Pilot Salary
$49.5K - $63.5K
10% of jobs
$63.5K - $77.5K
8% of jobs
$77.5K - $91.5K
4% of jobs
$99.6K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$91.5K - $105.5K
7% of jobs
$105.5K - $119.5K
8% of jobs
$119.5K - $133.5K
6% of jobs
The median wage is $141.3K / yr.
$133.5K - $147.5K
16% of jobs
$155.4K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$147.5K - $161.5K
31% of jobs
$161.5K - $175.5K
6% of jobs
$175.5K - $189.5K
3% of jobs
$189.5K - $203.5K
3% of jobs
$49.5K
$143.5K
$201.5K
$130,916
/year
$62.94
/hour
Pilot Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$130,916
Columbus
Ohio
$126,452
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How much does a Pilot make?
As of Aug 8, 2026, the average annual pay for a Pilot in the United States is $130,916 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $62.94 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,517/week or $10,909/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $201,500 and as low as $49,500, the majority of Pilot salaries currently range between $100,000 (25th percentile) to $155,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $175,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Pilot varies little (about 55000), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Pilot in your area makes on average $126,452 per year, or $4,464 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $130,916. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Pilot salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Pilot jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Pilot on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Pilot Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Pilot job is above the national average. Topping the list is Soledad, CA, , with Scotts Valley, CA, and Carmel Valley, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Carmel Valley, CA, beats the national average by $34,053 (26.0%), and Soledad, CA, furthers that trend with another $64,922 (49.6%) above the $130,916 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a 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 Soledad, CA, and Aspen, CO, , 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 Pilot role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Soledad, CA | $195,838 | $94.15 |
Scotts Valley, CA | $169,418 | $81.45 |
Carmel Valley, CA | $164,969 | $79.31 |
Barrow, AK | $163,092 | $78.41 |
Nome, AK | $162,401 | $78.08 |
Cupertino, CA | $161,517 | $77.65 |
Berkeley, CA | $160,299 | $77.07 |
Redwood City, CA | $160,288 | $77.06 |
Hooper Bay, AK | $159,305 | $76.59 |
Aspen, CO | $158,240 | $76.08 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Pilot Jobs in the U.S.
Analyzing some similar jobs related to the Pilot job category, we found that Mid Level Practitioner jobs have average salaries similar than Pilot jobs.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Mid Level Practitioner | $130,295 | $62.64 |
Primary Care Physician Assistant | $120,212 | $57.79 |
Pediatric Primary Care | $76,348 | $36.71 |
Non Certified Medical Assistant | $43,221 | $20.78 |
Medical Assistant Tech | $41,370 | $19.89 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
