What are the top 10 cities with the highest pay for Flight Captain?

We've identified 10 cities in the United States where Flight Captain jobs typically pay above the area average. Topping the list is Renton, WA (37.6% above average), followed by Ketchikan, AK and Nome, AK. City Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Renton, WA $143,318 $11,943 $2,756 $68.90 Ketchikan, AK $137,983 $11,498 $2,653 $66.34 Nome, AK $129,206 $10,767 $2,484 $62.12 Carlsbad, CA $127,666 $10,638 $2,455 $61.38 Sitka, AK $125,475 $10,456 $2,412 $60.32 Spearfish, SD $123,692 $10,307 $2,378 $59.47 San Francisco, CA $122,715 $10,226 $2,359 $59.00 Santa Clara, CA $122,326 $10,193 $2,352 $58.81 San Jose, CA $122,043 $10,170 $2,346 $58.67 Foster City, CA $121,396 $10,116 $2,334 $58.36

Flight Captain

Flight Captain Salary

Q: How much does a Flight Captain make?

The average annual pay for a flight captain in the United States is $104,157 a year — that works out to approximately $50.08 an hour. The middle 80% of Flight Captains earn between $58,500 (10th percentile) and $169,000 (90th percentile) per year, depending on experience and employer.

Q: What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Flight Captain Jobs in the United States?

We found several jobs related to Flight Captain in the United States that pay more on average. Topping the list is Aerial Firefighting Pilot at $59,036 (56.7%) above Flight Captain. Job Title Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage Aerial Firefighting Pilot $163,193 $13,599 $3,138 $78.46 Corporate Jet Pilot $113,105 $9,425 $2,175 $54.38 Airline Transport Pilot $58,749 $4,895 $1,129 $28.24 Air Charter Service $51,154 $4,262 $983 $24.59 Airport Ramp Supervisor $48,284 $4,023 $928 $23.21

$19K

$95K

$181K

$104,157

/year

$50.08

/hour

Flight Captain Salary Comparison by Location

Nationwide

United States

$104,157

Columbus

Ohio

$100,605

Do you get a good deal as a Flight Captain?

Take The Breakroom Quiz to find out if your job offers fair pay and conditions. The 3-minute quiz lets you compare your pay, hours, benefits, and more.

Take The Breakroom Quiz

How much does a Flight Captain make?

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average annual pay for a Flight Captain in the United States is $104,157 a year.

Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $50.08 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,003/week or $8,679/month.

While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $181,000 and as low as $19,000, the majority of Flight Captain salaries currently range between $69,000 (25th percentile) to $128,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $169,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Flight Captain varies greatly (by as much as 59000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.

A Flight Captain in your area makes on average $100,605 per year, or $3,552 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $104,157. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Flight Captain salaries.

To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Flight Captain jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.

Find your next high paying job as a Flight Captain on ZipRecruiter today.

What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Flight Captain Jobs

We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Flight Captain job is above the national average. Topping the list is Renton, WA, , with Ketchikan, AK, and Nome, AK, close behind in the second and third positions. Nome, AK, beats the national average by $25,049 (24.0%), and Renton, WA, furthers that trend with another $39,161 (37.6%) above the $104,157 average.

With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Flight Captain appears to be exceedingly fruitful.

Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 16% between Renton, WA, and Foster City, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Flight Captain role.

City	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Renton, WA	$143,318	$11,943	$2,756	$68.90
Ketchikan, AK	$137,983	$11,498	$2,653	$66.34
Nome, AK	$129,206	$10,767	$2,484	$62.12
Carlsbad, CA	$127,666	$10,638	$2,455	$61.38
Sitka, AK	$125,475	$10,456	$2,412	$60.32
Spearfish, SD	$123,692	$10,307	$2,378	$59.47
San Francisco, CA	$122,715	$10,226	$2,359	$59.00
Santa Clara, CA	$122,326	$10,193	$2,352	$58.81
San Jose, CA	$122,043	$10,170	$2,346	$58.67
Foster City, CA	$121,396	$10,116	$2,334	$58.36

What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Flight Captain Jobs in the U.S.

We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Flight Captain category.

For example Aerial Firefighting Pilot jobs pay as much as $59,036 (56.7%) more than the average Flight Captain salary of $104,157. If you're qualified, finding work as a Aerial Firefighting Pilot may help you make more money than that of the average Flight Captain position.

Job Title	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
Aerial Firefighting Pilot	$163,193	$13,599	$3,138	$78.46
Corporate Jet Pilot	$113,105	$9,425	$2,175	$54.38
Airline Transport Pilot	$58,749	$4,895	$1,129	$28.24
Air Charter Service	$51,154	$4,262	$983	$24.59
Airport Ramp Supervisor	$48,284	$4,023	$928	$23.21

About Our Data

ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.

Infographic detailing Flight Captain salary across the United States as of August 2026. Displays a bar chart with salary percentiles, a national average salary of $104,157 per year or $50.08 an hour, and a color-coded map showing state-by-state salary variations.

All Salaries Flight Captain Salary