Commercial Pilots
Median $123,220
Occupation · SOC 53-2011
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: pay and where the jobs are
What airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$232,140 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $288,650
- Hourly wages
- BLS publishes annual wages only
- Employment
- 103,560
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-2011.
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See where your pay falls among airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers make?
The median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers was $232,140 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $106,710 and the highest-paid 10% more than $463,830. About 103,560 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Georgia ($618,090), Idaho ($507,640) and Michigan ($428,570). Georgia also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $106,710 | — | $8,893 | $6,992 |
| 25th percentile | $182,280 | — | $15,190 | $11,321 |
| Median | $232,140 | — | $19,345 | $14,066 |
| 75th percentile | $384,440 | — | $32,037 | $21,445 |
| 90th percentile | $463,830 | — | $38,653 | $25,239 |
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: pay by state
38 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$375,153 take-home in national prices
2
$316,460 take-home in national prices
3
$275,094 take-home in national prices
Where a median airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineer paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia | 8,770 | $618,090 | $187,570 | $642,610 | $361,246 | $375,153 |
| Idaho | 330 | $507,640 | $120,740 | $507,910 | $302,201 | $316,460 |
| Michigan | Not published | $428,570 | $181,880 | $428,570 | $264,687 | $275,094 |
| California | 10,670 | $353,900 | $179,270 | $427,660 | $206,559 | $186,560 |
| Kentucky | 6,260 | $350,950 | $182,780 | $407,760 | $225,970 | $250,635 |
| Colorado | 5,830 | $307,490 | $189,150 | $377,860 | $199,578 | $193,668 |
| Illinois | 6,460 | $293,490 | $166,620 | $421,610 | $190,655 | $190,735 |
| New York | 6,900 | $255,240 | $101,390 | $475,690 | $167,969 | $155,641 |
| Alaska | 1,350 | $232,140 | $59,130 | $369,150 | $168,521 | $164,638 |
| Washington | 3,450 | $229,900 | $140,780 | $529,820 | $164,618 | $153,830 |
| Arizona | 2,200 | $227,870 | $96,380 | $344,080 | $160,913 | $159,830 |
| Florida | 7,760 | $225,020 | $121,240 | $356,680 | $164,496 | $159,065 |
| Texas | 10,930 | $215,150 | $92,370 | $456,570 | $158,321 | $163,122 |
| Minnesota | 2,960 | $211,470 | $128,070 | $353,410 | $141,224 | $143,199 |
| Ohio | 1,550 | $204,170 | $100,300 | $406,110 | $145,638 | $156,982 |
| Connecticut | 80 | $199,870 | $94,130 | $530,080 | $136,212 | $131,467 |
| Nevada | 2,160 | $192,460 | $90,890 | $293,240 | $142,812 | $142,842 |
| Utah | 1,880 | $174,590 | $108,270 | $433,330 | $122,829 | $124,240 |
| Oregon | 750 | $173,190 | $100,260 | $424,850 | $113,501 | $109,810 |
| Indiana | Not published | $171,260 | $83,680 | $338,390 | $123,300 | $132,113 |
| Arkansas | 250 | $168,970 | $124,990 | $170,960 | $120,705 | $138,842 |
| Puerto Rico | 260 | $167,050 | $49,400 | $503,570 | — | — |
| Pennsylvania | 2,270 | $164,990 | $88,090 | $369,300 | $118,856 | $121,814 |
| Rhode Island | 40 | $164,880 | $93,300 | $286,150 | $116,632 | $114,032 |
| North Carolina | 2,240 | $151,540 | $97,700 | $206,700 | $109,306 | $115,881 |
| Maine | 40 | $147,930 | $96,630 | $354,100 | $102,397 | $105,510 |
| Kansas | 80 | $143,580 | $85,860 | $205,580 | $102,191 | $113,460 |
| Mississippi | 360 | $143,580 | $112,420 | $177,110 | $104,392 | $120,055 |
| South Carolina | 110 | $143,580 | $97,070 | $227,550 | $102,888 | $109,749 |
| Tennessee | 110 | $143,580 | $109,760 | $172,390 | $109,403 | $119,084 |
| Alabama | 360 | $136,990 | $108,890 | $176,620 | $99,370 | $111,874 |
| New Mexico | 50 | $136,990 | $117,080 | $172,330 | $99,517 | $107,922 |
| Oklahoma | 180 | $133,680 | $119,230 | $184,790 | $97,166 | $110,613 |
| Iowa | 100 | $131,730 | $64,100 | $201,080 | $96,950 | $110,469 |
| Nebraska | 60 | $131,650 | $59,400 | $233,970 | $96,138 | $106,698 |
| Louisiana | 150 | $120,740 | $74,700 | $251,190 | $90,535 | $102,639 |
| New Hampshire | 50 | $99,280 | $74,130 | $321,250 | $78,673 | $75,528 |
| Missouri | 120 | $97,680 | $60,920 | $172,330 | $73,894 | $81,366 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-2011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.