Pilot Salary

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Career Attributes

  • $145,145
  • 84,000
  • 3.9
  • 3.5%
  • Certificate or Associate's degree
  • Aerospace Engineering
More Attributes

How much does a Pilot make in the United States?

Table of Contents

  1. How much do Pilots make in the United States?
  2. Pilot earnings by seniority
  3. Pilot employment mix
  4. Pilot salary satisfaction
  5. Pilot earnings by seniority
  6. Pilot salary comparison
  7. Pilot salary by state

Average Pilot Yearly Salary in the United States

Pilots earn an average yearly salary of $145,146. Salaries typically start from $61,123 and go up to $120,000.

Average Pilot Hourly Wage in the United States

Pilots earn an average hourly wage of $69.78. Hourly wages typically start from $29.39 and go up to $57.69.

Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)

These numbers may vary depending on several factors, like level of education, amount of experience, industry, company size and location.

Learn more about the Pilot job market for salaries of real jobs in your area.

Employment Type Mix

71%
Full-Time
29%
Part-Time

Source: CareerExplorer user data. View more Pilot demographics

Salary Satisfaction

3.4
SCORE
222
RATINGS
Pilots average a score of 3.4 out of 5 on our salary satisfaction scale. This places Pilots in the 88th percentile of salary satisfaction.

Source: CareerExplorer user data. View more Pilot satisfaction

How to Become a Pilot

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Pilot Earnings by Seniority

Top End Pilot Earnings

The highest earning Pilots in the United States earn:

 $57.69
an hour 		$120,000
per year
Experienced Pilot Earnings

Experienced Pilots in the United States earn:

 $58.94
an hour 		$122,588.3
per year
Junior Pilot Earnings

Junior Pilots in the United States earn:

 $39.39
an hour 		$81,934.0
per year
Starting Pilot Earnings

Starting Pilots in the United States earn:

 $29.39
an hour 		$61,123.1
per year

Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.

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Pilot Salary Comparison

Pilots earn more than 97% percent of similar careers in the United States.

Pilot Salary $145k
Air Traffic Controller Salary $108k
Commercial Pilot Salary $89k
Ship Captain Salary $79k
Ship Engineer Salary $77k
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)

Pilot salary by state

Click on a state to learn more

State Hourly Wage Annual Salary Rank
Pilot Salary in Colorado $99.85 $207,680 # 1
Pilot Salary in Texas $95.97 $199,610 # 2
Pilot Salary in Washington $95.94 $199,560 # 3
Pilot Salary in California $90.62 $188,480 # 4
Pilot Salary in Florida $79.64 $165,660 # 5
Pilot Salary in Illinois $68.38 $142,230 # 6
Pilot Salary in United States $67.09 $139,540.1 # 7
Pilot Salary in Indiana $59.99 $124,780 # 8
Pilot Salary in Arizona $56.33 $117,160 # 9
Pilot Salary in Michigan $55.42 $115,270 # 10
Pilot Salary in Alaska $55.26 $114,940 # 11
Pilot Salary in New York $54.50 $113,370 # 12
Pilot Salary in Louisiana $53.17 $110,600 # 13
Pilot Salary in Minnesota $50.82 $105,700 # 14
Pilot Salary in Utah $49.59 $103,140 # 15
Pilot Salary in North Dakota $48.90 $101,710 # 16
Pilot Salary in Alabama $48.46 $100,790 # 17
Pilot Salary in South Carolina $48.01 $99,870 # 18
Pilot Salary in Arkansas $47.37 $98,520 # 19
Pilot Salary in Ohio $47.26 $98,310 # 20
Pilot Salary in Iowa $47.17 $98,120 # 21
Pilot Salary in North Carolina $46.61 $96,940 # 22
Pilot Salary in New Hampshire $45.00 $93,590 # 23
Pilot Salary in New Mexico $44.37 $92,280 # 24
Pilot Salary in Wisconsin $43.80 $91,110 # 25
Pilot Salary in Georgia $43.20 $89,850 # 26
Pilot Salary in Mississippi $43.15 $89,750 # 27
Pilot Salary in West Virginia $41.97 $87,300 # 28
Pilot Salary in Tennessee $40.58 $84,410 # 29
Pilot Salary in Wyoming $39.65 $82,470 # 30
Pilot Salary in Maine $36.92 $76,800 # 31
Pilot Salary in Puerto Rico $33.78 $70,260 # 32
Pilot Salary in Montana $33.21 $69,070 # 33

Career Attributes

  • $145,145
  • 84,000
  • 3.9
  • 3.5%
  • Certificate or Associate's degree
  • Aerospace Engineering
More Attributes