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What does a Aerospace Engineers salary really buy you in Arizona?
Arizona is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Arizona's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 99.9, meaning prices are 0.1% lower the national average. A Aerospace Engineers earning $123,170 in Arizona has the equivalent purchasing power of $123,293 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Arizona's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $88,920 | $89,009 | +$89 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $96,700 | $96,796 | +$96 |
| Median (P50) | $123,170 | $123,293 | +$123 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $161,220 | $161,381 | +$161 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $193,990 | $194,184 | +$194 |
Arizona's cost of living is close to the national average, so $123,170 keeps most of its value at $123,293 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 99.9, Arizona is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Aerospace Engineers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living, $123,170 nominal nets out to $123,293 in real purchasing power — a small 0.1% gain. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Aerospace Engineers.
Arizona's rank of #30 of 41 states means real purchasing power for Aerospace Engineers trails the national half-way line.
Where does Aerospace Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Arizona ranks #30 out of 41 states for Aerospace Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Aerospace Engineers take-home pay in Arizona after taxes →
A Aerospace Engineers in Arizona earns a median salary of $123,170 per year. After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living (RPP=99.9), the real purchasing power is $123,293 — a +0.1% difference.
Arizona's cost of living is 0.1% lower than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Arizona is 99.9 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Aerospace Engineers in Arizona: $123,170 x (100 / 99.9) = $123,293. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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