Transportation and Material Moving Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Wide pay band SOC 53-2011

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

The published band from $106,710 to $463,830 is the distinctive signal for this role, not a twin of Commercial Pilots.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: Commercial Pilots ($123K) , Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers ($61K) , Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters ($78K) , Subway and Streetcar Operators ($86K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 53-2011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor
  2. 2. Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, an…
  3. 3. Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings
  4. 4. Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions
  5. 5. Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists
  6. 6. Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment
  7. 7. Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights
  8. 8. Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed
  9. 9. Steer aircraft along planned routes, using autopilot and flight management computers
  10. 10. Check passenger and cargo distributions and fuel amounts to ensure that weight and balance specifications are met
  11. 11. Confer with flight dispatchers and weather forecasters to keep abreast of flight conditions
  12. 12. Coordinate flight activities with ground crews and air traffic control and inform crew members of flight and test procedures

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers: O*NET ranks Operation and Control first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 53-2011 - lead skill Operation and Control at 4.9 ; lead knowledge Transportation. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Operation and Control 4.9
  2. 2. Operations Monitoring 4.6
  3. 3. Active Listening 4.1
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.1
  5. 5. Monitoring 4.1
  6. 6. Judgment and Decision Making 4.0
  7. 7. Reading Comprehension 3.9
  8. 8. Time Management 3.9

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Transportation 4.8
  2. 2. English Language 3.9
  3. 3. Public Safety and Security 3.7
  4. 4. Mechanical 3.7
  5. 5. Geography 3.7
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.4
Published pay band (10th to 90th)
$106,710 to $463,830
median $232,140 · ~4.3× spread
$232K
National median
↑ +4%
Growth 2024-2034
11,700
Annual openings
103,560
Estimated US jobs
Commercial Pilots
Highest-pay peer · $123K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree
Related experience Less than 5 years

Top Paying States for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

1. Alaska $232,140
2. Kentucky $350,950
3. Illinois $293,490
4. Michigan $428,570
5. Colorado $307,490
6. Georgia $618,090
7. New York $255,240
8. California $353,900
9. Washington $229,900
10. Idaho $507,640

Other Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles

  1. 1. Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters $78,000
  2. 2. Subway and Streetcar Operators $86,380
  3. 3. Commercial Pilots $123,220
  4. 4. Ship Engineers $109,530
  5. 5. Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers $60,600
  6. 6. Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers $61,770

The OEWS band for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers runs from $106,710 (10th) to $463,830 (90th), about 4.3× wide, with median $232,140. That spread, not the midpoint alone, is the distinctive published fact.

Employment Projections expect +4% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 11,700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry and less than 5 years as the typical related-work-experience category. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Alaska at $232,140. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Commercial Pilots at $123,220. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers pay-rank #1 in Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Among 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with a published OEWS median, Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is pay-rank #1, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 53-2011 · national median $232,140 · upper third of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations (#1/50). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 53-2011

Alaska · top state for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

$232K published median

Kentucky · #2 state pay

$351K · behind Alaska

Commercial Pilots

Highest-pay peer vs Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · $123K

Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers

Lower-pay peer beside Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · $61K

Compare Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers with another occupation →

Pay-band next reads

Entry-Level vs Experienced Pay

What percentile bands reveal

Using Salary Data for Negotiation

Leverage BLS percentiles

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Transportation and Material Moving Occupations titles sit near Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is pay-rank #1 of 50 detailed Transportation and Material Moving Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Air Traffic Controllers ($148K), Commercial Pilots ($123K), Ship Engineers ($110K), Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels ($92K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. Leading ones include: Use instrumentation to guide flights when visibility is poor; Start engines, operate controls, and pilot airplanes to transport passengers, mail, or freight, adhering to flight plans, regulations, an…; Work as part of a flight team with other crew members, especially during takeoffs and landings; Respond to and report in-flight emergencies and malfunctions. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers? ▼
For SOC 53-2011, O*NET importance scores lead with Operation and Control (4.9), Operations Monitoring (4.6), Active Listening (4.1), Critical Thinking (4.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Transportation, English Language, Public Safety and Security. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
How wide is the published pay band for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers? ▼
OEWS places the 10th percentile at $106,710 and the 90th at $463,830 for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers (4.3× spread). The national median is $232,140. OEWS does not isolate experience, employer, or geography as the cause of that spread.
What employment change does BLS publish for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is +4%. Projected annual openings: about 11,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. Related-work-experience category: less than 5 years. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers? ▼
Alaska ($232,140), Kentucky ($350,950), Illinois ($293,490) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 53-2011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics