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.
- O*NET-SOC code
53-2012.00 - Preparation Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
Wages
Median annual wage, U.S.$123,220
Employment, U.S.47,630
Median hourly wageNot available
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $58,850 | $84,540 | $123,220 | $190,440 | $266,620 |
By state (50)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 780 | $101,420 | 1.20 |
| Alaska | 1,000 | $100,120 | 10.07 |
| Arizona | 1,540 | $103,060 | 1.55 |
| Arkansas | 460 | $94,410 | 1.15 |
| California | 4,900 | $165,590 | 0.88 |
| Colorado | 1,240 | $139,680 | 1.40 |
| Connecticut | 460 | $232,160 | 0.89 |
| Delaware | 220 | $163,600 | 1.49 |
| Florida | 6,340 | $121,890 | 2.09 |
| Georgia | 1,020 | $145,100 | 0.68 |
| Hawaii | 350 | $113,030 | 1.84 |
| Idaho | 310 | $109,620 | 1.19 |
| Illinois | 1,170 | $126,100 | 0.63 |
| Indiana | 960 | $104,160 | 0.97 |
| Iowa | 300 | $101,800 | 0.62 |
| Kansas | 680 | $105,440 | 1.53 |
| Kentucky | 800 | $129,990 | 1.30 |
| Louisiana | 910 | $95,940 | 1.54 |
| Maine | 100 | $117,560 | 0.49 |
| Maryland | 360 | $131,210 | 0.42 |
| Massachusetts | 160 | Not available | 0.14 |
| Michigan | 1,390 | $126,670 | 1.03 |
| Minnesota | 910 | $98,630 | 1.01 |
| Mississippi | 240 | $103,640 | 0.67 |
| Missouri | 670 | $102,990 | 0.75 |
| Montana | 330 | $103,690 | 2.13 |
| Nebraska | 290 | $104,780 | 0.94 |
| Nevada | 1,100 | $105,340 | 2.32 |
| New Hampshire | 440 | Not available | 2.09 |
| New Jersey | 670 | $226,710 | 0.51 |
| New Mexico | 370 | $97,920 | 1.39 |
| New York | 1,070 | $177,430 | 0.36 |
| North Carolina | 1,520 | $127,310 | 1.00 |
| North Dakota | 370 | $133,010 | 2.81 |
| Ohio | 2,680 | $150,330 | 1.58 |
| Oklahoma | 540 | $126,180 | 1.04 |
| Oregon | 670 | $120,760 | 1.11 |
| Pennsylvania | 530 | $134,030 | 0.29 |
| Rhode Island | 80 | $98,820 | 0.52 |
| South Carolina | 290 | $105,740 | 0.41 |
| South Dakota | 320 | $83,710 | 2.31 |
| Tennessee | 1,030 | $117,480 | 1.03 |
| Texas | 4,120 | $137,960 | 0.96 |
| Utah | 540 | $99,610 | 1.02 |
| Vermont | 40 | $137,810 | 0.40 |
| Virginia | 1,130 | $104,890 | 0.89 |
| Washington | 890 | $117,730 | 0.82 |
| West Virginia | 40 | $105,950 | 0.20 |
| Wisconsin | 1,090 | $129,860 | 1.21 |
| Wyoming | 190 | $102,990 | 2.17 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
| # | Occupation | Job Zone | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 4 | 0.984 |
| 2 | Locomotive Engineers | 1-2 | 0.967 |
| 3 | Subway and Streetcar Operators | 1-2 | 0.957 |
| 4 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers | 1-2 | 0.951 |
| 5 | Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels | 3 | 0.951 |
| 6 | Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters | 1-2 | 0.948 |
| 7 | Bus Drivers, School | 1-2 | 0.945 |
| 8 | Bridge and Lock Tenders | 1-2 | 0.945 |
| 9 | Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers | 1-2 | 0.943 |
| 10 | Motorboat Operators | 1-2 | 0.941 |
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Commercial Pilots, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorboat Operators | Equipment Maintenance | 1.62 | 0.941 |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | Equipment Maintenance | 1.87 | 0.918 |
| Biomass Plant Technicians | Equipment Maintenance | 1.74 | 0.909 |
| Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | Equipment Maintenance | 1.74 | 0.903 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Commercial Pilots, excluding software Commercial Pilots already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Inventory tracking software | 3 of 20 | 3.1x |
| Microsoft Windows | 7 of 20 | 1.3x |
| SAP software | 3 of 20 | 0.5x |
| Web browser software | 5 of 20 | 0.5x |
| Microsoft Excel | 15 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Microsoft Outlook | 10 of 20 | 0.7x |
| Microsoft Word | 13 of 20 | 0.8x |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | 5 of 20 | 0.4x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 4.75 | 5.25 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 4.38 | 4.75 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.88 | 3.75 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.12 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.00 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.38 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Writing | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Science | Essential skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.12 | 2.50 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.38 |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.00 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.00 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.88 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Customer and Personal Service | 4.15 | 4.47 |
| English Language | 4.01 | 3.36 |
| Transportation | 3.98 | 4.70 |
| Geography | 3.60 | 4.08 |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.58 | 3.64 |
| Mechanical | 3.36 | 3.85 |
| Law and Government | 3.31 | 3.20 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.17 | 3.85 |
| Physics | 3.13 | 3.20 |
| Mathematics | 2.96 | 3.07 |
| Education and Training | 2.90 | 3.21 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.78 | 2.61 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.59 | 1.88 |
| Administration and Management | 2.55 | 2.53 |
| Telecommunications | 2.45 | 1.60 |
| Psychology | 2.43 | 3.22 |
| Administrative | 2.18 | 2.15 |
| Design | 1.74 | not rated |
| Communications and Media | 1.71 | 1.52 |
| Chemistry | 1.57 | 1.34 |
| Biology | 1.54 | 0.89 |
| Production and Processing | 1.50 | 1.09 |
| Economics and Accounting | 1.47 | not rated |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.37 | 0.84 |
| History and Archeology | 1.35 | 1.19 |
| Foreign Language | 1.35 | 0.65 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 1.33 | not rated |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.23 | not rated |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.23 | not rated |
| Philosophy and Theology | 1.18 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.03 | not rated |
| Building and Construction | 1.01 | not rated |
| Fine Arts | 1.00 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Problem Sensitivity | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Control Precision | 4.12 | 4.50 |
| Perceptual Speed | 4.12 | 4.00 |
| Near Vision | 4.12 | 3.88 |
| Far Vision | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Response Orientation | 4.00 | 4.62 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.25 |
| Depth Perception | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Reaction Time | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Information Ordering | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Selective Attention | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.88 | 4.12 |
| Rate Control | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Written Comprehension | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Spatial Orientation | 3.88 | 3.88 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.75 | 3.88 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.62 |
| Time Sharing | 3.62 | 4.00 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.50 | 3.88 |
| Written Expression | 3.38 | 3.75 |
| Manual Dexterity | 3.38 | 3.12 |
| Visualization | 3.25 | 3.38 |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.25 | 3.12 |
| Glare Sensitivity | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Speed of Closure | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Auditory Attention | 3.12 | 3.25 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Peripheral Vision | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Originality | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Finger Dexterity | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 2.88 | 3.00 |
| Night Vision | 2.75 | 3.00 |
| Number Facility | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Memorization | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Sound Localization | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Trunk Strength | 2.50 | 2.25 |
| Extent Flexibility | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 2.25 | 2.12 |
| Static Strength | 2.12 | 2.12 |
| Dynamic Strength | 2.12 | 1.88 |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.00 | 1.75 |
| Stamina | 2.00 | 1.50 |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.88 | 1.62 |
| Explosive Strength | 1.75 | 1.00 |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Adobe Creative Cloud software hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- AeroPlanner
- Aeronautical charts
- AirSmith FlightPrompt
- Airdata
- Airline Pilots Daily Aviation Log PPC
- ArduPilot Mission Planner
- Calibration software
- CloudCompare
- ESRI Site Scan for ArcGIS
- Electronic aircraft information databases
- FLIR Thermal Studio Suite
- Flight simulation software
- Kitty Hawk
- LP360
- Litchi
- MJICCS PilotLog
- Navzilla
- Nimblefeet Technologies Captain's Keeper
- Notam Development Group Airport Insight
- OpenDroneMap
- Pilot Navigator Software Load Balance
- Pix4D Pix4Dcapture
- Pix4D Pix4Dmapper
- Polaris Microsystems AeroLog Pro
- Polaris Microsystems CharterLog
- RMS Technology Flitesoft
- SBS International Maestro Suite
- Skylog Services Skylog Pro
All 33
- Standard generalized markup language SGML
- UgCS
- doXstor Flight Level Logbook
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anchorage, AK | 590 | 10.94 | $99,920 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 530 | 7.83 | $126,400 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 160 | 6.19 | $97,570 |
| Flagstaff, AZ | 120 | 5.76 | $68,460 |
| Columbus, OH | 1,410 | 4.15 | $175,690 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 3,440 | 3.98 | $127,360 |
| Lafayette, LA | 210 | 3.90 | $79,430 |
| Wichita, KS | 370 | 3.90 | $106,250 |
| Naples-Marco Island, FL | 190 | 3.48 | $132,980 |
| Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL | 110 | 2.88 | $126,270 |