---
title: "Aircraft Structure, Surface, Rigging, and Systems Assembler"
description: "Assemble, fit, fasten, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles, such as tails, wings, fuselage, bulkheads, stabilizers, landing gear…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/aircraft-structure-surface-rigging-and-systems-assembler"
last-updated: "2026-10-09T10:57:55.138Z"
---

# Aircraft Structure, Surface, Rigging, and Systems Assembler

**Category:** Production · **SOC code:** 51-2011 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 51-2011.00

Assemble, fit, fasten, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles, such as tails, wings, fuselage, bulkheads, stabilizers, landing gear, rigging and control equipment, or heating and ventilating systems.

Also advertised as: Aircraft Assembler; Aircraft Line Assembler; Assembler; Assembly Riveter; Assembly Technician (Assembly Tech); Sheet Metal Assembler and Riveter (SMAR); Sheet Metal Mechanic; Sheet Metal Technician (Sheet Metal Tech).

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $65,380 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $31.43/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $47,310 to $107,500, with the middle half between $58,600 and $83,410
- **Total US employment:** 34,020
- **Typical entry education:** High school
- **Preparation required:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** -5.6% over 2025–2035 (BLS EP, 2025–2035)
- **Annual job openings:** 3,100 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 47/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 34,020 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $47,310 |
| 25th | $58,600 |
| 50th (median) | $65,380 |
| 75th | $83,410 |
| 90th | $107,500 |
| Mean (average) | $71,420 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| WA | $110,470 | $103,230 | 4,280 |
| PA | $81,680 | $83,713 | 740 |
| CT | $78,630 | $75,890 | 500 |
| TX | $76,640 | $78,964 | 3,010 |
| AZ | $73,930 | $73,433 | 1,210 |
| GA | $72,550 | $75,343 | 2,950 |
| CO | $70,870 | $68,771 | 160 |
| TN | $66,390 | $72,265 | 130 |
| FL | $64,580 | $62,448 | 1,280 |
| NE | $64,530 | $71,618 | 220 |
| CA | $63,640 | $57,478 | 2,930 |
| KS | $59,850 | $66,450 | 9,710 |
| AL | $58,990 | $66,413 | 950 |
| MO | $58,600 | $64,525 | 460 |
| OR | $58,050 | $56,162 | 560 |

7 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 22 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/aircraft-structure-surface-rigging-and-systems-assembler/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/aircraft-structure-surface-rigging-and-systems-assembler.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 34,400 in the 2025–2035 base year to 32,500 by the end of the cycle — a loss of 1,900 jobs, or -5.6%. Declining: -5.6% against 3.5% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 3,100 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** High school diploma or equivalent (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Moderate-term on-the-job training.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 54.8% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 15.7% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 15.7% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 10.0% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 3.2% |
| Some College Courses | 0.6% |

## What the work involves

- Align, fit, assemble, connect, or install system components, using jigs, fixtures, measuring instruments, hand tools, or power tools.
- Read blueprints, illustrations, or specifications to determine layouts, sequences of operations, or identities or relationships of parts.
- Cut, trim, file, bend, or smooth parts to ensure proper fit and clearance.
- Adjust, repair, rework, or replace parts or assemblies to ensure proper operation.
- Assemble parts, fittings, or subassemblies on aircraft, using layout tools, hand tools, power tools, or fasteners, such as bolts, screws, rivets, or clamps.
- Assemble prefabricated parts to form subassemblies.
- Attach brackets, hinges, or clips to secure or support components or subassemblies, using bolts, screws, rivets, chemical bonding, or welding.
- Clean, oil, or coat system components, as necessary, before assembly or attachment.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Active Listening — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Speaking — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Quality Control Analysis — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Equipment Maintenance — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Instructing — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Equipment Selection — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- Mathematics — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Education and Training — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mechanical — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- English Language — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Production and Processing — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Design — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Problem Sensitivity — importance 3.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Near Vision — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Finger Dexterity — importance 3.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Information Ordering — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Visualization — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Manual Dexterity — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 7.00 |
| C — Conventional | 3.82 |
| I — Investigative | 2.66 |
| A — Artistic | 1.74 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.37 |
| S — Social | 1.00 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 87.7 |
| ISTP | 80.0 |
| ISFJ | 70.0 |
| INTJ | 69.5 |
| ESTJ | 68.9 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ. The bank also flags this occupation as introvert-friendly, meaning O\*NET work-context ratings put it low on public contact and performing for the public.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Engine and Other Machine Assembler](https://nuecareer.com/careers/engine-and-other-machine-assembler) — median $53,710
- [Structural Metal Fabricator and Fitter](https://nuecareer.com/careers/structural-metal-fabricator-and-fitter) — median $51,330
- [Electromechanical Equipment Assembler](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electromechanical-equipment-assembler) — median $45,930
- [Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assembler](https://nuecareer.com/careers/electrical-and-electronic-equipment-assembler) — median $45,930
- [Layout Worker, Metal and Plastic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/layout-worker-metal-and-plastic) — median $63,870
- [Avionics Technician](https://nuecareer.com/careers/avionics-technician) — median $82,280
- [Aircraft Mechanic](https://nuecareer.com/careers/aircraft-mechanic) — median $79,870
- [Sheet Metal Worker](https://nuecareer.com/careers/sheet-metal-worker) — median $61,800
- [Millwright](https://nuecareer.com/careers/millwright) — median $65,700
- [Welding, Soldering, and Brazing Machine Setter, Operator, and Tender](https://nuecareer.com/careers/welding-soldering-and-brazing-machine-setter-operator-and-tender) — median $47,920

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 31.0 Database, August 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2025–2035. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/aircraft-structure-surface-rigging-and-systems-assembler