Short answer
Texas had 135 aerospace product and parts manufacturing establishments in 2023, employing 38,667 people on a $4.79 billion payroll (Census County Business Patterns), third among states. Five sites with 1,000 or more employees hold 70% of the jobs, and Dallas-Fort Worth has 70 of the 135. Federal aerospace manufacturing contracts performed in Texas reached $45.66 billion in fiscal 2025, the most of any state. Kratos, Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace are listed and headquartered there.
- 135 aerospace manufacturing establishments and 38,667 employees in 2023, 7.1% of US establishments.
- The five establishments with 1,000 or more employees employ 26,904 people.
- Texas had 35% of all federal aerospace manufacturing contract obligations in fiscal 2025: $45.66 billion of $128.91 billion.
- Air transportation support businesses (512 establishments, 21,836 employees) rival the manufacturers in size.
- Kratos ($1.35 billion revenue) now gives Round Rock as its headquarters; AgEagle, listed at a Texas address on EDGAR, gives Wichita.
On this page
This report is for people working Texas aerospace across the whole state: suppliers and buyers comparing regions, job seekers, and B2B sellers deciding whether to cover Texas from Fort Worth, Houston or San Antonio.
Texas aerospace in Census data
US Census Bureau County Business Patterns (CBP) 2023, NAICS 3364 (Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing), State of Texas:
| Measure (2023) | Texas |
|---|---|
| Establishments | 135 |
| Employees (week of March 12) | 38,667 |
| Annual payroll | $4,786,626,000 |
| Average employees per establishment | 286.4 |
| Average annual pay | $123,791 |
| Share of US establishments | 7.1% of 1,901 |
| Rank among states by establishments | 3rd |
Summing the CBP state files, Texas has about 9% of US aerospace manufacturing employment (our calculation), close to the "roughly 10%" in the governor's office's 2025 aerospace report. CBP counts establishments with paid employees, not companies, and classes each by its main activity.
Size: a few very large plants
| Employees per establishment | Establishments |
|---|---|
| 1 to 4 | 37 |
| 5 to 9 | 16 |
| 10 to 19 | 11 |
| 20 to 49 | 23 |
| 50 to 99 | 14 |
| 100 to 249 | 11 |
| 250 to 499 | 12 |
| 500 to 999 | 6 |
| 1,000 or more | 5 |
That's 64 establishments with 1 to 19 employees, 37 with 20 to 99 and 34 with 100 or more. The CBP state file also publishes employment by size class: the five establishments with 1,000 or more employees employ 26,904 people, 70% of the total.
| Industry (NAICS) | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Other aircraft parts and auxiliary equipment (336413) | 64 | 5,214 |
| Aircraft manufacturing (336411) | 38 | 23,327 |
| Aircraft engines and engine parts (336412) | 23 | 2,707 |
| Guided missiles and space vehicles (336414) | 8 | 3,446 |
Two more establishments aren't published by code. Aircraft manufacturing is 60% of the state's aerospace manufacturing jobs.
Four metros, four markets
| Metro area (CBP 2023) | Establishments | Employees | What dominates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | 70 | 30,349 | Fighter jets, rotorcraft, parts suppliers |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | 14 | 2,047 | Maintenance, repair and overhaul |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | 11 | 1,346 | Human spaceflight and lunar hardware |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | 8 | 648 | Launch vehicles and defense technology |
These four hold 103 of the 135 establishments. By county, Tarrant has 37 establishments and 22,343 jobs, Dallas 15 and 5,853, Bexar 9 and 1,709, and Harris 10 and 1,132. The governor's office names Amarillo, El Paso, Waco and Wichita Falls as further hubs. For detail on the two largest metros, see aerospace companies in Dallas and aerospace companies in Houston.
San Antonio's aerospace is mostly maintenance, which CBP classes outside manufacturing. Port San Antonio says Boeing operates in 1.6 million square feet of facilities there and lists StandardAero (engine overhaul), Chromalloy (engine component repair) and Knight Aerospace (cargo aircraft medical modules) among its aerospace tenants. Statewide, support activities for air transportation (NAICS 488190) account for 512 establishments and 21,836 employees.
Federal contracts performed in Texas
USAspending shows $45.66 billion of federal contract obligations in fiscal 2025 coded to aerospace manufacturing (NAICS 3364) with a Texas place of performance, out of $128.91 billion nationally. Aircraft manufacturing was $31.63 billion and guided missiles and space vehicles $9.56 billion; the Department of Defense obligated $44.92 billion and NASA $677.8 million.
| Recipient (as named in the federal record) | FY2025 obligations |
|---|---|
| Lockheed Martin (two records) | $39,591.5 million |
| Bell Textron | $1,492.1 million |
| L3Harris Technologies Integrated Systems | $1,427.5 million |
| Bell Boeing Joint Project Office | $721.0 million |
| Raytheon | $507.5 million |
| The Boeing Company | $367.3 million |
| CAE USA | $201.9 million |
| Hamilton Sundstrand Space Systems International | $131.3 million |
| Axiom Space | $130.5 million |
| StandardAero (San Antonio) | $101.2 million |
Lockheed Martin's 2025 10-K lists Fort Worth among Aeronautics' significant operations and Grand Prairie for Missiles and Fire Control, and says the F-35 generated 67% of Aeronautics' 2025 sales. Obligations land where the contract places the work, so a large program can put billions in one county, and subcontracts aren't shown.
Listed aerospace companies headquartered in Texas
Each checked on the cover of its latest 10-K or offering document:
| Company (ticker) | Headquarters | FY2025 revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kratos Defense & Security Solutions (KTOS) | Round Rock | $1,346.8 million | About 4,300 |
| Intuitive Machines (LUNR) | Houston | $210.1 million | 525 (about 1,695 after the January 2026 Lanteris deal) |
| Firefly Aerospace (FLY) | Cedar Park | $159.9 million | 1,409 full-time |
Three cautions for anyone using EDGAR's address field. Kratos still shows San Diego there, but its 10-K gives Round Rock. AgEagle Aerial Systems shows Allen, Texas, but its 2025 10-K gives Wichita, Kansas. And Firefly's 10-K gives Cedar Park, not the Leander address on file. MIND Technology in The Woodlands carries a navigation and guidance industry code but makes marine sonar and seismic equipment. Lyntris, a Dallas defense technology company, listed in August 2026 and hasn't filed a 10-K yet.
The wider industry, by the state's definition
The governor's office counts more than 150,000 direct workers and more than 2,000 establishments in Texas aerospace, aviation and defense, about 47% of them in air transportation. Its report says SpaceX announced in late 2024 that it would move its headquarters from California to Starbase, Texas, that the Texas Space Commission launched in March 2024, and that about 51% of NASA Johnson Space Center's budget, roughly $2.3 billion, goes to contracts with Texas businesses.
Prospecting Texas aerospace companies
| Region | Lead with | Typical first contact |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth | Supplier-tier services for the 38 aircraft parts makers in the metro | Quality or operations manager |
| San Antonio | MRO support: tooling, parts logistics, technicians, facilities | Hangar or site operations lead |
| Houston | Space hardware supply chain, test, export compliance | Supply chain and program leads |
| Austin | Scale-up help for launch and defense technology firms | VP of operations |
Two checks apply statewide. Under 22 CFR 122.1, manufacturers of defense articles must register with the State Department even if they don't export, and CMMC Phase 2 begins on 10 November 2026. Confirm a Texas entity's standing with the Comptroller's franchise tax account status search.
Illustrative example. The seller and its numbers are invented; the counts are from Census and USAspending data.
Alamo Hangar Services (alamohangar.example) supplies ground support equipment and maintenance to MRO hangars. Texas has 512 air transportation support establishments, 25 of them with 100 or more employees. It shortlists those large sites in San Antonio, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, then checks which hold federal maintenance contracts using USAspending recipient searches by county. At four new accounts a year worth $90,000 each, that's $360,000. Bebop helps it widen the list with a plain-language search and explains why each company fits.
State sources
| Source | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Texas aerospace, aviation and defense report | The state's industry overview, hubs and space programs |
| Port San Antonio aerospace | MRO tenants and facilities at Kelly Field |
| Texas Comptroller account status search | Whether a Texas entity is in good standing |
| USAspending | Awards by recipient and place of performance |
| SAM.gov | Contractor registrations by NAICS code |
Next step: see the state's broader industrial base in the report on manufacturing companies in Texas.
Sources
- County Business Patterns (CBP), 2023, US Census Bureau, accessed 30 October 2026
- Aerospace, Aviation and Defense Industry, Texas Economic Development and Tourism Office, Office of the Governor, May 2025
- Advanced Search: prime contract obligations, FY2025, NAICS 3364, by state and for Texas, USAspending.gov, US Department of the Treasury, accessed 30 October 2026
- Kratos Defense & Security Solutions Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 23 February 2026
- Intuitive Machines, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 19 March 2026
- Firefly Aerospace Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 20 March 2026
- AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal 2025, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 31 March 2026
- MIND Technology, Inc. Form 10-K for fiscal year ended 31 January 2026, US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 20 April 2026
- Lockheed Martin Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2025 (Item 2, Properties), US Securities and Exchange Commission (EDGAR), 29 January 2026
- Aerospace, Port San Antonio, accessed 30 October 2026
- 22 CFR 122.1, Registration: requirements, exemptions, and purpose, US Government Publishing Office (govinfo), 1 April 2025 edition
Written by the Bebop team at Blackpearl Group. Published .
Questions people ask
How many aerospace companies are in Texas?
Census County Business Patterns counted 135 aerospace product and parts manufacturing establishments in Texas in 2023, employing 38,667 people, third among states. The governor's office counts more than 2,000 aerospace, aviation and defense establishments and over 150,000 direct workers, because its definition includes airlines, airports, maintenance and defense services. Use the Census figure for manufacturers and the state figure for the wider industry.
What are the biggest aerospace companies in Texas?
By fiscal 2025 federal aerospace contracts performed in Texas, Lockheed Martin was far ahead with about $39.6 billion, followed by Bell Textron, L3Harris Technologies Integrated Systems, the Bell Boeing Joint Project Office and Raytheon. Among aerospace companies headquartered in Texas, Kratos reported the most revenue in its 2025 10-K, $1.35 billion, ahead of Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace.
Where are aerospace companies located in Texas?
Mostly in Dallas-Fort Worth, which has 70 of the state's 135 aerospace manufacturing establishments and 30,349 of its 38,667 jobs, according to 2023 Census data. San Antonio has 14 establishments and a large maintenance and overhaul base at Port San Antonio, Houston has 11 tied to human spaceflight, and Austin has 8. Tarrant County alone has 37 establishments.
Did SpaceX move its headquarters to Texas?
SpaceX announced in late 2024 that it would move its headquarters from California to Starbase, Texas, according to the Texas governor's office's 2025 aerospace report. SpaceX is privately held and doesn't file annual reports with the SEC, so its headcount and revenue in Texas aren't published. Federal records show it as a contractor, so USAspending is the best public source on its government work.
How much do aerospace jobs in Texas pay?
Texas aerospace manufacturing establishments paid $4.79 billion in 2023 to 38,667 employees, an average of $123,791 per employee, according to Census County Business Patterns. The figure blends engineers, technicians, assemblers and managers, and the large Fort Worth plants pull it up. It uses employment in the week of March 12.