Professional Pilot Salary in the United States

How much does a Professional Pilot make in the United States?

As of July 01, 2026, the average salary for a Professional Pilot in the United States is $97,614 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $47.

However, a Professional Pilot's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $114,143
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $87,491 to $106,266
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $78,275
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View as table View as graph 25% $87,491 10% $78,275 90% $114,143 75% $106,266 $97,614 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Professional Pilot Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $106,266 $8,856 $2,044 $51
Average $97,614 $8,134 $1,877 $47
25th Percentile $87,491 $7,291 $1,683 $42

Key Factors That Influence Professional Pilot Salaries

A Professional Pilot's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Professional Pilot Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Professional Pilot's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $76,725
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $90,637
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $99,723
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $121,068
  • Expert (over 8 years): $140,765
Levels Salary
Metallurg... Level Professional Pilot$76,725
Metallurg... Level Professional Pilot$90,637
Professio... Level Professional Pilot$99,723
Metallurg... Level Professional Pilot$121,068
Metallurg... Level Professional Pilot$140,765
$76,725 0 yr
$90,637 < 2 yrs
$99,723 2-4 yrs
$121,068 5-8 yrs
$140,765 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Professional Pilots

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $123,120
  • San Francisco: $121,772
  • Oakland: $119,206

What Skills Can Increase a Professional Pilot's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 15.56% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • ISO (Mentioned in 2.13% Job Postings): The International Organization for Standardization is an international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
  • Environmental Compliance (Mentioned in 1.51% Job Postings): Environmental Compliance means conforming to environmental laws, regulations, standards and other requirements such as site permits to operate. In recent years, environmental concerns have led to a significant increase in the number and scope of compliance imperatives across all global regulatory environments. Being closely related, environmental concerns and compliance activities are increasingly being aligned with corporate performance goals and being integrated to some extent to avoid conflicts, wasteful overlaps, and gaps. Compliance with the above requirements and obligations, requires meeting certain conditions. Typically, these include: Managing monitoring programmes or schedules, ensuring that the monitoring required in the permit has been done, at the correct locations, for the correct parameters, and at the correct frequency Pre-processing, performing calculations and validating the data for compliance with any alert or reporting levels Generating routine compliance reports for authorities.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 15.56%
ISO 2.13%
Environmental Compliance 1.51%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Professional Pilot's salary.
  • Consulting: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • SEM: Can increase your salary by up to 10%.
  • Dedication: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Consulting
$107,375
10%
SEM
$107,375
10%
Dedication
$103,471
6%
Failure Analysis
$103,471
6%
Project Management
$103,471
6%
Process Optimization
$102,494
5%
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Professional Pilot Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Professional Pilot roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 50% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Energy & Utilities and MFG Durable sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 25% above the average. In contrast, Professional Pilot positions in MFG Nondurable or Financial Services typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Professional Pilot as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Professional Pilot

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Energy & Utilities$122,017$59.025%
MFG Durable$102,494$49.05%

How Education impacts a Professional Pilot's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Professional Pilots enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Professional Pilot with a Bachelor's Degree is between $111,550 and $117,579).

Professional Pilot Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Professional Pilot
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 3.6%
High School 57.1%
Associates 3.6%
Bachelors 57.1%
Masters 32.1%
Doctorate 7.1%
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Professional Pilot Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Professional Pilot's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on July 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Professional Pilot

Salaries for a Professional Pilot can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $107,860 in 2023 to around $105,952 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Professional Pilot salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Professional Pilot Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$107,860
2024
$107,126
2025
$105,952
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $107,860
2024 $107,126
2025 $105,952
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Professional Pilot

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Professional Pilot

Here are companies hiring for Professional Pilot and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Professional Pilot Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Professional Pilot job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

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FAQ about Professional Pilot

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Professional Pilot?

The Energy & Utilities industry offers the highest average compensation for Professional Pilot roles, with salaries approximately 25% above the market median.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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