Critical A&P hiring shortages ranked by state.

Admit it. You’re tired of fighting to find great A&P mechanics. You’ve even considered lowering your standards just to fill roles. Before you do that, we’ve uncovered data that can give you an advantage in the talent market.

Supply and demand plays a big part in hiring strategy. It’s harder to land a great A&P in states with high demand but few mechanics. There is significant competition for the best talent causing wages and search times to go up. Conversely, employers have more search flexibility in states with a large talent pool but few jobs.

Get an Advantage

To give you the best intel, Fovea Aero Talent crunched the numbers in every state to determine the relative supply of A&P mechanics as related to the number of open jobs. We then compared each state to determine which states have the most mechanics, which have the most open jobs, and how competitive the A&P talent market is.

Knowing where your state ranks can help you understand the challenges that lie ahead when recruiting and retaining talent. Whether you are recruiting or hiring, this data can better understand the market dynamics at play.

How We Performed the Study

To create an actionable set of data regarding A&P mechanic supply and demand by state, our study looked across state-wide job boards and openings to build a quantitative understanding of where the roles were located. We then downloaded the full FAA Airman and Mechanic Registry to an internal database and filtered it by role and state to assess the relative talent pool between states.

A clear picture emerged of which states had the highest demand for A&P mechanics relative to supply. This data, along with other A&P professional data sets in each state, allowed us to build several, current rankings for all 50 states.

Relative Competition Calculation = Licensed A&P Mechanics in State / Open Jobs

Our “Competition Ranking” can be used to create an actionable picture of the talent pool for businesses and job-seekers to make more informed hiring decisions.

What Affects the A&P Mechanic and AMT Talent Pool?

Not all states are equal when it comes to the number of A&P mechanics available. Different states experience a variety of challenges when it comes to recruiting and retaining top A&P talent. Several elements drive these, including:

The desirability of the area where the role is located (weather, recreation, etc.).
The cost of living for the region.
Historic opportunities in the area (manufacturers, airline hubs, major MROs, etc.).
Local resources for individuals and families.
Word of mouth among peers.

Where Does Your State Rank?

Let’s get to the good stuff. After collecting the raw data and crunching the numbers, we have ranked each state by the number of open A&P jobs (“demand”), the number of licensed A&Ps (“supply”), and a calculation of how the two are related (“competition”).

Number of Open A&P Jobs per State

One of the most important indicators of a healthy industry is the number of open jobs. The map and table below rank states based on the number of open A&P mechanic jobs from most to least. This gives greater insight into which states currently have the most opportunities for A&P mechanics. It also indicates how many organizations are actively searching to fill their open roles.

1. Georgia	11. Kansas	21. Maryland	31. Connecticut	41. Louisiana
2. Florida	12. Pennsylvania	22. Virginia	32. Hawaii	42. Utah
3. Texas	13. Washington	23. Minnesota	33. Maine	43. Arkansas
4. California	14. Tennesee	24. New York	34. Oregon	44. Nebraska
5. Illinois	15. Indiana	25. Massachusetts	35. Delaware	45. Vermont
6. Arizona	16. Kentucky	26. Oklahoma	36. New Mexico	46. New Hampshire
7. Ohio	17. Nevada	27. South Carolina	37. Alabama	47. North Dakota
8. Colorado	18. Wisconsin	28. Idaho	38. Iowa	48. Rhode Island
9. North Carolina	19. Michigan	29. West Virginia	39. Montana	49. South Dakota
10. Missouri	20. Alaska	30. New Jersey	40. Mississippi	50. Wyoming

Licensed A&Ps per State

Knowing where your state ranks in total licensed A&Ps helps determine your relative talent supply. The map and table below rank states based on the number of licensed A&P mechanics from most to least.

1. Texas	11. Ohio	21. Kansas	31. Maryland	41. West Virginia
2. Florida	12. Pennsylvania	22. South Carolina	32. Arkansas	42. Nebraska
3. California	13. Illinois	23. New Jersey	33. Connecticut	43. New Hampshire
4. Georgia	14. Tennessee	24. Wisconsin	34. Mississippi	44. Delaware
5. Oklahoma	15. Michigan	25. Alaska	35. Utah	45. Maine
6. Washington	16. Colorado	26. Kentucky	36. Idaho	46. South Dakota
7. New York	17. Indiana	27. Louisiana	37. Hawaii	47. North Dakota
8. Arizona	18. Missouri	28. Oregon	38. New Mexico	48. Wyoming
9. North Carolina	19. Virginia	29. Nevada	39. Iowa	49. Vermont
10. Alabama	20. Minnesota	30. Massachusetts	40. Montana	50. Rhode Island

Competition for A&P Mechanics per State

Knowing the relative number of licensed A&Ps or open jobs in your state is useful. But, combining these data points provides true insight. States with more jobs relative to the available licensed A&Ps should experience higher competition for great mechanics. Conversely, states with large talent pools but few jobs should create a more liquid supply of talent.

The map and table below summarize how each state ranks in overall A&P competition, with the most competitive states listed first.

1. Maine	11. Maryland	21. Massachusetts	31. Minnesota	41. Nebraska
2. Delaware	12. New Mexico	22. Ohio	32. Oregon	42. New Hampshire
3. Rhode Island	13. Hawaii	23. Colorado	33. Tennessee	43. Louisiana
4. West Virginia	14. Montana	24. Connecticut	34. Virginia	44. Washington
5. Vermont	15. Iowa	25. North Dakota	35. Pennsylvania	45. New York
6. Georgia	16. Wisconsin	26. North Carolina	36. Texas	46. Arkansas
7. Illinois	17. Alaska	27. Indiana	37. Michigan	47. Oklahoma
8. Nevada	18. Arizona	28. Florida	38. New Jersey	48. Alabama
9. Idaho	19. Kansas	29. South Carolina	39. California	49. Wyoming
10. Kentucky	20. Missouri	30. Mississippi	40. Utah	50. South Dakota

A&P Hiring Competition Takeaways

Interestingly, our A&P Competition map shows a much different — and sometimes surprising — view of competition for talent in the United States. Some consider Florida, Texas, California, and Arizona the big players in A&P jobs. Our open jobs data shows this to be true with them ranking 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th. However, their talent pools also rank in the top 10 (2nd, 1st, 3rd, and 8th respectively) meaning that supply and demand is relatively even.

However, look at Illinois. It is 5th in open jobs but 13th in licensed A&Ps. Therefore, it ranks relatively high in our competition calculation. This means it is likely harder to recruit and hire A&Ps in Illinois, which is 7th in A&P competition, than it is in Texas, coming in at 36th on our ranking. Knowing this, employers in Illinois can adjust hiring times and expectations accordingly to ensure roles are filled prior to or as demand increases.

Using the Data

Knowing where your state stands in terms of aircraft technician supply and demand can help you tailor your A&P recruiting and hiring strategy. It can also give you a better understanding of which states may prove more difficult to land top talent. You can use our analysis to help set compensation levels, recruiting strategies, hiring lead times, and overall talent decisions.

While not fool-proof, the data underscores some critical elements that hiring teams should keep in mind when recruiting in the A&P mechanic space.

Evaluating Supply and Demand In Your State

It is clear that the role supply and demand play in each state is a critical factor. This data can help you understand where the competition for these professionals is highest and what you can do to ensure your business is appealing to top talent. If you know where the competition is high, you can tailor your recruiting strategy to be more effective.

Setting Salary and Benefits

A&P mechanics are highly-trained and in-demand professionals. Because of this, it is important to have a robust salary and benefits package in order to attract and retain them. While all states should offer competitive salaries, those who face higher competition for skilled workers will need to be especially mindful of this.

Addressing Corporate Culture

In addition to salary, another important consideration for A&P mechanics is their quality of life. Corporate culture plays an important part in attracting and retaining top talent. It is vitally important in states that rank high in competition to pay particular attention to how your employees are treated on a day-to-day basis. Do they enjoy their workplace? Are they treated fairly by management? have they formed bonds with their co-workers? All of these factors lead to more satisfied workers and extend directly to the service you provide your clients.

Land the Best A&Ps and AMTs with Fovea Aero

Finding the best candidates for your aircraft maintenance technician and A&P mechanic openings can be a challenge. This is especially true in highly competitive states with A&P mechanic shortages.

Fovea Aero can help. Our team of experienced aviation recruiters has the knowledge and expertise to land the best talent. We work closely with you to craft the most effective recruiting strategy for your unique needs.

We help identify and implement optimized plans for:

The best places to recruit talent specific to your position.
Insights into your competition — including tactics and methods they are using to attract talent.
How to actively attract the best fit for both skills and corporate culture.
When to begin recruiting and hiring for current and upcoming needs.

Fovea Aero focuses exclusively on the aviation industry. Our team has decades in the field. We know what it takes to find and attract the best aviation people. Your success is our only goal.