Ask a pilot what pilots earn and the first answer may be another question: which pilot? A new flight instructor, an airline first officer and a Gulfstream captain can all be professional pilots while living in completely different pay brackets.
Based on pilot vacancies live now and advertised over the past few months, the median advertised pilot salary is $140,000 a year. The middle half runs from roughly $87,000 to $235,000. Captain vacancies show a median of $186,000, first officer vacancies $99,000 and flight instructor vacancies $72,000.
The listings cover airlines, business aviation, charter, air medical, government and flight instruction across several countries. The salary period runs from 16 January through 28 July 2026. This is a current view of advertised pay, not a survey of what all working pilots earn.
Pilot salary in one table
| Role | Median salary | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|
| All pilot jobs | $140,000 | $87,000 to $235,000 |
| Captain | $186,000 | $118,000 to $275,000 |
| First officer | $99,000 | $64,000 to $123,000 |
| Flight instructor | $72,000 | $36,000 to $94,000 |
| Second officer | $134,000 | $98,000 to $153,000 |
The median is the middle listing, not the average. We prefer it here because a small number of very well paid captain jobs can pull an average upward. The average across the current data is $159,000, almost $19,000 above the median.
The second officer result needs care because that group is relatively narrow and covers several countries. It does not mean second officers generally earn more than first officers. It means the current advertised second officer roles have a higher midpoint.
Why $140,000 is not a universal pilot salary
The figure is useful, but it is not a promise or a worldwide pay scale. The current salary data leans toward US-based captain and business aviation vacancies because those roles publish pay more often than many international airline jobs.
Employers that do not publish pay sit outside the calculation. An airline can employ thousands of pilots and still be absent from a salary comparison if its vacancies do not show compensation. This report describes the visible part of the hiring market, not the whole industry.
The latest published US benchmark from the Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the May 2024 median at $226,600 for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers, and $122,670 for commercial pilots. That does not contradict the current $140,000 result. The BLS measures employed workers in the United States. AeroScout measures jobs advertised now and over the past few months across several countries, ranks and types of flying.
Rank changes the answer more than the job title "pilot" suggests
Captain pay sits close to twice the first officer figure in the current listings: $186,000 against $99,000. Captain vacancies usually ask for more total time, more time in command and, in many cases, time on the specific aircraft.
Experience still affects pay after a pilot reaches an airline. The BLS notes that airline pilots normally begin as first officers and receive pay increases as they build experience and seniority. Two first officers on the same fleet can therefore earn different amounts under the same contract.
Flight instruction sits lower at a $72,000 median, with a much wider spread than the headline suggests. The middle half runs from $36,000 to $94,000. The listings cover different schedules and kinds of instruction, so even that narrower label contains jobs that are hard to compare directly.
What happens to pay as flight hours rise?
Among vacancies that publish both annual pay and a total flight time requirement, salary bands move sharply with the hours requested.
| Required total time | Median salary | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|
| Under 1,000 hours | $45,000 | $40,000 to $75,000 |
| 1,000 to 2,499 hours | $100,000 | $77,000 to $127,000 |
| 2,500 to 4,999 hours | $200,000 | $135,000 to $275,000 |
| 5,000 hours or more | $223,000 | $187,000 to $275,000 |
This does not mean another 1,500 hours automatically doubles a pilot's salary. The higher-hour groups also contain more captain jobs and more large business aircraft. Hours, rank and aircraft move together. Still, the table shows why a generic pilot average is not much help to someone with 600 hours looking for a first commercial seat.
If that is where you are now, our guide to landing a first airline job as a low-hour pilot uses the hour requirements from live vacancies rather than a salary average built around experienced captains.
Business aviation leads the current salary data
| Type of operation | Median salary | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|
| Business and corporate aviation | $213,000 | $135,000 to $275,000 |
| Government | $169,000 | $116,000 to $180,000 |
| Charter and Part 135 | $120,000 | $88,000 to $185,000 |
| Passenger airlines | $100,000 | $73,000 to $139,000 |
| Air medical | $88,000 | $60,000 to $122,000 |
| Flight instruction | $65,000 | $35,000 to $83,000 |
It would be easy to turn that table into the claim that corporate pilots earn more than airline pilots. The data cannot support such a broad conclusion. The business aviation group contains many experienced US captains on large cabin aircraft. Passenger airline pay disclosures cover a more international mix of ranks.
Business aviation supplies many of the highest advertised ranges in the current data. AeroScout's June hiring report also found the sector leading the live pilot market.
Salary by aircraft
Aircraft type produced some of the largest gaps in the data. These figures are not controlled for rank, seniority or country, so read them as the salaries attached to each aircraft's vacancies, not as guaranteed type-rating pay.
| Aircraft | Median advertised salary |
|---|---|
| Global 7500 | $305,000 |
| Gulfstream G650 | $275,000 |
| Gulfstream G550 | $275,000 |
| Challenger 650 | $205,000 |
| Challenger 350 | $160,000 |
| Learjet family | $135,000 |
| Airbus A320 family | $132,000 |
| PC-12 | $91,000 |
| Boeing 737 family | $88,000 |
| Cessna Caravan | $88,000 |
| ATR family | $75,000 |
The Global and Gulfstream numbers come mostly from experienced business aviation roles. The A320 and 737 groups include airline jobs in several labour markets and a mix of ranks. Some aircraft groups have fewer public salary disclosures than others, so the medians are a current reference rather than a fixed type-rating pay scale. A 737 first officer vacancy outside the United States is not a useful comparison with a US-based G650 captain position.
The table cannot tell you whether buying a type rating will pay for itself. Before spending that money, check the live demand and read our report on which airlines and operators are paying for type ratings in 2026.
Why older pilot salary guides go stale
Pilot pay moved quickly during and after the post-pandemic hiring surge. In a 2026 review of 12 selected US regional airlines, the US Government Accountability Office found that average first-year first officer pay rose from about $52 per hour in 2021 to about $93 in 2024. Most of that increase happened between 2021 and 2023.
The same report says that several bonus programmes had ended by 2025 as hiring and retention pressure eased. A salary article can therefore be numerically correct when published and misleading two years later. Contract changes, aircraft deliveries and a slowdown or surge in hiring all move the market.
The salary is not the whole package
An advertised annual figure may leave out per diem, international pay, retirement contributions, profit sharing, housing, transport or bonuses. It may also show the top of a wide range that a new hire will not receive. The BLS notes that US airline pilots commonly receive per diem while away from home, may earn additional pay for international trips and usually receive free or reduced-fare travel for themselves and immediate family.
Before comparing two jobs, check five things:
- Confirm whether the figure is annual salary, an hourly flight rate, a monthly package or a daily contract rate.
- Ask what monthly or annual guarantee sits underneath an hourly rate.
- Separate base pay from allowances, bonuses and retirement contributions.
- Check whether training costs, accommodation or commuting come out of your own pocket.
- Compare the roster and employment status. A higher contractor rate can carry costs that an employee salary does not.
A salary number on its own is not enough to compare two jobs. Roster, benefits, employment status and the cost of getting to work can change which offer leaves a pilot better off.
How the figures are calculated
This report covers pilot jobs that are live now along with vacancies advertised over the past few months. The current review date is 9 August 2026, and the salary period runs from 16 January through 28 July. Including recent listings makes the result less sensitive to whichever jobs happen to be open on a single day.
Only listings with employer-published pay are included. When the source provides enough detail, pay is expressed as an annual US dollar equivalent. For a salary range, we use the midpoint, so a vacancy advertising $100,000 to $140,000 enters the calculation at $120,000. We do not estimate pay for vacancies that give no salary, and we do not fill gaps with anonymous salary submissions.
There are limits:
- The figures measure advertised vacancies, not the earnings of all employed pilots.
- The current salary data leans toward US-based vacancies.
- Only employers that disclosed enough pay information are included.
- A salary midpoint does not tell us where inside the range a new hire would start.
- Benefits and variable pay are included only when the advertised salary already folded them into the figure.
Frequently asked questions
How much do pilots make in 2026? Based on vacancies live now and advertised over the past few months, the median advertised salary is $140,000 a year. The middle half runs from about $87,000 to $235,000. The current data leans toward US captain and business aviation jobs, so it should not be read as a worldwide starting salary.
How much do airline pilots make? Current and recent passenger airline vacancies show a median advertised salary of $100,000 across several countries and ranks. For comparison, the latest BLS workforce estimate puts the May 2024 US median at $226,600 for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers.
How much does a pilot captain make? Captain vacancies in the current salary data show a median of $186,000. The middle half runs from about $118,000 to $275,000.
How much does a first officer make? First officer vacancies in the current salary data show a median of $99,000. The middle half runs from about $64,000 to $123,000.
What is a realistic starting pilot salary? Jobs requiring fewer than 1,000 total hours show a median of about $45,000 in the current data. That is an early-career proxy, not a guaranteed starting rate. The group includes different types of flying, countries and qualifications.
Can pilots make more than $300,000? Yes, but those jobs are not typical of the whole market. The current 90th percentile is $275,000, while the highest aircraft medians are concentrated in experienced large-cabin business jet roles.
Use the number that matches your career
The $140,000 median is a useful midpoint, but it becomes much more useful once you narrow it. A pilot with 700 hours should pay closer attention to the under-1,000-hour group. A Challenger captain with 3,000 hours should compare captain, business aviation and aircraft-specific figures.
Browse the current pilot vacancies and compare jobs that match your rank, hours and aircraft. The live AeroScout hiring intelligence dashboard breaks salary data out alongside flight-hour requirements, aircraft demand and hiring activity.
Published by AeroScout Research. Advertised salaries change as employers open, close and revise vacancies. When this report is updated, the review date, coverage period and figures should be updated with it.