Commercial Pilots Salary: $173,037 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 51,830 commercial pilots nationally earn a mean of $173,037. Employment in the series shown rose about 8% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 10.5% annual growth.
Key Statistics
Commercial Pilots: what the data shows
Common questions about commercial pilots careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a commercial pilots?
Commercial Pilots is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 53-2012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 51,830 workers.
What does a commercial pilots do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Controlling Machines and Processes, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a commercial pilots make?
BLS national median annual wage: $122,670 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $173,037 — 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 | $61,243 |
| 25th percentile | $79,036 |
| Median (50th) | $125,068 |
| 75th percentile | $210,311 |
What education do you need?
For Commercial Pilots, 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 Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, and knowledge areas including Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Geography, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is commercial pilots in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 10.5% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: 64.7%.
Ten-year projected employment change: 171.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 51,830.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do commercial pilotss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 51,830 | 19.9% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 50,470 | 19.4% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 30,970 | 11.9% |
| Air Transportation | 24,960 | 9.6% |
| Nonscheduled Air Transportation | 20,400 | 7.8% |
| Educational Services | 11,740 | 4.5% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Commercial Pilots 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Photographers | 51,230 | $42,520 |
| Commercial Divers | 3,430 | $61,130 |
| Commercial and Industrial Designers | 30,250 | $79,450 |
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 99,300 | $226,600 |
| Flight Attendants | 130,110 | $67,130 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Commercial Pilots workforce.
Employment Over Time
51,830 Workforce in 2023
The Commercial Pilots workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Commercial Pilots.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$173,037 Average Wage
In 2023, Commercial Pilots earned an average of $173,037.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Commercial Pilots.
Salary distribution for Commercial Pilots.
Employment Growth Projections
10.5% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
34,266 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: 64.7%
56,451 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: 171.4%
This occupation is projected to grow at 10.5% annually, indicating strong future demand.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Commercial Pilots.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Commercial Pilots and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Commercial Pilots employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Commercial Pilots.
Wage Trends by Industry
7.3% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Commercial Pilots.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Commercial Pilots.
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:
- FL: 6,100 employees, $142,890 avg wage
- CA: 5,530 employees, $168,930 avg wage
- TX: 5,030 employees, $172,030 avg wage
- OH: 3,850 employees, $119,380 avg wage
- AK: 1,870 employees, $133,750 avg wage
- NV: 1,590 employees, $149,230 avg wage
- MN: 1,540 employees, $129,970 avg wage
- NC: 1,470 employees, $136,910 avg wage
- MI: 1,400 employees, $134,770 avg wage
- AZ: 1,330 employees, $121,860 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Commercial Pilots.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 3,340 employees, $159,700 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 2,480 employees, $192,130 avg wage
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,110 employees, $229,760 avg wage
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: 1,400 employees, $154,460 avg wage
- Anchorage, AK: 1,340 employees, $147,070 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,270 employees, $231,160 avg wage
- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: 1,160 employees, $141,080 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 950 employees, $181,430 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 820 employees, $135,980 avg wage
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 820 employees, $129,060 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Commercial Pilots.
Diversity
Demographic information on Commercial Pilots in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Commercial Pilots in 2023 was 51,830 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Commercial Pilots.
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 Commercial Pilots.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Commercial Pilots.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Commercial Pilots in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Commercial Pilots.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Commercial Pilots workers.
Education level distribution for Commercial Pilots.
Skills
Commercial Pilots need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Monitoring, Active Listening.
Required skills for Commercial Pilots.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Commercial Pilots.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Commercial Pilots include Transportation, Customer and Personal Service, Geography, English Language, Public Safety and Security.
Knowledge areas required for Commercial Pilots.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Commercial Pilots include Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Control Precision, Far Vision, Response Orientation.
Required abilities for Commercial Pilots.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Commercial Pilots.
Daily Activities
Commercial Pilots spend their time on activities such as Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Getting Information, Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Commercial Pilots.
About
Commercial Pilots
The average yearly wage for Commercial Pilots was $173,037 in 2023.
SOC Code
53-2012 - Commercial Pilots
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Commercial Pilots reports an average salary of $173,037, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 51,830 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 10.5%, 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.