Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$232,140

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$182,280 – $384,440

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

103,560

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+8.3%

Growing at twice the all-jobs rate or more (7%+)

Openings a year (projected)

11,200

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

Bachelor's degree

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft, usually on scheduled air carrier routes, for the transport of passengers and cargo. Requires Federal Air Transport certificate and rating for specific aircraft type used. Includes regional, national, and international airline pilots and flight instructors of airline pilots.

Main tasks

• 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, and procedures.
• 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.
• Inspect aircraft for defects and malfunctions, according to pre-flight checklists.
• Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
• Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
• Monitor gauges, warning devices, and control panels to verify aircraft performance and to regulate engine speed.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

Bachelor's degree

Work experience in a related job: less than 5 years

Training once hired: moderate-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 4

Considerable preparation

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 2 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Commercial Pilots

  $123,220 median · +5.2% projected

• Air Traffic Controllers

  $148,080 median · +1.7% projected

• Airfield Operations Specialists

  $56,850 median · +7.8% projected

• Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels

  $92,460 median · +4% projected

• Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians

  $79,870 median · +5.4% projected

• Locomotive Engineers

  $81,410 median · +0.5% projected