Soaring Salaries: Top Pilot Jobs Revealed

While compensated differently depending on their employer, top earners can make over $500,000 annually.

Andrew Chen

Thursday, April 09, 2026 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Although a pilot’s early career jobs may not be exceptionally well-paying, their salary typically increases significantly with more experience. [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Becoming a pilot offers promising career prospects with salaries increasing significantly with experience, though early career pay may vary.
Major airlines provide the highest earning potential, with senior widebody captains earning over $500,000 annually and new first officers typically starting between $90,000 and $110,000.
Regional airlines and large cargo carriers also offer competitive salaries, with regional first officers now starting in the $80,000-$110,000 range.
Other sectors like business/corporate and government piloting have more varied salaries, generally ranging from $40,000 to over $300,000 depending on the role and employer.

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Becoming a pilot opens the door to a world of promising and lucrative career prospects. Although a pilot’s early career jobs may not be exceptionally well-paying, their salary typically increases significantly with more experience.

There are many types of pilot jobs throughout the country, and some of them offer higher earning potential than others. Here are the best paying pilot jobs: