Money · 1 of 4
What the wage survey shows
Median
$123,220
Bottom tenth
$58,850
Top tenth
$266,620
The national median is $123,220 a year, the bottom tenth earn $58,850 or less and the top tenth $266,620 or more, in the 2025 survey. Important: the survey counts commercial pilots as one group, which mixes helicopter pilots in with charter and corporate airplane pilots. There is no separate figure for helicopter pilots.