Average Income

• The mean annual wage for all airline pilots in the U.S. was $117,060 as of May 2009, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bottom 25 percent of airline pilots earned $80,640 while the top 25 percent earned $144,010.
  
  

Location

• Alaska is the state with the highest concentration of airline pilots, but offers an annual mean wage significantly lower than average at $92,390. The highest paying state for airline pilots is Florida with an average salary of $148,940, followed by New Jersey and New York at $137,930 and $137,250 respectively. The highest paying cities for airline pilots in the nation are Boston, Massachusetts at $149,020, Indianapolis, Indiana at $146,430 and Dallas, Texas at $145,560.
  
  

Employer

• Different airlines have different salary scales when it comes to paying their pilots. According to Phoenix East Aviation, Inc., American Airlines paid first-year pilots an average salary of $31,080 and 10-year captains $123,420 as of 2004. Delta Airlines offered $50,400 for first-year pilots and $204,636 for 10-year captains, and Southwest offered $42,960 to first-year pilots and $159,000 to 10-year captains. New pilots hired by UPS earned $26,004, while captains with 10 years of experience earned $204,636.
  
  

Outlook

• Overall, job opportunities for pilots should grow about as fast as the national average for all jobs in the United States at a rate of 12 percent between 2008 and 2018. The Bureau of Labor Statistics claims that more experienced pilots with regional airlines and low-cost carriers have the best job outlook, as opportunities with these companies should grow faster than opportunities with major airlines.