Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

Commercial Pilots Salary in the United States

DOL-verified data from 210 government filings, with BLS survey comparison.

DOL Median Salary
$83,830
BLS median: $122,670
DOL Median Salary
$83,830
From 210 DOL filings
BLS Median Salary
$122,670
BLS OEWS 2024 survey
Total Employers
121
Companies with DOL filings
Total Employment
51,830
Estimated US workers (BLS)

DOL Filings vs BLS Survey

What Employers File with DOL

$83,830
DOL-Filed Salary Range
$26,850$60,000$83,830$104,000$223,870

This figure comes from 210 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

$122,670
Insufficient data for salary range.

This figure comes from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey of 51,830 establishments. This is an independent survey-based estimate of what all workers in this occupation earn.

DOL-filed salaries are 31.7% 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 Commercial Pilots

Ranked by median salary from DOL filings
RankEmployerMedian SalaryFilingsvs Market
1CommuteAir LLC$223,87013+82.5%
2Scott Aviation Inc.$104,0005-15.2%
3GRANDVIEW AVIATION LLC$101,5405-17.2%
4ROTA AVIATION CONSULTING, LLC$84,2405-31.3%
5PJ HELICOPTERS$77,0005-37.2%
6AURORA COOPERATIVE ELEVATOR COMPANY$60,0005-51.1%
7Phoenix East Aviation, LLC$55,1976-55%
8OVERSEAS MANPOWER SOLUTIONS CORP.$43,73015-64.4%

View all companies hiring Commercial Pilots

Salary by State

StateMedianvs NationalFilings
Indiana$136,490+41.1%3
South Carolina$114,060-4.8%1
Michigan$102,500-21.5%2
Hawaii$100,000-2.3%1
Oregon$95,910-14.8%2
Ohio$92,557-20.2%3
New Mexico$90,000+5.7%1
Colorado$86,444-29.6%8
Idaho$85,000-17.6%1
Illinois$84,007-20.2%1
Arkansas$82,230-2.3%1
Arizona$77,130-24.6%1
Florida$76,544-41.4%21
California$76,000-37.8%12
Massachusetts$66,830-51.3%1
Nebraska$62,845-37.3%4
Pennsylvania$60,000-53.7%1
Virginia$57,200-50.5%3
Wisconsin$41,600-59.7%1

Salary Trend - DOL Data

Education Requirements

From PERM filings

For Commercial Pilots positions, 0% of PERM filings required a Bachelor's degree, 0% required a Master's degree, and 85% required no formal degree.

Education by Top Employer

Most common minimum education from PERM filings
EmployerMost Common EducationMedian Salary
OVERSEAS MANPOWER SOLUTIONS CORP.None$43,730
CommuteAir LLCNone$223,870
Phoenix East Aviation, LLCHigh School$55,197
GRANDVIEW AVIATION LLCNone$101,540
ROTA AVIATION CONSULTING, LLCNot specified$84,240
Scott Aviation Inc.Not specified$104,000
AURORA COOPERATIVE ELEVATOR COMPANYNot specified$60,000
PJ HELICOPTERSNot specified$77,000

Salary by Industry

Same occupation, different industries (NAICS)

The highest-paying industry for Commercial Pilots is Transportation and Warehousing at $100,875.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a Commercial Pilots make?

Based on 210 DOL filings, the median salary for a Commercial Pilots is $83,830, ranging from $60,000 to $104,000.

What is the highest salary for a Commercial Pilots?

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

Does this data include all Commercial Pilots 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 Commercial Pilots 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.