Occupational Employment and Wages, May 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)
19,980 4.3 % (4) $57,950 2.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Annual Wage (2) $26,470 $35,280 $49,830 $72,410 $101,890
  (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 Employment rank Wage rank
Nonscheduled air transportation 6,030 (4) $52,190 1 21
Support activities for air transportation 2,400 (4) $49,090 2 25
Technical and trade schools 1,260 (4) $41,480 3 31
Other ambulatory health care services 1,180 (4) $47,200 4 29
Management of companies and enterprises 950 (4) $71,950 5 9

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Nondepository credit intermediation (6) (4) $111,490 (6) 1
Electronic instrument manufacturing 40 (4) $101,610 26 2
Aerospace product and parts manufacturing 450 (4) $95,810 7 3
Spectator sports 50 (4) $86,310 25 4
Other financial investment activities 150 (4) $82,320 16 5

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 Wage rank within State
Alaska 550 (4) $55,310 0.188% 117
Montana 260 (4) $35,210 0.066% 223
Hawaii 300 (4) $60,550 0.054% 65
Arkansas 550 (4) $58,450 0.049% 50
Louisiana 840 (4) $62,270 0.045% 61

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
New Jersey 270 (4) $97,550 0.007% 25
Ohio 1,860 (4) $72,760 0.035% 42
Connecticut 290 (4) $72,180 0.018% 77
Georgia 380 (4) $68,810 0.010% 57
North Carolina 1,220 (4) $66,760 0.033% 57

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
Anchorage, AK MSA 250 (4) $57,960 0.182%
Houma, LA MSA 120 (4) $55,480 0.148%
Galveston-Texas City, TX PMSA 110 (4) $103,640 0.126%
Missoula, MT MSA 50 (4) $40,730 0.095%
Brazoria, TX PMSA 50 (4) $41,090 0.066%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Bergen-Passaic, NJ PMSA 220 (4) $104,250 0.034%
Galveston-Texas City, TX PMSA 110 (4) $103,640 0.126%
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill, NC-SC MSA (6) (4) $100,590 (6)
Jackson, MS MSA 50 (4) $83,230 0.024%
Visalia-Tulare-Porterville, CA MSA (6) (4) $81,870 (6)

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

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

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.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Transportation and Material Moving Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

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

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004