Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers earn an average annual salary of $329,274, making it one of the higher-paying occupations. The field has seen strong growth, with employment increasing by 8.2% over recent years. Professionals in this field are primarily employed in industries such as Cross-industry and Cross-industry, Private Ownership only.
Key Statistics
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers workforce.
Employment Over Time
9,890 Workforce in 2023
The Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$329,274 Average Wage
In 2023, Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers earned an average of $329,274.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Salary distribution for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Employment Growth Projections
9.2% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
58,136 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 54.9%
90,080 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 140.1%
This occupation is projected to grow at 9.2% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Wage Trends by Industry
7.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Total, All Industry: 43.8% growth (Current: $380,963)
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
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: 8,870 employees, $341,087 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 6,530 employees, $332,431 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 1,790 employees, $380,963 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 300 employees, $351,686 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 180 employees, $283,519 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 70 employees, $231,432 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Diversity
Demographic information on Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in 2023 was 9,890 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
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 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in 2023 were Business Administration, Engineering, Mathematics.
Common majors for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers workers.
Education level distribution for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Skills
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Monitoring.
Required skills for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers include Transportation, English Language, Public Safety and Security, Mechanical, Geography.
Knowledge areas required for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers include Response Orientation, Problem Sensitivity, Control Precision, Near Vision, Far Vision.
Required abilities for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Daily Activities
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers spend their time on activities such as Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards.
Most important work activities for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
About
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
The average yearly wage for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers was $329,274 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-2011 - Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers reports an average salary of $329,274, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 9,890 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 9.2%, 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.