What Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers earn in Sedgwick County, KS
If you are weighing a move or a job offer, start with $59,850: the median annual pay for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers in Sedgwick County, KS. Spread over a standard 2,080-hour work year, that is $28.77 an hour. Because the wage survey covers the whole Wichita, KS metropolitan area, the number reflects employers across the region rather than a single town or a single company.
The mean wage is $67,570, which is 12.9% above the median, a sign that a group of high earners lifts the average. The survey counts about 9,460 people working in this occupation across the Wichita, KS metropolitan area, so the estimate rests on a substantial pool of workers. Sedgwick County, KS has roughly 528,226 residents, according to the population figures used by the rent data.
The salary range, from entry level to top earners
Pay for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers in the Wichita, KS metropolitan area is not one number. The lowest-paid tenth of workers earn up to $52,630 a year ($25.30 an hour), while the highest-paid tenth earn $77,440 or more ($37.23 an hour). That is a gap of $24,810 between the bottom and the top of the scale. The middle half of workers falls between $59,670 at the 25th percentile and $77,440 at the 75th percentile. A top-tier earner makes 1.5 times what someone at the bottom makes, so experience, certification and employer all matter.
What the hourly rate looks like
Employers quote this occupation by the hour or by the year, so here are both: $28.77 an hour or $59,850 a year at the median for Sedgwick County, KS. Before any deductions, that is $4,988 a month, $2,302 every two weeks and $1,151 each week. After taxes the same job pays $22.92 per hour of take-home income, which is the number that actually has to cover rent and groceries.
About this occupation: Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
The U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET database describes the work of Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers this way: "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."
Core tasks recorded by O*NET include: "Assemble prefabricated parts to form subassemblies"; "Layout and mark reference points and locations for installation of parts or components, using jigs, templates, or measuring and marking instruments"; "Attach brackets, hinges, or clips to secure or support components or subassemblies, using bolts, screws, rivets, chemical bonding, or welding"; "Inspect or test installed units, parts, systems, or assemblies for fit, alignment, performance, defects, or compliance with standards, using measuring instruments or test equipment".
Job outlook for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment in this occupation to shrink from 34,400 jobs in 2025 to 32,500 in 2035, a change of -5.6%, slower than the 3.5% projected for all occupations. The projection counts 3,100 openings a year on average, including positions created by growth and positions left by workers who retire or move to another occupation; that equals 9.0% of current employment each year.
Typical entry-level education: high school diploma or equivalent. Typical on-the-job training to reach competency: moderate-term on-the-job training. BLS lists a national median annual wage of $65,380 for this occupation; the Sedgwick County, KS median of $59,850 is 8.5% below it.
How pay in Sedgwick County, KS compares
Compared with the Kansas average
Pay for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers in Sedgwick County, KS is in line with the statewide figure: $59,850 locally against an employment-weighted Kansas average of $59,711, a difference of only $139 (0.2%). Within Kansas, Sedgwick County, KS already has the highest median we track for this job.
Compared with the national average
The national employment-weighted average for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers is $73,596 across the contiguous United States. At $59,850, Sedgwick County, KS pays $13,746 less, which is 18.7% below that benchmark. Keep in mind that a higher salary only helps if living costs do not rise faster, which is why the cost sections below matter as much as the headline number.
Where this job ranks in Sedgwick County, KS
Among the 437 occupations with published wages in Sedgwick County, KS, Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers ranks number 171 by median pay, ahead of about 61% of them. The best-paying occupation we track here is Registered Nurses at $76,540 a year, which is $16,690 more than the median for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers.
From gross pay to take-home pay
Three separate tax bills sit between the gross salary and the bank account: federal income tax, FICA, and state income tax. For Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers earning the Sedgwick County, KS median of $59,850, they add up to $12,172. The result is $47,678 of take-home pay a year ($3,973 a month), based on a single filer using the standard deduction.
Put another way, of every $100 earned, about $20 goes to taxes and $80 reaches the paycheck. The overall effective tax rate is 20.3%.
Federal income tax
After the $15,750 standard deduction, taxable income is $44,100. Federal brackets are marginal, so only the slice of income above each threshold is taxed at the higher rate; the last dollars of this salary fall in the 12% bracket. The resulting federal income tax is $5,054, an effective 8.4% of gross pay, well below the 12% marginal rate because the lower brackets are cheaper.
Social Security and Medicare (FICA)
Payroll taxes are a flat percentage of wages. Social Security takes 6.2% up to a wage base of $176,100, which costs $3,711 on this salary. Medicare takes 1.45%, or $868. FICA totals $4,579, which is 7.6% of gross pay.
State income tax in Kansas
Kansas income tax on this salary is $2,540 a year, or 4.2% of gross pay, after the state's own deductions and exemptions are applied. That is 50% of the federal income tax bill, and it comes out to $212 a month. Local taxes such as county or city income taxes are not included, so a few jurisdictions may withhold slightly more.
A cross-check with IRS data for Sedgwick County, KS
IRS Statistics of Income data for Sedgwick County, KS show an average adjusted gross income of $81,325 per return and an average effective federal income tax rate of 12.9% across all filers. Filers in the $50,000 to under $75,000 bracket, where this salary falls, paid an average of 6.9%, compared with the 8.4% estimated here for a single filer taking the standard deduction. Gaps between the two reflect filing status, dependents, credits and other income, none of which a single-person wage estimate includes.
Cost of living in Sedgwick County, KS
Take-home pay only means something next to what life costs. We price four basics for one adult in Sedgwick County, KS: a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline. All of them are converted to annual figures first, then compared with the $47,678 of take-home pay.
Rent
Housing is the largest line in most budgets. For Sedgwick County, KS, HUD sets the Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom unit at $823 a month ($9,876 a year), and at $1,043 for two bedrooms. For Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers, a one-bedroom absorbs 20.7% of take-home pay and 16.5% of gross pay.
Food
The USDA Thrifty Food Plan (August 2026) puts the cost of a nutritious home-cooked diet for an adult at about $3,436 a year, which is $286 a month or $66.07 a week. That equals 5.7% of gross pay for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers in Sedgwick County, KS. It is a thrifty budget with no restaurant meals, so treat it as a floor.
Energy and gasoline
Using Kansas residential prices from the Energy Information Administration and national household averages for consumption, electricity costs about $1,495 a year and other home energy such as natural gas about $515, for $2,011 in total. Gasoline in Kansas averages $3.10 per gallon; at about 463 gallons a year (11,106 miles at 24 miles per gallon) fuel adds $1,436.
What is left over
Rent, food, energy and gasoline cost $16,758 a year in Sedgwick County, KS. Subtract that from $47,678 of take-home pay and $30,920 remains, which is $2,577 a month of breathing room. That margin equals 51.7% of gross pay, a comfortable cushion by common budgeting rules.
Local housing and commute data for Sedgwick County, KS
The budget above covers rent, food, energy and gasoline. Three more local facts shape what a paycheck buys in Sedgwick County, KS: property taxes, housing prices and the daily commute. The figures below are exact U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates for Sedgwick County, KS, set beside the Kansas and national medians.
Property taxes in Sedgwick County, KS
Homeowners in Sedgwick County, KS pay a median of $2,461 a year in real estate taxes, 12% below the Kansas median of $2,798 and 21% below the U.S. median of $3,119. Against a median home value of $203,300, the median tax bill is 1.21% of that value (the ratio of the two county medians). For a worker paid the local Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers median of $59,850, a tax bill of that size would equal 4.1% of gross pay, which matters for anyone planning to buy rather than rent.
Rents, home prices and household income in Sedgwick County, KS
Renters in Sedgwick County, KS pay a median gross rent of $998 a month in the Census survey, 6% below the Kansas median of $1,060. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a one-bedroom apartment, which this site uses in the budget, is $823 a month; the two measures differ because the Census figure covers units of every size that renters already occupy, while the HUD figure is a one-bedroom benchmark. The median value of an owner-occupied home is $203,300, 6% below the Kansas median of $217,200. Median household income is $69,365, 7% below the Kansas median of $74,275, so a year of one-bedroom Fair Market Rent equals 14.2% of that income.
Commuting in Sedgwick County, KS
Workers in Sedgwick County, KS who travel to a workplace spend an average of 19.3 minutes each way, 2% below the Kansas average of 19.7. For someone who commutes five days a week, that is 3.2 hours of round-trip travel every week, a cost the budget does not price. 8.1% of workers in Sedgwick County, KS work from home, compared with 15.1% nationally, which removes the commute for them.
Can Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers afford to live in Sedgwick County, KS?
The 30% rent guideline
A common rule of thumb says rent should stay under 30% of gross income. For a gross salary of $59,850 that ceiling is $1,496 a month. The one-bedroom Fair Market Rent of $823 is $673 under it, so rent fits the guideline. Put as a wage, covering a one-bedroom at the 30% guideline takes $15.83 an hour; the median for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers is $28.77, which is 82% above that mark. Another way to see it: at $22.92 of take-home pay an hour, a one-bedroom takes about 8.3 working hours every week.
Splitting a two-bedroom
Sharing a two-bedroom at $1,043 a month means $522 each. Compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, that saves $3,618 a year. With a roommate, the yearly margin after the basics becomes $34,538.
How fast you can save
At $2,577 a month of margin, building a $10,000 emergency fund would take about 4 months. Setting aside half of the margin stretches the same goal to about 8 months. These figures ignore interest, raises and any spending beyond the four basics.
Frequently asked questions about Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers pay in Sedgwick County, KS
How much do Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers make per hour in Sedgwick County, KS?
The median is $28.77 per hour, based on $59,850 a year over 2,080 hours. Hourly pay runs from about $25.30 at the 10th percentile to $37.23 at the 90th percentile.
How much do Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers take home after taxes in Sedgwick County, KS?
After federal income tax, FICA and state income tax, the median salary of $59,850 becomes $47,678 a year. That is $3,973 a month, $1,834 every two weeks or $917 a week.
How much tax do Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers pay in Sedgwick County, KS?
Total taxes are $12,172 a year, an effective rate of 20.3%: $5,054 federal income tax, $4,579 FICA and $2,540 Kansas income tax.
Do Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers earn more in Sedgwick County, KS than elsewhere in Kansas?
It is about the same. The local median of $59,850 is within 0.2% of the Kansas average of $59,711.
Can Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers afford a one-bedroom apartment in Sedgwick County, KS?
A one-bedroom costs $823 a month against take-home pay of $3,973, which is 20.7% of take-home pay. That meets the 30%-of-gross guideline, which allows up to $1,496 a month.
What is the monthly budget margin for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers in Sedgwick County, KS?
About $2,577 a month ($30,920 a year) remains after a one-bedroom apartment, food, home energy and gasoline, which together cost $16,758 a year.
What hourly wage covers a one-bedroom in Sedgwick County, KS at the 30% guideline?
$15.83 an hour for a full-time schedule, calculated as the $9,876 annual rent divided by 0.30 and by 2,080 hours. The median for Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers is $28.77.
How we calculated these numbers
Wages are May 2025 medians from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for the Wichita, KS metropolitan area; hourly-only values are annualized at 2,080 hours. Rents are HUD Fair Market Rents, food costs come from the USDA Thrifty Food Plan, and energy prices come from the Energy Information Administration. County-level tax statistics come from the IRS Statistics of Income.
Taxes use tax-year 2025 federal brackets, FICA rates and the Kansas rules for a single filer with wage income only. Figures are estimates for planning and comparison, not tax or financial advice, and they exclude local income taxes, benefits, retirement contributions and individual circumstances.