Average Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers Salary in the United States
The national median salary for Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers is $232,140 per year. The middle 50% earn between $182,280 and $384,440, with 103,560 workers employed nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2025 estimates . Data covers 39 states and 49 metro areas.
Pay distribution
Here is how Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers pay is distributed across workers nationally. The 10th percentile typically reflects entry-level or early-career pay, the median is the midpoint, and the 90th percentile represents the top earners in the field.
- 10th
- $106,710
- 25th
- $182,280
- Median
- $232,140
- 75th
- $384,440
- 90th
- $463,830
All values are percentiles of annual wages.
Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers are among the highest-paid occupations tracked by BLS, well into the top decile of US wages.
The pay band is unusually wide for this occupation. Experience, employer, and specialization can double or even triple an early-career salary, so what airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers earn depends heavily on where they are in their career and who they work for.
Job outlook
BLS projects employment for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers from 2024 to 2034. Growth is roughly in line with the US average of about 4% across all occupations.
- Projected growth
- +3.9%
- 3,900 net jobs over the projection period.
- Annual openings
- 11,700
- Includes growth plus replacements for workers who leave. Annual openings reflect typical replacement demand alongside any growth.
- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
- Work experience
- Less than 5 years
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
A bachelor's degree is the typical entry requirement for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers.
Where Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers earn the most
Location matters a lot. The gap between top-paying and bottom-paying states is large, so where airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers work can reshape their total compensation. Right now, the top-paying state is Georgia at $618,090, about 166.3% above the national median. At the metro level, Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA leads with a median of $618,090.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metros
| Metro area | Median salary | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $618,090 | 8,700 |
| Boise City, ID | $507,640 | N/A |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $428,570 | N/A |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $374,680 | 2,900 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $364,730 | 6,710 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | $350,950 | 3,330 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $343,140 | 50 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $335,270 | 10,030 |
Compare two locations side by side
Pick two states or metros to see airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers pay in each, along with a cost-of-living adjusted view.
Salary trend and related occupations
Between 2019 and 2025, the national median salary for Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers rose from $147,220 to $232,140, a gain of +57.7% in nominal dollars.
Over the same period, US consumer prices rose by +25.9%. Just to keep pace with inflation, the 2019 median of $147,220 would need to be worth $185,391 in 2025 dollars.
The actual 2025 median of $232,140 is $46,749 above that inflation-adjusted benchmark, a real change of +25.2% in purchasing power.
Real wages have grown strongly, 25.2% above inflation. Workers in this field have meaningfully gained purchasing power.
- Nominal change
- +57.7%
- 2019–2025
- Cumulative inflation
- +25.9%
- US CPI, 2019–2025
- Real change
- +25.2%
- After adjusting for inflation
Median salary over time
Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers median pay by year, going back through the available BLS releases.
- 2025
- $232,140
- 2024
- $226,600
- 2023
- $219,140
- 2022
- $211,790
- 2021
- $202,180
- 2020
- $160,970
- 2019
- $147,220
BLS did not publish a median for 2000–2018, so those years are omitted.
Related occupations
Other occupations in the same field, with median pay for comparison.
- Air Traffic Controllers
- $148,080
- Commercial Pilots
- $123,220
- Flight Attendants
- $63,580
- Airfield Operations Specialists
- $56,850
- Ship Engineers
- $109,530
- Transportation Inspectors
- $92,100
- Subway And Streetcar Operators
- $86,380
Common salary questions for Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers
What does the median salary mean? +
The median is the midpoint of all wages. Half of Airline Pilots, Copilots, And Flight Engineers workers earn more and half earn less. It is a better measure of typical pay than the average, which can be skewed by very high or very low earners.
Why does pay vary so much by location? +
Local labor markets, cost of living, industry concentration, and employer competition all affect wages. High-cost metros like San Francisco and New York often pay more in nominal terms, though some of that premium is offset by higher living costs.
How current is this salary data? +
This page uses the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. BLS publishes OEWS data once per year, typically in the spring for the previous May reference period.
What do the percentile ranges tell me? +
The 10th and 90th percentiles show the full pay band. The 25th to 75th percentile range, the middle 50%, is where most workers fall. A wide spread usually means experience, specialization, or location matter a lot for this occupation.