Airline Pilots vs. Commercial Pilots: Pay, Job Outlook and Training Compared (2025 BLS Data)
- Airline Pilots had the higher median annual wage in May 2025: $232,140, versus $123,220 for commercial pilots.
- There are more airline pilots: about 103,560 U.S. jobs, versus 47,630 for commercial pilots.
- BLS projects employment of airline pilots to change by 8.3% and employment of commercial pilots by 5.2% from 2025 to 2035.
Choosing between airline pilots and commercial pilots, or thinking about switching? This side-by-side uses the federal government’s BLS OEWS national data, May 2025 for pay and job counts and BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35 for growth, openings and typical entry requirements. BLS occupation titles: “Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers” (SOC 53-2011) and “Commercial Pilots” (SOC 53-2012). More detail: Airline Pilots (BLS) and Commercial Pilots (BLS).
Pay side by side
| May 2025 | Airline Pilots | Commercial Pilots |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. jobs | 103,560 | 47,630 |
| 10th percentile (annual) | $106,710 | $58,850 |
| 25th percentile | $182,280 | $84,540 |
| Median (annual) | $232,140 | $123,220 |
| Median (hourly) | annual only* | annual only* |
| 75th percentile | $384,440 | $190,440 |
| 90th percentile | $463,830 | $266,620 |
| Mean (average) | $288,650 | $146,080 |
* The OEWS program releases only annual wages for some occupations that typically work fewer than 2,080 hours per year but are paid on an annual basis, such as teachers, pilots, and athletes (BLS OEWS field descriptions, May 2025 data file).
Percentile wages: for example, 10% of workers earn less than the 10th-percentile figure. OEWS wages exclude overtime, tips and most bonuses.
Outlook and how you get in
| BLS Employment Projections | Airline Pilots | Commercial Pilots |
|---|---|---|
| Projected job growth, 2025–35 | 8.3% | 5.2% |
| Openings per year (avg.) | 11.2 thousand | 5.2 thousand |
| Typical entry education | Bachelor's degree | Postsecondary nondegree award |
| Work experience in a related job | Less than 5 years | none |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
Openings include jobs that open up when workers retire or change occupations, not just new positions, which is why a field with slow growth can still hire a lot of people every year.
Where each job pays best
The three states with the highest median wage for each occupation (BLS OEWS state data, May 2025):
| Rank | Airline Pilots | Commercial Pilots |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Georgia – $618,090 | Connecticut – $232,160 |
| 2 | Idaho – $507,640 | New Jersey – $226,710 |
| 3 | Michigan – $428,570 | New York – $177,430 |
By industry, airline pilots earned the highest median in Transportation and Warehousing ($290,600) and commercial pilots in Management of Companies and Enterprises ($173,460), counting sectors with at least 1,000 jobs in the occupation (BLS OEWS industry data).
Which should you pick?
- Look past the median. Compare the 25th and 75th percentiles too: they show what a typical early-career and an experienced worker earn in each field.
- Count the cost of entry. The education and training rows above tell you how long it takes to start earning. A longer path can still pay off if the pay gap is large.
- Check your area. State pay differs a lot from the national figure; use the state table and your local job ads before deciding.
- Already in one of these jobs? If your pay is below the 25th percentile for your field, that is a concrete number to bring to a raise conversation.
Published October 31, 2026. Sources are linked in the text.
Header image: original chart by JobPayRaise.com using BLS OEWS May 2025 data.
Comments (1)
One more data point, from metro-level data: among metro areas with at least 300 jobs in the occupation, the highest median for airline pilots was in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($618,090, 8,700 jobs), and for commercial pilots it was in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ ($225,900, 1,210 jobs). Source: BLS OEWS metropolitan-area data, May 2025.
— JobPayRaise Data Desk