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Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
53-2012 Commercial Pilots
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots. Excludes “Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians” (17-3024).
National estimates for Commercial Pilots
Industry profile for Commercial Pilots
Geographic profile for Commercial Pilots
National estimates for Commercial Pilots:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Commercial Pilots:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Mean wage
RSE (3) |
| 42,770 |
2.6 % |
(4) |
$ 115,080 |
1.6 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Commercial Pilots:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 50,080 |
$ 75,370 |
$ 99,640 |
$ 134,110 |
$ 205,940 |
(4)
Industry profile for Commercial Pilots:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Commercial Pilots are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Commercial Pilots, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Commercial Pilots:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nonscheduled Air Transportation |
16,160 |
33.25 |
(4) |
$ 128,070 |
| Support Activities for Air Transportation |
4,940 |
2.53 |
(4) |
$ 123,650 |
| Other Ambulatory Health Care Services |
4,720 |
1.51 |
(4) |
$ 87,210 |
| Technical and Trade Schools |
3,570 |
2.73 |
(4) |
$ 89,730 |
| Support Activities for Crop Production |
1,360 |
0.41 |
(4) |
$ 85,620 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Commercial Pilots:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Nonscheduled Air Transportation |
16,160 |
33.25 |
(4) |
$ 128,070 |
| Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Other |
350 |
18.44 |
(4) |
$ 79,010 |
| Technical and Trade Schools |
3,570 |
2.73 |
(4) |
$ 89,730 |
| Support Activities for Air Transportation |
4,940 |
2.53 |
(4) |
$ 123,650 |
| Other Ambulatory Health Care Services |
4,720 |
1.51 |
(4) |
$ 87,210 |
Top paying industries for Commercial Pilots:
Geographic profile for Commercial Pilots:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Commercial Pilots are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Commercial Pilots, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Commercial Pilots:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Florida |
5,190 |
0.60 |
1.99 |
(4) |
$ 109,600 |
| California |
5,090 |
0.31 |
1.01 |
(4) |
$ 157,990 |
| Texas |
4,720 |
0.39 |
1.27 |
(4) |
$ 107,990 |
| Ohio |
2,230 |
0.43 |
1.41 |
(4) |
$ 124,370 |
| Washington |
1,530 |
0.48 |
1.57 |
(4) |
$ 94,340 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Commercial Pilots:
Top paying states for Commercial Pilots:
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Commercial Pilots:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
2,280 |
0.40 |
1.32 |
(4) |
$ 184,260 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL |
2,070 |
0.85 |
2.78 |
(4) |
$ 116,980 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX |
1,750 |
0.49 |
1.60 |
(4) |
$ 120,230 |
| Columbus, OH |
1,180 |
1.15 |
3.79 |
(4) |
$ 137,300 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX |
1,010 |
0.35 |
1.15 |
(4) |
$ 106,920 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
930 |
0.44 |
1.44 |
(4) |
$ 104,230 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA |
910 |
0.48 |
1.57 |
(4) |
$ 103,640 |
| Anchorage, AK |
770 |
4.77 |
15.70 |
(4) |
$ 123,610 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA |
750 |
0.09 |
0.29 |
(4) |
$ 134,700 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
710 |
0.48 |
1.59 |
(4) |
$ 130,160 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Commercial Pilots:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Anchorage, AK |
770 |
4.77 |
15.70 |
(4) |
$ 123,610 |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
130 |
2.88 |
9.50 |
(4) |
$ 175,650 |
| Ann Arbor, MI |
440 |
2.17 |
7.14 |
(4) |
$ 88,310 |
| Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL |
360 |
1.85 |
6.10 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Houma-Thibodaux, LA |
140 |
1.82 |
5.99 |
(4) |
$ 117,250 |
| Billings, MT |
130 |
1.49 |
4.90 |
(4) |
$ 91,660 |
| Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL |
250 |
1.45 |
4.79 |
(4) |
$ 84,180 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL |
160 |
1.37 |
4.50 |
(4) |
$ 128,470 |
| Bend-Redmond, OR |
110 |
1.36 |
4.48 |
(4) |
$ 78,720 |
| Las Cruces, NM |
80 |
1.19 |
3.91 |
(4) |
$ 79,830 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Commercial Pilots:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA |
360 |
0.16 |
0.53 |
(4) |
$ 185,920 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA |
2,280 |
0.40 |
1.32 |
(4) |
$ 184,260 |
| Savannah, GA |
80 |
0.43 |
1.43 |
(4) |
$ 177,450 |
| California-Lexington Park, MD |
130 |
2.88 |
9.50 |
(4) |
$ 175,650 |
| Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA |
310 |
0.32 |
1.05 |
(4) |
$ 165,400 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA |
220 |
0.73 |
2.40 |
(4) |
$ 160,930 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI |
110 |
0.28 |
0.92 |
(4) |
$ 143,720 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
480 |
0.17 |
0.54 |
(4) |
$ 138,770 |
| Columbus, OH |
1,180 |
1.15 |
3.79 |
(4) |
$ 137,300 |
| Richmond, VA |
70 |
0.11 |
0.37 |
(4) |
$ 135,400 |
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in Commercial Pilots:
Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Commercial Pilots:
Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for Commercial Pilots:
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(4) Wages for some occupations that do not generally work year-round, full time, are reported either as hourly wages or annual salaries
depending on how they are typically paid.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
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United States Department of Labor
