SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Monitor safety of the aircraft cabin. Provide services to airline passengers, explain safety information, serve food and beverages, and respond to emergency incidents.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 53-2031.
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 | $35,110 | $2,926 | $675 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $51,760 | $4,313 | $995 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $63,580 | $5,298 | $1,223 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $95,640 | $7,970 | $1,839 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $136,430 | $11,369 | $2,624 |
* 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 Flight Attendants is $63,580, which is 25% higher. Among the 50 occupations of the field Transportation and Material Moving, it ranks number 14 by median pay. With 131,650 jobs, it makes up about 8.5 of every 10,000 jobs in the country. The average ($77,440) is well above the median, a sign that a smaller group of high earners pulls the average up.
Flight Attendants pay by state
The highest median pay was in New York ($126,650), Utah ($82,730) and California ($82,170). The lowest was in Pennsylvania ($39,520), Florida ($47,320) and Nevada ($51,800). The most jobs were in California (15,840), Texas (13,470) and Florida (13,220). The occupation is most concentrated in Nevada, where its share of all jobs is 3.1 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 12,060 | $126,650 | $115,670 |
| Utah | 2,490 | $82,730 | $88,930 |
| California | 15,840 | $82,170 | $83,000 |
| Georgia | not published | $78,320 | $83,930 |
| Connecticut | 250 | $78,180 | $87,210 |
| Washington | not published | $74,090 | $83,660 |
| Michigan | not published | $62,490 | $81,850 |
| Ohio | 990 | $62,440 | $62,990 |
| Idaho | not published | $62,200 | $84,280 |
| Illinois | 9,350 | $62,120 | $72,830 |
| Arizona | 4,590 | $61,780 | $62,820 |
| Massachusetts | 4,390 | $61,510 | $68,670 |
| Oregon | 980 | $61,480 | $65,460 |
| Minnesota | 4,050 | $61,230 | $62,760 |
| Colorado | 7,110 | $59,500 | $62,490 |
| Texas | 13,470 | $58,220 | $56,870 |
| Nevada | 4,040 | $51,800 | $52,280 |
| Florida | 13,220 | $47,320 | $58,050 |
| Pennsylvania | 2,290 | $39,520 | $43,130 |
| Virginia | 3,900 | 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
- Wellhead Pumpers$69,960 a year
- Railroad Brake, Signal, and Switch Operators and Locomotive Firers$68,840 a year
- Crane and Tower Operators$68,080 a year
- First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$62,890 a year
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers$61,770 a year
- Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers$60,600 a year
Common questions
How much do Flight Attendants earn in the United States?
The median pay was $63,580 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $35,110 and the highest-paid 10% more than $136,430.
How many people work as Flight Attendants?
About 131,650 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.