Career Outlook
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers
BLS employment projections 2024–2034 · SOC 53-2011
Projected Growth
+3.9%
2024–2034
Annual Openings
11,700
projected/year
Median Salary
$232K
annual (BLS 2025)
Current Employment
100,000
workers (2024 projections base)
The Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers career outlook (SOC 53-2011) combines two separate BLS data products: Employment Projections for 2024-2034 trajectory, and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics from May 2025 for current pay. Projected employment change is +3.9% over the decade, which we classify as about as fast as average versus the all-occupations baseline of 3.1%. That places it 0.8 percentage points above the national average across all occupations. Annual openings combining growth, retirement replacement, and transfers are projected at 11,700 per year.
Current workforce size (2024 base) is 100,000, projected to reach 103,900 by 2034, a net gain of 3,900 jobs. Median pay sits at $232,140 per year, with an observed 10th-to-90th percentile spread from $106,710 to $463,830. OEWS does not classify those percentile boundaries by career stage. Typical entry-level credential is Bachelor's degree, with less than 5 years of prior experience generally expected.
How to read these projections
Growth projections are directional indicators, not guarantees. BLS revises these annually based on updated demographic, technology, and policy inputs, the 2024-2034 projections already factor in assumptions about AI adoption, remote-work normalization, demographic aging, energy transition, and post-pandemic industry shifts, but unforeseen disruptions (recessions, breakthrough technologies, policy changes) can reshape numbers this far out. When treating this page as career-decision evidence, pair the growth percentage with annual openings (small occupations growing fast can still offer few actual entry points, while large occupations growing slowly can offer thousands of replacement opportunities), use the percentile band to understand the reported wage distribution, and check whether the credential requirements match your current educational investment. Entry and experienced work-level pay require separate evidence. The "Similar Occupations" list below highlights adjacent SOC codes worth considering as comparison anchors or alternative pathways.
Job Growth Projection
+3.9%
About as fast as average
vs. national average (3.1%)
+0.8% above
2024 Employment
100,000
Change
+3,900
2034 Projected
103,900
Entry Requirements
Typical Education
Bachelor's degree
Work Experience Required
Less than 5 years
On-the-Job Training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Salary Data (BLS 2025)
| Percentile | Annual |
|---|---|
| 10th Percentile | $106,710 |
| 25th Percentile | $182,280 |
| Median (50th) | $232,140 |
| 75th Percentile | $384,440 |
| 90th Percentile | $463,830 |
| Mean (Average) | $288,650 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers a growing field?
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is projected to grow by 3.9% from 2024 to 2034, which is about as fast as average. The national average across all tracked occupations is about 3.1%.
What education do Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers need?
The typical entry-level education requirement for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is: Bachelor's degree. Work experience required: Less than 5 years. On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training.
How many Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers jobs will be available?
There are approximately 11,700 annual job openings projected for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, which includes new positions due to growth plus openings from workers who retire or change occupations.
What is the median salary for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?
The median annual salary for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is $232,140 (N/A), based on BLS OEWS May 2025 data. Half of workers earn more and half earn less than this amount.
Similar Career Paths
Occupations in SOC major group 53 with comparable growth and entry requirements.
Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024–2034. Salary data: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Outlook fields use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; wage fields use BLS OEWS May 2025; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.