SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots. Excludes “Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians” (17-3024).
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 53-2012.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $58,850 | $4,904 | $1,132 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $84,540 | $7,045 | $1,626 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $123,220 | $10,268 | $2,370 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $190,440 | $15,870 | $3,662 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $266,620 | $22,218 | $5,127 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
BLS publishes only yearly pay for this occupation, because many of these workers are paid by the year and work fewer than 2,080 hours in it.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Commercial Pilots is $123,220, which is 142% higher. Among the 50 occupations of the field Transportation and Material Moving, it ranks number 3 by median pay. With 47,630 jobs, it makes up about 3.1 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($146,080) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Commercial Pilots pay by state
The highest median pay was in Connecticut ($232,160), New Jersey ($226,710) and New York ($177,430). The lowest was in Puerto Rico ($81,070), South Dakota ($83,710) and Arkansas ($94,410). The most jobs were in Florida (6,340), California (4,900) and Texas (4,120). The occupation is most concentrated in Alaska, where its share of all jobs is 10.1 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connecticut | 460 | $232,160 | $231,650 |
| New Jersey | 670 | $226,710 | $215,210 |
| New York | 1,070 | $177,430 | $184,580 |
| California | 4,900 | $165,590 | $202,040 |
| Delaware | 220 | $163,600 | $160,700 |
| Ohio | 2,680 | $150,330 | $145,490 |
| Georgia | 1,020 | $145,100 | $147,610 |
| Colorado | 1,240 | $139,680 | $152,820 |
| Texas | 4,120 | $137,960 | $152,090 |
| Vermont | 40 | $137,810 | $130,790 |
| Pennsylvania | 530 | $134,030 | $151,950 |
| North Dakota | 370 | $133,010 | $157,900 |
| Maryland | 360 | $131,210 | $138,530 |
| Kentucky | 800 | $129,990 | $168,100 |
| Wisconsin | 1,090 | $129,860 | $156,970 |
| North Carolina | 1,520 | $127,310 | $138,680 |
| Michigan | 1,390 | $126,670 | $127,700 |
| Oklahoma | 540 | $126,180 | $136,510 |
| Illinois | 1,170 | $126,100 | $157,600 |
| Florida | 6,340 | $121,890 | $145,320 |
| Oregon | 670 | $120,760 | $144,320 |
| Washington | 890 | $117,730 | $149,860 |
| Maine | 100 | $117,560 | $139,890 |
| Tennessee | 1,030 | $117,480 | $126,190 |
| Hawaii | 350 | $113,030 | $120,320 |
| Idaho | 310 | $109,620 | $131,800 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $105,950 | $119,040 |
| South Carolina | 290 | $105,740 | $108,640 |
| Kansas | 680 | $105,440 | $111,540 |
| Nevada | 1,100 | $105,340 | $125,470 |
| Virginia | 1,130 | $104,890 | $124,590 |
| Nebraska | 290 | $104,780 | $103,300 |
| Indiana | 960 | $104,160 | $125,910 |
| Montana | 330 | $103,690 | $128,170 |
| Mississippi | 240 | $103,640 | $120,670 |
| Arizona | 1,540 | $103,060 | $119,320 |
| Missouri | 670 | $102,990 | $119,400 |
| Wyoming | 190 | $102,990 | $106,190 |
| Iowa | 300 | $101,800 | $124,640 |
| Alabama | 780 | $101,420 | $108,580 |
| Alaska | 1,000 | $100,120 | $107,070 |
| Utah | 540 | $99,610 | $115,970 |
| Rhode Island | 80 | $98,820 | $131,970 |
| Minnesota | 910 | $98,630 | $123,240 |
| New Mexico | 370 | $97,920 | $114,690 |
| Louisiana | 910 | $95,940 | $109,200 |
| Arkansas | 460 | $94,410 | $95,380 |
| South Dakota | 320 | $83,710 | $94,070 |
| Puerto Rico | 70 | $81,070 | $89,150 |
| Massachusetts | 160 | not published | not published |
| New Hampshire | 440 | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$232,140 a year
- Air Traffic Controllers$148,080 a year
- Ship Engineers$109,530 a year
- Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels$92,460 a year
- Transportation Inspectors$92,100 a year
Common questions
How much do Commercial Pilots earn in the United States?
The median pay was $123,220 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $58,850 and the highest-paid 10% more than $266,620.
How many people work as Commercial Pilots?
About 47,630 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.