Flight Attendants Salary: $67,130 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 130,110 flight attendants work nationally, and $67,130 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 11.0% annual growth; much hiring sits in transportation and warehousing.
Flight Attendants: what the data shows
Common questions about flight attendants careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a flight attendants?
Flight Attendants is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-2031.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 130,110 workers.
What does a flight attendants do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Assisting and Caring for Others, Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a flight attendants make?
BLS national median annual wage: $67,130 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $86,103 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,488 |
| 25th percentile | $62,421 |
| Median (50th) | $79,763 |
| 75th percentile | $103,312 |
| 90th percentile | $134,861 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Speaking, Monitoring, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Coordination, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Transportation. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is flight attendants in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 11.0% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 68.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 184.7%.
Current U.S. headcount: 130,110.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do flight attendantss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 130,110 | 20.1% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 130,110 | 20.1% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 128,630 | 19.9% |
| Air Transportation | 127,270 | 19.7% |
| Scheduled Air Transportation | 125,680 | 19.4% |
| Nonscheduled Air Transportation | 1,590 | 0.2% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Flight Attendants in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 99,300 | $226,600 |
| Commercial Divers | 3,430 | $61,130 |
| Commercial Pilots | 51,830 | $122,670 |
| Commercial and Industrial Designers | 30,250 | $79,450 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Flight Attendants workforce.
Employment Over Time
130,110 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Flight Attendants grew from 13,650 in 2011 to 59,060 in 2025 (332.7%).
Historical employment for Flight Attendants from the California OEWS series, 2011–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$67,130 Median pay (BLS national)
Flight Attendants earn $67,130 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Flight Attendants.
Salary distribution for Flight Attendants.
Employment Growth Projections
11.0% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
99,653 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 68.7%
168,148 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 184.7%
This occupation is projected to grow at 11.0% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Flight Attendants.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Flight Attendants and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Flight Attendants employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Flight Attendants.
Wage Trends by Industry
-5.9% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: -11.2% growth (Current: $96,336)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Flight Attendants.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Flight Attendants.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 15,760 employees, $84,060 avg wage
- TX: 13,180 employees, $54,750 avg wage
- FL: 11,880 employees, $77,460 avg wage
- NY: 10,430 employees, $117,580 avg wage
- IL: 9,230 employees, $71,670 avg wage
- CO: 7,540 employees, $62,650 avg wage
- NC: 4,320 employees, $73,420 avg wage
- NV: 4,050 employees, $48,960 avg wage
- AZ: 3,950 employees, $52,900 avg wage
- PA: 3,740 employees, $53,760 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Flight Attendants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 16,500 employees, $128,190 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 9,850 employees, $83,010 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 9,200 employees, $71,760 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 7,320 employees, $62,430 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 6,990 employees, $57,260 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 6,850 employees, $77,940 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 5,800 employees, $51,840 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 4,490 employees, $83,010 avg wage
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 4,040 employees, $71,870 avg wage
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: 4,030 employees, $48,930 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Flight Attendants.
Diversity
Demographic information on Flight Attendants in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Flight Attendants is about 130,110 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Flight Attendants.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Flight Attendants.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Flight Attendants.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Flight Attendants in 2023 were Business, Social Sciences, General Studies.
Common majors for Flight Attendants.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Flight Attendants workers.
Education level distribution for Flight Attendants.
Skills
Flight Attendants need many skills, but most especially Speaking, Monitoring, Active Listening, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation.
Required skills for Flight Attendants.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Flight Attendants.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Flight Attendants include Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Transportation, Psychology.
Knowledge areas required for Flight Attendants.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Flight Attendants include Speech Clarity, Oral Expression, Speech Recognition, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity.
Required abilities for Flight Attendants.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Flight Attendants.
Daily Activities
Flight Attendants spend their time on activities such as Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Getting Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Assisting and Caring for Others.
Most important work activities for Flight Attendants.
About
Flight Attendants
Flight Attendants earn $67,130 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
53-2031 - Flight Attendants
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Flight Attendants reports an average salary of $86,103.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 130,110 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 11.0%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.