Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in California

Want to work in California as an Airline Pilot, Copilot, or Flight Engineer? Read this first!

You’re in luck! Jobs for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in California are projected to grow and these jobs tend to pay higher than average.

• Projected employment for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in California is growing faster than average.

• Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in California earn higher salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

What Major Will Prepare You For an Airline Pilot, Copilot, or Flight Engineer Career?

• Transportation & Materials Moving
• Air Transportation
• Airline/Commercial/Professional Pilot & Flight Crew
• Flight Instructor

How Many Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Work in California?

There were approximately 9,330 workers employed as Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in this state in 2018.

There were 9,000 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers employed in this state in 2017.

That’s growth of 330 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 310 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers working in it, which means California has more Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers than average.

Job Projections for California

Jobs for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in this state are growing at a rate of 11.6% which is faster than the nationwide estimated projection of 3.5%.

California Annual Job Openings

The BLS is projecting 940 annual Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers job openings in California, and 9,600 total jobs in the year 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 8,100 annual jobs and 86,900 total jobs in 2026.

What do Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Make in California?

In 2018 wages for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ranged from $88,970 to $208,000 with $197,740 being the median annual salary.

The median salary in California is higher than the nationwide median salary.

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Top California Metros for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	5,660	$146,980
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA	3,030	$208,000

Top States for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Employment

View the list below to see where most Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Texas	9,570	$183,440
California	9,330	$197,740
Illinois	7,280	$177,280
Georgia	6,940	$0
New York	6,240	$100,020
Florida	4,780	$163,620
Colorado	3,250	$183,860
Minnesota	3,100	$98,530
Michigan	3,090	$208,000
Arizona	3,030	$97,760
Washington	2,540	$208,000
Alaska	1,950	$136,460
Nevada	1,350	$208,000
Hawaii	1,020	$0
Ohio	950	$102,010
Oregon	750	$208,000
Indiana	310	$104,100
Alabama	310	$104,690
Tennessee	260	$91,320
Oklahoma	190	$100,480

Below are the states where Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
Nevada	$208,000
Michigan	$208,000
Washington	$208,000
Oregon	$208,000
California	$197,740
Colorado	$183,860
Texas	$183,440
Pennsylvania	$181,210
Illinois	$177,280
Florida	$163,620

Related Careers in California

You may also be interested in the following careers:

Occupation	California Employment Total
Commercial Pilots	3,380

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.