New federal wage data shows airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers earning the highest average wages among U.S. occupations outside healthcare.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, airline pilots have a mean annual wage of $288,650, ahead of chief executives at $269,630 and athletes at $206,180. Overall, pilots rank 11th, with all occupations above them being in healthcare.
The figures also do not fully capture the highest pilot salaries, as BLS wage data has a reporting ceiling of $239,200 for median and percentile wages. Experienced widebody captains at major airlines can earn well above that level.
Pilot pay has also increased significantly in recent years, with new contracts raising wages by roughly 30–40% across the industry. However, average figures cover pilots at very different career stages, from first-year regional first officers to highly experienced widebody captains.
