Is There an Aircraft Mechanic Shortage? What the Latest Numbers Show

How Big Is the Aircraft Mechanic Shortage?

It depends on who's counting and what they count. Four forecasts and projections get quoted most, and each covers a different slice of aviation.

Boeing's North America figure works out to 6,150 technicians a year (123,000 ÷ 20). The outlook excludes business aviation and civil helicopter demand, so it measures one slice of the market, not all of it.

How Many Aircraft Mechanics Are There?

The answer changes with the count. The FAA counts certificates, BLS counts jobs, and ATEC counts everyone who maintains commercial aircraft.

Mechanics are the largest non-pilot group the FAA tracks: 348,426 of 850,973 non-pilot certificates. The count grew from 337,855 to 348,426 during 2025, a net gain of 10,571.

Are New Mechanics Narrowing the Aircraft Mechanic Shortage?

The FAA issued 11,103 original mechanic certificates in 2025, 2.1 times the 5,205 from 2020 (11,103 ÷ 5,205). The gain over 2024 alone was 2,090, or 23.2%.

Schools are part of that. ATEC reports that 2024 graduates slipped about 5% from 2023's record of more than 10,000 while enrollment rose 9%. And about one-third of available school seats are still unfilled, which ATEC links mainly to low awareness of aviation maintenance as a career and to instructor shortages.

For you, that means seats exist at many schools. And a school is how most new mechanics earn the certificate, about two-thirds of them according to the same report.

Aircraft Mechanic Job Outlook for 2024 to 2034

Projections Central expects aircraft mechanic employment to rise from 139,400 to 145,000 between 2024 and 2034. Growth adds 560 jobs a year, only 5% of the 11,300 yearly openings. The rest replace workers who leave the occupation.

That makes aircraft mechanic demand a hiring story more than a growth story. Pay runs from $48,780 at the 10th percentile to $128,890 at the 90th, and the aircraft mechanic salary guide breaks it down by state and industry.

Where Is Aircraft Mechanic Demand Growing Fastest?

Among states with at least 2,000 aircraft mechanic jobs, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada have the fastest projected growth. Florida and Texas each project the most openings of any state, 1,370 a year.

The aircraft mechanic jobs guide covers employers and metros, and the school directory lists FAA-approved schools by state.

What the Aircraft Mechanic Shortage Means for New Mechanics

The shortage figure is about airline-type maintenance. If that's where you want to work, the forecasts favor you. Repair stations, general aviation shops, and manufacturers hire mechanics too, and each group has its own mix of certificated and non-certificated staff.

Compare programs in the best aircraft mechanic school rankings, or look at schools with airline partnerships. If you'd rather earn while you learn, read about an aircraft mechanic apprenticeship or the military route. Not sure the career fits? Is aircraft mechanic a good career weighs pay and the hard parts.