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Space Industry Workforce Analytics

Comprehensive employment data, employer rankings, skills gap analysis, geographic distribution, and diversity metrics across the global space sector.

US Space Workforce

360,000+

Government, commercial, and defense sectors combined

Global Space Workforce

1.1M+

Across 80+ nations with active space programs

Annual Job Growth

8%

Year-over-year growth driven by commercial expansion

Average Salary

$112,000

Median base compensation for full-time US positions

Employment by Sector

Defense / Intelligence140,000

Military space, NRO, Space Force, and cleared contractor workforce

Commercial Satellite60,000

Satellite manufacturing, operations, and communications services

NASA / Government Civil45,000

NASA centers, civil servants, and on-site support contractors

NewSpace Startups35,000

Venture-backed companies founded since 2010

Launch Providers25,000

Rocket manufacturing, launch operations, and ground support

Space Manufacturing25,000

Component fabrication, 3D printing, and assembly

Earth Observation15,000

Remote sensing, geospatial analytics, and imagery services

Academic / Research15,000

University labs, research institutes, and national labs

Total tracked workforce360,000

Top Employment Hubs

Los Angeles / El Segundo, CA

Launch vehicles

45,000

Washington DC / Northern Virginia, VA/DC

Defense programs

35,000

Denver / Colorado Springs, CO

GPS

30,000

Houston, TX

Human spaceflight

25,000

Huntsville, AL

Propulsion

20,000

Diversity Snapshot

Women Overall
24%
Women in Engineering
18.2%
Women in Leadership
21.5%
Underrepresented Minorities
28.3%

Data compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics, Space Foundation Workforce Reports, Payload Research, company filings, and industry surveys. Estimates are approximate and updated periodically.