Shigoto Zukan
日本語

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers job outlookprojected pay in 10 years $315,800 · outlook score 74/100 · BLS employment projections

United States Aviation Confidence ★★★★★

Median annual pay
$232,140
25th–75th pct. $182,280–$384,440
Top pay (est.)
$603,000
Top 10% $463,830
Pay in 5 years
$270,800est.
2031
Pay in 10 years
$315,800est.
$271,600–$366,600
Outlook score
74/100
★★★★☆ Good
AI replacement risk
53%
Moderate
Job growth (10 yr)
+8.3%
11K openings / yr

Projected pay for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.

Today $232,140 → in 3 years $254,600 → in 5 years $270,800 → in 10 years $315,800 (10-year range $271,600–$366,600). The model assumes pay growth of +3.1% per year.

$232,140
Now
2026
$254,600
In 3 yrs
2029
$235,100–$277,000
$270,800
In 5 yrs
2031
$243,900–$301,600
$315,800
In 10 yrs
2036
$271,600–$366,600

What drives the annual growth rate

Base wage growth +3.0%Labor demand +0.22%AI impact -0.09%Total +3.1% / yr

Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →

Outlook score for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

74/100
★★★★☆
Good · ranked #23 of all U.S. occupations
Pay level
98 pts
AI resistance
47 pts
Entry barrier
82 pts
Annual openings
67 pts
Projected growth
89 pts

Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.

Labor demand for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

Employment
104K
BLS OEWS
Projected employment
113K
2025–35
Projected change
+8.3%
ranked #89 for growth
Annual openings
11K
growth + replacement needs
Demand score
High
78/100
Typical entry education
Bachelor's degree
Work experience
Less than 5 years
in a related occupation
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.

Pay and employment figures are national statistics. Projected pay, outlook scores and AI replacement risk are estimates from the Shigoto Zukan model, not guarantees. To request a correction, use the contact form. How to read the data
Sources: BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35; O*NET 31.0 Database by USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0), modified by Shigoto Zukan. Pay ranges, projections and scores are Shigoto Zukan estimates.