How Much Do Airline Pilots Really Earn? The BLS Data

https://av8db.com/for/career-pilots?u... How much do airline pilots earn in the US? The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the median annual wage for airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers at $232,140 (May 2025). This video from av8db reads the whole table: the 10th to 90th percentile range ($106,710 to $463,830), the mean, how the top of the range appeared only as a symbol in the tables until the May 2025 file, what the BLS handbook says about seniority, pay by industry, what the wage figure includes and excludes, flight hours and the 14 CFR 117.23 limits, the median from 2019 to 2025 in dollars and after prices, commercial pilot pay, and FAA certificate counts against BLS job counts. This video reports what the published data says. It is not career, financial or legal advice. Percent changes, gaps and the inflation adjustment are av8db's arithmetic on BLS figures. Sources: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 and May 2024 national files: https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm BLS OEWS occupation profiles, SOC 53-2011, May 2019-2023: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2023/may/oes5... BLS OEWS Technical Notes for May 2025: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2025/may/oes_... BLS OEWS frequently asked questions (time series): https://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_ques.htm BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Airline and Commercial Pilots: https://www.bls.gov/ooh/transportatio... BLS CPI-U, series CUUR0000SA0 (May values): https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/CUUR0... 14 CFR 117.1, 117.23, 121.383, 61.159 (govinfo.gov 2025 edition; checked against eCFR 2026-10-01) FAA U.S. Civil Airmen Statistics 2025, Table 12: https://www.faa.gov/data_research/avi... Footage: "Takeoff From Oakland International Airport (OAK).webm" by Thomas Farley, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 "Takeoff From Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.webm" by Thomas Farley, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 "Spirit Airlines A320neo (N902NK) Landing Portland Airport (PDX).webm" by PDX Aviation - HD(ish) Plane Spotting, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 "UPS MD11 (N259UP) Landing Portland Airport.webm" by PDX Spotting, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 "Flughafen BER 20260623 Pushback Airbus A320-200 Austrian Airlines 01.webm" by NutzerAusBerlin, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 "Flughafen BER 20260623 Andocken Fluggastbrücke Boeing 737-800 Turkish Airlines.webm" by NutzerAusBerlin, Wikimedia Commons, CC0 "Shock wave above A320 wing (1).webm" by Olivier Cleynen, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0 "Cessna-152_Takeoff_at_Maribor_Airport_(LJMB)_runway_14.webm" by Miha Lesjak, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 "Cessna_182G_Skylane_VFR_from_Murska_Sobota_Slovenia_-_Cockpit_View.webm" by Niko Milak, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 "Aerorally_2015_Landings,_Aero_club_Celje,_Slovenia.webm" by Skyboss25, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 Charts: av8db graphics drawn from the BLS, FAA and CFR sources above. On av8db, pilots add their certificates, ratings and hours once, other pilots can vouch for them, and operators post roles pilots can apply to with their profile. av8db is the professional network for pilots. Find an instructor · Connect with pilots near you · Grow your aviation career. This video summarizes published regulations and reports for general information. It is not flight instruction. #aviation #pilot #airlinepilot #pilotcareer #pilotsalary