Flight Test Pilot Salary
$87.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$81.5K - $90K
35% of jobs
The median wage is $94.7K / yr.
$90K - $98.5K
27% of jobs
$105.1K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$98.5K - $107K
16% of jobs
$107K - $115.5K
6% of jobs
$115.5K - $124K
3% of jobs
$124K - $132.5K
1% of jobs
$132.5K - $141K
1% of jobs
$141K - $149.5K
2% of jobs
$149.5K - $158K
4% of jobs
$158K - $166.5K
2% of jobs
$166.5K - $175K
2% of jobs
$81.5K
$93K
$176K
$105,110
/year
$50.53
/hour
Flight Test Pilot Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$105,110
Columbus
Ohio
$101,525
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How much does a Flight Test Pilot make?
As of Sep 8, 2026, the average annual pay for a Flight Test Pilot in the United States is $105,110 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $50.53 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,021/week or $8,759/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $176,000 and as low as $81,500, the majority of Flight Test Pilot salaries currently range between $84,500 (25th percentile) to $107,500 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $154,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Flight Test Pilot varies greatly (by as much as 23000), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Flight Test Pilot in your area makes on average $101,525 per year, or $3,585 (3.411%) less than the national average annual salary of $105,110. Ohio ranks number 41 out of 50 states nationwide for Flight Test Pilot salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Flight Test Pilot jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Flight Test Pilot on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Flight Test Pilot Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Flight Test Pilot job is above the national average. Topping the list is Palmdale, CA, , with Glenwood Springs, CO, and Midland, MI, close behind in the second and third positions. Midland, MI, beats the national average by $27,689 (26.3%), and Palmdale, CA, furthers that trend with another $51,456 (49.0%) above the $105,110 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Flight Test Pilot appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
However, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies modestly at 21% between Palmdale, CA, and Mojave, CA, , suggesting it may be difficult to see much positive wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may help determine the balance between location and salary for a Flight Test Pilot role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Palmdale, CA | $156,566 | $75.27 |
Glenwood Springs, CO | $139,563 | $67.10 |
Midland, MI | $132,799 | $63.85 |
Nome, AK | $130,388 | $62.69 |
Spearfish, SD | $129,937 | $62.47 |
Niagara Falls, NY | $129,564 | $62.29 |
California City, CA | $128,911 | $61.98 |
Berkeley, CA | $128,700 | $61.88 |
Sitka, AK | $126,623 | $60.88 |
Mojave, CA | $126,548 | $60.84 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Flight Test Pilot Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Flight Test Pilot category.
For example Flight Test Engineer jobs pay as much as $29,775 (28.3%) more than the average Flight Test Pilot salary of $105,110. If you're qualified, finding work as a Flight Test Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Flight Test Pilot position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Flight Test Engineer | $134,885 | $64.85 |
Switzerland Data Engineer | $129,716 | $62.36 |
Linux Developer | $115,062 | $55.32 |
Boeing Test Pilot | $105,110 | $50.53 |
Propulsion Engineer | $102,825 | $49.44 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
