Report Ranks Airline Pilots as Georgia’s Highest-Paid Occupation, With $618K Median

Georgia’s highest-paid occupation may not be in a hospital or executive suite—it may be in the cockpit. An analysis of federal wage data ranks airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers as the state’s top occupation by median annual pay.

Georgia is home to one of the nation’s largest concentrations of airline-pilot jobs. GAFollowers file image.

The analysis, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, lists a Georgia median of $618,090. About 8,770 people in the state were employed in the combined category of airline pilots, copilots and flight engineers.

That figure placed the occupation slightly ahead of cardiologists in the statewide ranking. Georgia and Idaho also stood out in a broader comparison because their top-paying listed occupations were outside healthcare.

What the $618,090 number means

The median is the midpoint of the workers included in the estimate—not a starting salary and not a guarantee for every pilot. Pay can vary widely based on seniority, aircraft, employer, route structure, union agreements and the number of hours flown.

The BLS category also combines airline pilots with copilots and flight engineers. It does not represent every commercial or private pilot job in Georgia, and some estimates may be affected by how very high wages are reported in the federal survey.

Why Georgia stands out

Atlanta’s role as a global aviation hub helps explain why pilot employment is unusually concentrated here. BLS reported that airline-pilot employment in the Atlanta metro area was more than four times as concentrated as the national average.

The data reinforces aviation’s outsized place in Georgia’s economy, but it should not be read as an entry-level career promise. Reaching a major-airline cockpit typically requires extensive flight training, certifications, logged hours and years of experience.