Flight Attendants Salary: $86,103 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 130,110 flight attendants nationally earn a mean of $86,103. Projections imply about 11.0% annual growth; CA accounts for about 13,770 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $50,488 |
| 25th percentile | $62,421 |
| Median (50th) | $79,763 |
| 75th percentile | $103,312 |
| 90th percentile | $134,861 |
What education do you need?
For Flight Attendants, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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 Workforce in 2023
The Flight Attendants workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Flight Attendants.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$86,103 Average Wage
In 2023, Flight Attendants earned an average of $86,103.
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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 13,770 employees, $86,741 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Flight Attendants.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 9,770 employees, $84,936 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 3,090 employees, $89,624 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 910 employees, $96,336 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 workforce of Flight Attendants in 2023 was 130,110 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Flight Attendants was $86,103 in 2023.
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.