Highest-paying States for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

The highest-paying states for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers (ranked by average annual salary) are listed in Table 1. The entry level salary (as measured by the salary of the lowest 10% paid earners) and the number of employment of airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers in those states are also shown in the table. As shown in the table, with an annual salary of $227,690, Idaho is the highest paying state for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers. It is followed by Michigan (average annual salary $227,600). The salary and employment information is computed from data published by U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) in April 2023 [1]. For more salary information of airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers in a specific state, use the links in the table.

Table 1. Highest-paying States for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers (2022 Survey)

Rank	State	Average Salary i	Entry Level Salary i	# of Empl. i
1	Idaho	$227,690	$87,300	260
2	Michigan	$227,600	$108,590	2,250
3	Georgia	$225,350	$98,680	4,260
4	Illinois	$225,270	$136,240	6,570
5	California	$225,040	$97,300	9,670
6	Ohio	$211,310	$110,940	760
7	Virginia	$199,680	$91,400	2,950
8	New Hampshire	$195,760	$101,580	30
9	Texas	$180,060	$90,850	9,190
10	Arizona	$179,660	$84,930	2,190
11	Nevada	$176,940	$91,750	1,360
12	Colorado	$175,330	$104,020	4,810
13	Massachusetts	$171,540	$93,490	460
14	Florida	$163,620	$108,930	6,550
15	North Carolina	$160,960	$114,100	2,110
16	Alaska	$155,570	$82,810	420
17	New Jersey	$142,580	$102,420	380
18	New York	$141,000	$113,270	7,990
19	Connecticut	$137,450	$63,750	140
20	New Mexico	$137,380	$75,650	110
21	Maine	$133,810	$79,350	40
22	Minnesota	$132,480	$100,390	2,680
23	Arkansas	$131,790	$67,310	130
24	Iowa	$131,350	$73,840	80
25	Missouri	$129,520	$59,860	210
26	Oregon	$123,810	$90,170	680
27	Nebraska	$118,300	$79,350	60
28	Hawaii	$118,070	$30,380	910
29	Oklahoma	$116,790	$88,400	220
30	North Dakota	$116,470	$61,710	40
31	Alabama	$116,380	$100,650	290
32	Mississippi	$113,710	$94,370	170
33	Indiana	$109,680	$63,490	310
34	Kansas	$109,420	$94,120	100
35	South Carolina	$108,520	$79,350	80
36	Delaware	$105,590	$78,370	30
37	West Virginia	$103,810	$69,850	40
38	Pennsylvania	$102,950	$46,320	1,660
39	Utah	$101,600	$71,890	1,490
40	Rhode Island	$101,570	$60,140	40
41	Tennessee	$99,820	$70,720	210
42	Wyoming	$97,000	$87,300	50
43	Kentucky	$93,900	$79,550	2,880
44	South Dakota	$93,440	$61,170	30
45	Louisiana	$87,300	$78,720	130
46	Washington	$87,060	$112,650	3,970
47	Wisconsin	$76,620	$42,840	140
48	Virgin Islands	$55,060	$27,090	40
49	Montana	$49,660	$39,060	70
50	Puerto Rico	$49,450	$37,390	170

See also: Highest-paying industries for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers, Top paying jobs in America.