Outpaid

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary

The BLS estimates 103,560 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers jobs in the U.S. with a median base pay of $232,140 (May 2025, SOC 53-2011). Across 22 metros with published figures, medians range from $136,990 in Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area to $618,090 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA.

AIRLINE PILOTS, COPILOTS, AND FLIGHT ENGINEERS · UNITED STATES · BLS
BLS · UNITED STATES · ALL EMPLOYERS, ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
P10$106,710P25$182,280MEDIAN$232,140P75$384,440P90$463,830
30 SECONDS · NO SIGNUP · ON-DEVICE

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HIGHEST-PAYING METROS

  1. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$618,090 · 8,700 jobs
  2. San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$374,680 · 2,900 jobs
  3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$364,730 · 6,710 jobs
  4. Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN$350,950 · 3,330 jobs
  5. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$335,270 · 10,030 jobs
  6. San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$321,950 · 340 jobs
  7. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$307,690 · 4,160 jobs
  8. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$307,490 · 5,600 jobs
  9. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$293,490 · 6,360 jobs
  10. Anchorage, AK$232,240 · 1,270 jobs

LARGEST METROS

  1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$335,270 · 10,030 jobs
  2. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA$618,090 · 8,700 jobs
  3. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$364,730 · 6,710 jobs
  4. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN$293,490 · 6,360 jobs
  5. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX$212,810 · 5,980 jobs
  6. Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO$307,490 · 5,600 jobs
  7. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV$209,750 · 5,100 jobs
  8. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL$216,070 · 4,810 jobs
  9. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX$307,690 · 4,160 jobs
  10. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$229,900 · 3,340 jobs

EMPLOYERS WITH THE MOST VISA-SPONSORED FILINGS FOR THIS JOB

ALL METROS (A–Z)

Anchorage, AK · Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA · Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC · Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX · Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO · Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX · Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV · Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA · Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL · Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI · New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ · Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD · Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ · Salt Lake City-Murray, UT · San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA · Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA · Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

Questions

What is the median Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary in the U.S.?

$232,140 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $182,280–$384,440.

Where do Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers earn the most?

Highest metro medians: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($618,090), San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA ($374,680), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($364,730). Cost of living differs, so compare offers locally.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, May 2025 (metro, state and national estimates). Employer filing counts: U.S. DOL OFLC LCA disclosure data FY2026 Q3, visa-sponsored positions only.