Occupation salary profile

Commercial Pilots

SOC 53-2012 BLS OEWS May 2025 H-1B LCAs, last 12 months

Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots. Excludes “Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians” (17-3024).

National median · BLS
$123,220
▲ +0.45% YoY
H-1B sponsor median
$130,000
▲ +3.17% YoY · 34 LCAs
Average salary · BLS
$146,080
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
47,630
Jobs (BLS)
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Enter your pay and a location to see where you stand against BLS and H-1B pay, your estimated take-home pay, and your purchasing power.

Pay range for Commercial Pilots

Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation; H-1B covers 34 certified Labor Condition Applications filed by sponsoring employers in the last 12 months.

Percentile All U.S. workers (BLS) H-1B sponsored
10th — entry pay$58,850$66,849
25th$84,540$75,000
Median (50th)$123,220$130,000
75th$190,440$151,350
90th — top pay$266,620$167,879
H-1B sponsors pay a median of $130,000 for Commercial Pilots — 5.5% above the BLS national median of $123,220.

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Based on hrs/week × weeks/year = 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035

Job outlook for Commercial Pilots

BLS projects employment of commercial pilots to grow 5.2% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations. About 5,200 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.

Jobs 2025 → 2035
50,400 → 53,000
+2,600 jobs
Projected change
+5.2%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
5,200
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
Postsecondary nondegree award
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
2% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Fastest-growing jobs → Best-paying jobs that need a postsecondary certificate (nondegree award) →

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035 · BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook →

H-1B sponsored pay

Pay by H-1B wage level

Employers assign every H-1B filing a Department of Labor prevailing-wage level, from Level I (entry) to Level IV (fully competent). Pay rises steeply with level.

H-1B median $130,000
Change vs prior year +3.17%
After inflation (CPI-U) +0.04%
Wage level LCAs Share P25 Median P75
Level I 16 47.1% $68,875 $79,335 $112,500
Level II 10 29.4% $100,000 $150,000 $151,350
Skills & tools

Skills needed for Commercial Pilots

How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.

Top skills
  • Operation and Control4.8
  • Operations Monitoring4.4
  • Monitoring4.1
  • Critical Thinking4.0
  • Active Listening3.9
  • Judgment and Decision Making3.9
  • Reading Comprehension3.8
  • Speaking3.8
  • Active Learning3.6
  • Complex Problem Solving3.6
Top knowledge areas
  • Customer and Personal Service4.2
  • English Language4.0
  • Transportation4.0
  • Geography3.6
  • Public Safety and Security3.6
  • Mechanical3.4
  • Law and Government3.3
  • Computers and Electronics3.2
Software and technology used
Adobe Creative Cloud softwareMicrosoft Office softwareAeronautical chartsAeroPlannerAirdataAirline Pilots Daily Aviation Log PPCAirSmith FlightPromptArduPilot Mission PlannerCalibration softwareCloudComparedoXstor Flight Level LogbookElectronic aircraft information databasesESRI Site Scan for ArcGISFlight simulation softwareFLIR Thermal Studio SuiteKitty HawkLitchiLP360

Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

About the job

What commercial pilots do

  • Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
  • Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
  • Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
  • Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.
  • Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
  • Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
  • Contact control towers for takeoff clearances, arrival instructions, and other information, using radio equipment.
  • Plan flights according to government and company regulations, using aeronautical charts and navigation instruments.
Also called
CaptainCommercial PilotHelicopter PilotPilotCharter PilotCheck AirmanCommercial Helicopter PilotEMS Helicopter Pilot (Emergency Medical Service Helicopter Pilot)First OfficerLine Pilot
More job titles for this occupation (44)
Advanced Air Mobility Operator (AAM Operator)Advanced Air Mobility Pilot (AAM Pilot)Advanced Air Mobility Technician (AAM Technician)Aerial AdvertiserAerial Crop DusterAerial Hurricane HunterAerial SprayerAgricultural PilotAir Ambulance CaptainAir Ambulance Helicopter PilotAir Tour PilotAir Transport PilotAirplane PatrollerAirplane PilotAviatorBalloon PilotBalloonistChopper OperatorCommercial Airplane PilotCommercial Charter PilotCommercial Pilot Certified Charter PilotCopilotCorporate PilotCrop DusterEMS Pilot (Emergency Medical Services Pilot)EMS Rotary Wing Pilot (Emergency Medical Service Rotary Wing Pilot)Executive PilotFirst Officer Pilot (FO Pilot)Fixed Wing PilotFlight OperatorFlyerForestry PilotHelicopter Air Ambulance PilotMaintenance Test PilotMapping PilotPhotogrammetry Airplane PilotRotor PilotRotor Wing PilotSpray PilotTest PilotTransport PilotUrban Air Mobility Operator (UAM Operator)Urban Air Mobility Pilot (UAM Pilot)Urban Air Mobility Technician (UAM Technician)

Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.