Post job

Astronaut vs pilot

The differences between astronauts and pilots can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an astronaut and a pilot. Additionally, a pilot has an average salary of $83,128, which is higher than the $73,142 average annual salary of an astronaut.

Astronaut vs pilot overview

AstronautPilot
Yearly salary$73,142$83,128
Hourly rate$35.16$39.97
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs1983,049
Job satisfaction-5
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 100%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

Astronaut vs pilot salary

Astronauts and pilots have different pay scales, as shown below.

AstronautPilot
Average salary$73,142$83,128
Salary rangeBetween $47,000 And $111,000Between $58,000 And $118,000
Highest paying City-San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state-California
Best paying company-HP
Best paying industry-Transportation

Differences between astronaut and pilot education

There are a few differences between an astronaut and a pilot in terms of educational background:

AstronautPilot
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 100%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorAerospace EngineeringAviation
Most common collegeUniversity of Texas at AustinSUNY Farmingdale

Astronaut vs pilot demographics

Here are the differences between astronauts' and pilots' demographics:

AstronautPilot
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 87.5% Female, 12.5%Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 2.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 5.2% Asian, 2.5% White, 84.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 2.7% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.2% Asian, 2.8% White, 81.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between astronaut and pilot duties and responsibilities

Astronaut example responsibilities.

  • Spearhead implementation of new scheduling tool that eliminate syllabus deviations, adopt as squadron standard.
  • Coordinate bi-national testing of aircraft countermeasures against next-generation missile seekers.

Pilot example responsibilities.

  • Pilot company Lear 35 and manage the department.
  • Manage the UAV payload on the ground and in the air to meet customer expectations.
  • Serve as a professional pilot managing a flight crew and ensuring safe transportation of VIP's internationally.
  • Supervise aircraft maintenance activity on P-3C patrol and UH-1N helicopter aircraft.
  • Transport people and parts to offshore facilities in VFR and IFR conditions
  • Serve as remote pic and visual observer on a team on various projects involving UAV applications.
  • Show more

Browse transportation jobs