Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Salary in the United States

DOL-verified data from 794 government filings, with BLS survey comparison.

DOL Median Salary
$76,773
BLS median: $226,600
DOL Median Salary
$76,773
From 794 DOL filings
BLS Median Salary
$226,600
BLS OEWS 2024 survey
Total Employers
69
Companies with DOL filings
Total Employment
99,300
Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$76,773
DOL-Filed Salary Range
$24,876$70,720$76,773$77,438$255,785

This figure comes from 794 employer filings with the US Department of Labor under legal obligation. Employers file this salary when sponsoring workers for PERM green cards or H-1B visas.

What BLS Says the Market Pays

$226,600
Insufficient data for salary range.

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 99,300 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 66.1% lower than BLS survey data, which may reflect that sponsored positions concentrate in high-cost locations or experience-intensive roles.

Salary Distribution

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

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings
RankEmployerMedian SalaryFilingsvs Market
1Learjet Inc.$115,7707-48.9%
2Craft Charter LLC$99,6738-56%
3Piedmont Airlines, Inc.$81,89020-63.9%
4SkyWest Airlines$77,438259-65.8%
5EXPRESSJET AIRLINES, INC.$76,96012-66%
6Champlain Enterprises LLC$76,77339-66.1%
7Mesa Airlines, Inc.$74,88036-67%
8Silver Airways LLC$70,72064-68.8%
9Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University$60,25818-73.4%
10Hyannis Air Service, Inc$36,400236-83.9%
11Air Wisconsin Airlines LLC$31,50015-86.1%

View all companies hiring Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Salary by Metro Area

Metro AreaMedianvs NationalFilingsEmployers
San Francisco, CA$109,200+42.2%121
Chicago, IL$86,070+12.1%215
Los Angeles, CA$86,070+12.1%142
NEWARK, NE$77,917+1.5%112
Detroit, MI$77,438+0.9%131
Salt Lake City, UT$77,438+0.9%121
ST PAUL, MN$77,438+0.9%111
St. George, UT$77,438+0.9%931
Newark, NJ$76,7730%282
Saint George, UT$76,679-0.1%141
St George, UT$75,920-1.1%461
Phoenix, AZ$74,880-2.5%321
Fort Lauderdale, FL$70,720-7.9%383
Daytona Beach, FL$60,258-21.5%141
Hyannis, MA$36,400-52.6%681
Appleton, WI$31,500-59%101

Salary by State

StateMedianvs NationalFilings
Washington$182,000N/A2
Colorado$126,984-40.1%1
Pennsylvania$125,000-27.6%1
Mississippi$110,000N/A1
California$104,000N/A30
Oklahoma$99,673-23.7%5
New Mexico$98,097-26.9%1
Illinois$86,070N/A21
Maryland$81,890N/A10
Nebraska$77,917-31.9%11
Michigan$77,438N/A15
Utah$77,438-41.9%165
Minnesota$77,438-58%11
Georgia$76,960N/A5
Texas$76,960-64.2%11
New Jersey$76,773N/A28
Arkansas$74,880-54.9%2
Arizona$74,880-62.3%32
Tennessee$73,183-43.5%1
Florida$70,720-67.9%60
Rhode Island$67,350N/A1
Kansas$48,410-64.5%3
Missouri$45,115-63.2%1
Massachusetts$36,400N/A72
Wisconsin$31,500-69.5%12
Virginia$24,876N/A3

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions, 4% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 0% required a Master's degree, and 96% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings
EmployerMost Common EducationMedian Salary
SkyWest AirlinesNot specified$77,438
Hyannis Air Service, IncNone$36,400
Silver Airways LLCNone$70,720
Champlain Enterprises LLCNot specified$76,773
Mesa Airlines, Inc.Not specified$74,880
Piedmont Airlines, Inc.Not specified$81,890
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversityNot specified$60,258
Air Wisconsin Airlines LLCNone$31,500
EXPRESSJET AIRLINES, INC.Not specified$76,960
Craft Charter LLCNone$99,673

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is Transportation and Warehousing at $76,336. The lowest-paying industry with significant hiring is Educational Services at $60,215.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers make?

Based on 794 DOL filings, the median salary for a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is $76,773, ranging from $70,720 to $77,438.

What is the highest salary for a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?

The 90th percentile salary is N/A according to BLS data.

Which city pays the most for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?

Based on DOL filings, San Francisco, CA offers the highest median at $109,200.

Does this data include all Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salaries or only visa-sponsored workers?

DOL filing data covers positions where the employer filed for PERM green card sponsorship or an H-1B visa. These filings represent a subset of all Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers positions. We compare this data against BLS OEWS data which covers all workers in this occupation.

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Source: US Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) public disclosure files (PERM Form ETA-9089 and LCA Form ETA-9035), and US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Salary figures represent employer filings and government survey estimates, not individual worker pay.