Occupational Employment and Wages, November 2003

53-2012 Commercial Pilots

Pilot and navigate the flight of small fixed or rotary winged aircraft, primarily for the transport of cargo and passengers. Requires Commercial Rating. Include aircraft instructors with similar certification.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
19,940 4.7 % (4) $58,720 2.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Annual Wage (2) $26,880 $36,280 $51,000 $73,440 $102,020
  (4)

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Nonscheduled air transportation 5,720 (4) $55,540
Support activities for air transportation 2,790 (4) $50,770
Technical and trade schools 1,610 (4) $47,190
Other ambulatory health care services 1,520 (4) $48,390
Management of companies and enterprises 950 (4) $72,270

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing 410 (4) $86,910
Data processing and related services (7) (4) $83,780
Other financial investment activities 110 (4) $80,050
Power generation and supply 30 (4) $79,330
Insurance carriers 80 (4) $78,900

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Alaska 550 (4) $52,840 0.189%
Montana 250 (4) $38,160 0.063%
Hawaii 320 (4) $61,150 0.057%
Arkansas 480 (4) $49,830 0.043%
Arizona 950 (4) $49,170 0.042%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
New Jersey 350 (4) $87,510 0.009%
Connecticut 200 (4) $74,340 0.012%
North Carolina 1,120 (4) $69,490 0.030%
Alabama 240 (4) $66,230 0.013%
Kansas 270 (4) $65,890 0.021%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Houma, LA MSA 120 (4) $55,010 0.146%
Anchorage, AK MSA 200 (4) $56,630 0.145%
Missoula, MT MSA 70 (4) $39,090 0.128%
Galveston-Texas City, TX PMSA 110 (4) $100,790 0.124%
Brazoria, TX PMSA 50 (4) $42,880 0.067%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Bergen-Passaic, NJ PMSA 210 (4) $104,740 0.033%
Galveston-Texas City, TX PMSA 110 (4) $100,790 0.124%
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC MSA (7) (4) $97,220 (7)
San Jose, CA PMSA 40 (4) $89,730 0.005%
Akron, OH PMSA 40 (4) $88,180 0.013%

About November 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(4) Hourly wage rates for occupations where workers typically work fewer than 2,080 hours per year are not available.

(7) Estimates not released.

All Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

November 2003 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

November 2003 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download November 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 19, 2005