Highest-paying defense and aerospace employers
Anthropic, OpenAI and Chaos post the highest median pay among defense and aerospace employers that state pay on at least a few of their jobs. Every job on this page is in the United States, taken from the employer’s own career site or job system and checked to still be open.
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Highest-paying defense and aerospace employers
Rebuilt weekly. November 2026 edition.
| # | Employer | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | AnthropicDC · Open 10 · With pay 10 | $349k |
| 2 | OpenAIDC · Open 8 · With pay 8 | $257k |
| 3 | ChaosCA · Open 19 · With pay 19 | $249k |
| 4 | Turion SpaceCA · Open 6 · With pay 6 | $219k |
| 5 | Scale AIDC · Open 22 · With pay 22 | $216k |
| 6 | Kaizen LabsDC · Open 6 · With pay 5 | $215k |
| 7 | DatabricksVA · Open 17 · With pay 16 | $214k |
| 8 | Muon SpaceCA · Open 122 · With pay 49 | $211k |
| 9 | StratolaunchCA · Open 49 · With pay 12 | $210k |
| 10 | GliaCell TechnologiesMD · Open 4 · With pay 4 | $208k |
| 11 | Long WallCA · Open 5 · With pay 5 | $205k |
| 12 | True AnomalyCO · Open 210 · With pay 42 | $205k |
| 13 | TwentyVA · Open 37 · With pay 35 | $205k |
| 14 | SaildroneCA · Open 39 · With pay 37 | $204k |
| 15 | FuseDC · Open 5 · With pay 4 | $203k |
| 16 | Air Space IntelligenceMA · Open 9 · With pay 5 | $200k |
| 17 | PicogridCA · Open 5 · With pay 5 | $200k |
| 18 | Shield AIWA · Open 421 · With pay 402 | $198k |
| 19 | Rune TechnologiesVA · Open 6 · With pay 6 | $198k |
| 20 | OktaMD · Open 15 · With pay 15 | $196k |
| 21 | Swarm AeroCA · Open 12 · With pay 11 | $195k |
| 22 | NooksCO · Open 5 · With pay 5 | $185k |
| 23 | SpaceXTX · Open 1,934 · With pay 11 | $183k |
| 24 | General Dynamics Mission SystemsMA · Open 416 · With pay 4 | $182k |
| 25 | Planet LabsVA · Open 12 · With pay 12 | $181k |
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- US manufacturing34,328
- Financial services28,982
- Healthcare26,927
- Education14,346
- Nonprofits13,697
- Biotech and pharma12,574
- AI8,364
- Construction7,544
- Transportation and logistics5,669
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- Automotive and EV4,186
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- Telecom1,689
- Real estate1,655
- Tourism and hospitality1,437
- Oil and gas1,102
- Steel, aluminum and metals1,022
- Restaurants953
- TV and streaming941
- Mining and natural resources884
- Airlines and aviation811
- Music663
- Shipbuilding and maritime474
- Casino and gaming441
- Sports235
- Movies and film63
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