Career profile · 53-2012
Commercial Pilots
Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots. Excludes regional, national, and international airline pilots.
What the work can involve
- Check aircraft prior to flights to ensure that the engines, controls, instruments, and other systems are functioning properly.
- Co-pilot aircraft or perform captain's duties, as required.
- Consider airport altitudes, outside temperatures, plane weights, and wind speeds and directions to calculate the speed needed to become airborne.
- Use instrumentation to pilot aircraft when visibility is poor.
- Monitor engine operation, fuel consumption, and functioning of aircraft systems during flights.
- Order changes in fuel supplies, loads, routes, or schedules to ensure safety of flights.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Monitoring
- Critical Thinking
- Active Listening
- Reading Comprehension
- Speaking
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Transportation
- Geography
- Public Safety and Security
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials
- Controlling Machines and Processes
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Contact with others most of the time | 60.0%08/2024 · sample 19 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Once a week or more but not every day | 44.1%08/2024 · sample 19 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 52.0%08/2024 · sample 19 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Every day | 32.6%08/2024 · sample 19 |
| Spend Time Sitting | More than half the time | 60.8%08/2024 · sample 19 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 68.2%08/2024 · sample 19 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 36.8%08/2024 · sample 19 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 36.6%08/2024 · sample 19 |
| Work Schedules | Irregular (changes with weather conditions, production demands, or contract duration) | 68.3%08/2024 · sample 19 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Calibration software, CloudCompare, FLIR Thermal Studio Suite, Kitty Hawk
- Aviation ground support software: ArduPilot Mission Planner
- Calendar and scheduling software: SBS International Maestro Suite
- Charting software: Aeronautical charts
- Data base user interface and query software: AirSmith FlightPrompt, Airline Pilots Daily Aviation Log PPC, Electronic aircraft information databases, MJICCS PilotLog
- Development environment software: Standard generalized markup language SGML
- Flight control software: Flight simulation software
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe Creative Cloud software
- Information retrieval or search software: AeroPlanner, Notam Development Group Airport Insight
- Map creation software: ESRI Site Scan for ArcGIS, OpenDroneMap
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software
- Project management software: Airdata
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for commercial pilots
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Postsecondary nondegree award
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 50 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $101,420 | Not published | 780 |
| Alaska | $100,120 | Not published | 1,000 |
| Arizona | $103,060 | Not published | 1,540 |
| Arkansas | $94,410 | Not published | 460 |
| California | $165,590 | Not published | 4,900 |
| Colorado | $139,680 | Not published | 1,240 |
| Connecticut | $232,160 | Not published | 460 |
| Delaware | $163,600 | Not published | 220 |
| Florida | $121,890 | Not published | 6,340 |
| Georgia | $145,100 | Not published | 1,020 |
| Hawaii | $113,030 | Not published | 350 |
| Idaho | $109,620 | Not published | 310 |
| Illinois | $126,100 | Not published | 1,170 |
| Indiana | $104,160 | Not published | 960 |
| Iowa | $101,800 | Not published | 300 |
| Kansas | $105,440 | Not published | 680 |
| Kentucky | $129,990 | Not published | 800 |
| Louisiana | $95,940 | Not published | 910 |
| Maine | $117,560 | Not published | 100 |
| Maryland | $131,210 | Not published | 360 |
| Massachusetts | Not published | Not published | 160 |
| Michigan | $126,670 | Not published | 1,390 |
| Minnesota | $98,630 | Not published | 910 |
| Mississippi | $103,640 | Not published | 240 |
| Missouri | $102,990 | Not published | 670 |
| Montana | $103,690 | Not published | 330 |
| Nebraska | $104,780 | Not published | 290 |
| Nevada | $105,340 | Not published | 1,100 |
| New Hampshire | Not published | Not published | 440 |
| New Jersey | $226,710 | Not published | 670 |
| New Mexico | $97,920 | Not published | 370 |
| New York | $177,430 | Not published | 1,070 |
| North Carolina | $127,310 | Not published | 1,520 |
| North Dakota | $133,010 | Not published | 370 |
| Ohio | $150,330 | Not published | 2,680 |
| Oklahoma | $126,180 | Not published | 540 |
| Oregon | $120,760 | Not published | 670 |
| Pennsylvania | $134,030 | Not published | 530 |
| Rhode Island | $98,820 | Not published | 80 |
| South Carolina | $105,740 | Not published | 290 |
| South Dakota | $83,710 | Not published | 320 |
| Tennessee | $117,480 | Not published | 1,030 |
| Texas | $137,960 | Not published | 4,120 |
| Utah | $99,610 | Not published | 540 |
| Vermont | $137,810 | Not published | 40 |
| Virginia | $104,890 | Not published | 1,130 |
| Washington | $117,730 | Not published | 890 |
| West Virginia | $105,950 | Not published | 40 |
| Wisconsin | $129,860 | Not published | 1,090 |
| Wyoming | $102,990 | Not published | 190 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 211 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 53-2012.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.