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Best states for a pilot captain
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Pilot captain opportunities vary in different parts of the country. In order to help you determine the best states for pilot captains, we ranked all fifty states from best to worst for pilot captains.We wanted to look at the best states for pilot captains -- where there are plenty of pilot captain jobs to go around and pilot captains get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
We figured that the best places for pilot captain jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.Iowa is the best state, and Millville is the city with the highest pay for pilot captains.
10 best states for pilot captains in 2025
1. Iowa
Total pilot captain jobs: 16 Average annual salary: $81,836 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 1.062. Louisiana
Total pilot captain jobs: 21 Average annual salary: $72,693 Lowest 10 percent earn: $62,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000 Location Quotient: 1.583. New Jersey
Total pilot captain jobs: 33 Average annual salary: $82,966 Lowest 10 percent earn: $71,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 14. Kansas
Total pilot captain jobs: 9 Average annual salary: $81,602 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $97,000 Location Quotient: 0.715. Colorado
Total pilot captain jobs: 43 Average annual salary: $69,529 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 1.736. Kentucky
Total pilot captain jobs: 12 Average annual salary: $70,366 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000 Location Quotient: 0.787. Missouri
Total pilot captain jobs: 29 Average annual salary: $69,332 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $82,000 Location Quotient: 1.198. Michigan
Total pilot captain jobs: 36 Average annual salary: $68,469 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $80,000 Location Quotient: 1.119. North Dakota
Total pilot captain jobs: 5 Average annual salary: $67,053 Lowest 10 percent earn: $57,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $78,000 Location Quotient: 1.2910. Wyoming
Total pilot captain jobs: 1 Average annual salary: $76,424 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000 Location Quotient: 0.4
Pilot captain jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a pilot captain
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a pilot captain
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $81,836 | $68,000 | 3,145,711 | 16 |
| 2 | Louisiana | $72,693 | $62,000 | 4,684,333 | 21 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $82,966 | $71,000 | 9,005,644 | 33 |
| 4 | Kansas | $81,602 | $68,000 | 2,913,123 | 9 |
| 5 | Colorado | $69,529 | $57,000 | 5,607,154 | 43 |
| 6 | Kentucky | $70,366 | $59,000 | 4,454,189 | 12 |
| 7 | Missouri | $69,332 | $58,000 | 6,113,532 | 29 |
| 8 | Michigan | $68,469 | $57,000 | 9,962,311 | 36 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $67,053 | $57,000 | 755,393 | 5 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $76,424 | $63,000 | 579,315 | 1 |
| 11 | Texas | $68,528 | $57,000 | 28,304,596 | 99 |
| 12 | South Carolina | $66,097 | $56,000 | 5,024,369 | 36 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $68,113 | $57,000 | 6,715,984 | 18 |
| 14 | Florida | $66,650 | $58,000 | 20,984,400 | 117 |
| 15 | Illinois | $73,161 | $61,000 | 12,802,023 | 28 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $70,962 | $59,000 | 1,815,857 | 2 |
| 17 | Nevada | $65,082 | $52,000 | 2,998,039 | 25 |
| 18 | New York | $73,460 | $63,000 | 19,849,399 | 31 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $70,290 | $61,000 | 1,427,538 | 5 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $65,773 | $54,000 | 2,088,070 | 10 |
| 21 | Ohio | $66,836 | $56,000 | 11,658,609 | 25 |
| 22 | Montana | $65,472 | $54,000 | 1,050,493 | 6 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $65,755 | $55,000 | 3,004,279 | 8 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $65,573 | $55,000 | 10,273,419 | 40 |
| 25 | California | $67,300 | $54,000 | 39,536,653 | 131 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $65,890 | $55,000 | 869,666 | 1 |
| 27 | Delaware | $65,272 | $55,000 | 961,939 | 4 |
| 28 | Arizona | $60,678 | $49,000 | 7,016,270 | 32 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $58,347 | $48,000 | 3,930,864 | 29 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $64,140 | $56,000 | 1,342,795 | 4 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $60,088 | $50,000 | 1,920,076 | 11 |
| 32 | Maryland | $65,241 | $55,000 | 6,052,177 | 21 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $59,941 | $51,000 | 2,984,100 | 10 |
| 34 | District of Columbia | $65,293 | $55,000 | 693,972 | 7 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $64,500 | $56,000 | 1,059,639 | 0 |
| 36 | Alaska | $58,475 | $52,000 | 739,795 | 8 |
| 37 | Connecticut | $64,819 | $55,000 | 3,588,184 | 10 |
| 38 | Utah | $59,941 | $49,000 | 3,101,833 | 14 |
| 39 | Massachusetts | $64,321 | $56,000 | 6,859,819 | 21 |
| 40 | Vermont | $63,934 | $56,000 | 623,657 | 0 |
| 41 | Virginia | $60,403 | $51,000 | 8,470,020 | 36 |
| 42 | Indiana | $57,132 | $48,000 | 6,666,818 | 22 |
| 43 | Idaho | $53,850 | $44,000 | 1,716,943 | 10 |
| 44 | Alabama | $52,289 | $44,000 | 4,874,747 | 23 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $56,867 | $47,000 | 5,795,483 | 18 |
| 46 | Georgia | $58,278 | $49,000 | 10,429,379 | 31 |
| 47 | Oregon | $52,867 | $42,000 | 4,142,776 | 21 |
| 48 | Washington | $53,874 | $44,000 | 7,405,743 | 24 |
| 49 | Pennsylvania | $53,352 | $45,000 | 12,805,537 | 26 |
| 50 | Minnesota | $52,515 | $44,000 | 5,576,606 | 20 |
| 51 | Maine | $53,774 | $47,000 | 1,335,907 | 2 |
Highest paying states for pilot captains
| Rank | State | Avg. Pilot Captain Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Iowa | $81,836 |
| 2 | Louisiana | $72,693 |
| 3 | New Jersey | $82,966 |
| 4 | Kansas | $81,602 |
| 5 | Colorado | $69,529 |
| 6 | Kentucky | $70,366 |
| 7 | Missouri | $69,332 |
| 8 | Michigan | $68,469 |
| 9 | North Dakota | $67,053 |
| 10 | Wyoming | $76,424 |
| 11 | Texas | $68,528 |
| 12 | South Carolina | $66,097 |
| 13 | Tennessee | $68,113 |
| 14 | Florida | $66,650 |
| 15 | Illinois | $73,161 |
| 16 | West Virginia | $70,962 |
| 17 | Nevada | $65,082 |
| 18 | New York | $73,460 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $70,290 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $65,773 |
| 21 | Ohio | $66,836 |
| 22 | Montana | $65,472 |
| 23 | Arkansas | $65,755 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $65,573 |
| 25 | California | $67,300 |
| 26 | South Dakota | $65,890 |
| 27 | Delaware | $65,272 |
| 28 | Arizona | $60,678 |
| 29 | Oklahoma | $58,347 |
| 30 | New Hampshire | $64,140 |
| 31 | Nebraska | $60,088 |
| 32 | Maryland | $65,241 |
| 33 | Mississippi | $59,941 |
| 34 | District of Columbia | $65,293 |
| 35 | Rhode Island | $64,500 |
| 36 | Alaska | $58,475 |
| 37 | Connecticut | $64,819 |
| 38 | Utah | $59,941 |
| 39 | Massachusetts | $64,321 |
| 40 | Vermont | $63,934 |
| 41 | Virginia | $60,403 |
| 42 | Indiana | $57,132 |
| 43 | Idaho | $53,850 |
| 44 | Alabama | $52,289 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $56,867 |
| 46 | Georgia | $58,278 |
| 47 | Oregon | $52,867 |
| 48 | Washington | $53,874 |
| 49 | Pennsylvania | $53,352 |
| 50 | Minnesota | $52,515 |
| 51 | Maine | $53,774 |
Pilot captain best states FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025