | $65,270 | $31.38 | 180 |
| Virginia | $85,660 | $41.18 | 250 |
| Washington | $91,380 | $43.93 | 3,400 |
| Wisconsin | $65,230 | $31.36 | 130 |
| Wyoming | $84,360 | $40.56 | Not published |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 66 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians→
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 49-2091.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.