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Best states for a pilot
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Do you want to become a pilot at Flying J, and you wonder what that means or entails? We have the full list of best states for pilots that you can check out, before you begin your journey. We wanted to look at the best states for pilots -- where there are plenty of pilot jobs to go around and pilots get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
In order to get you the best states for pilots, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.Wyoming is the best state, and San Rafael is the city with the highest pay for pilots.
10 best states for pilots in 2025
1. Wyoming
Total pilot jobs: 20 Average annual salary: $91,537 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location Quotient: 4.78
2. Nevada
Total pilot jobs: 37 Average annual salary: $95,876 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location Quotient: 2.53
3. Oregon
Total pilot jobs: 48 Average annual salary: $96,852 Lowest 10 percent earn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000 Location Quotient: 1.66
4. Iowa
Total pilot jobs: 42 Average annual salary: $89,805 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $132,000 Location Quotient: 1.65
5. Montana
Total pilot jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $83,066 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $126,000 Location Quotient: 2.97
6. California
Total pilot jobs: 158 Average annual salary: $109,381 Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $163,000 Location Quotient: 0.77
7. West Virginia
Total pilot jobs: 24 Average annual salary: $80,682 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 2.25
8. New Mexico
Total pilot jobs: 30 Average annual salary: $82,328 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000 Location Quotient: 2.19
9. Rhode Island
Total pilot jobs: 22 Average annual salary: $80,908 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location Quotient: 2.59
10. New Jersey
Total pilot jobs: 38 Average annual salary: $101,236 Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location Quotient: 0.68
Pilot jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a pilot
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a pilot
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $91,537 | $60,000 | 579,315 | 20 |
| 2 | Nevada | $95,876 | $63,000 | 2,998,039 | 37 |
| 3 | Oregon | $96,852 | $65,000 | 4,142,776 | 48 |
| 4 | Iowa | $89,805 | $60,000 | 3,145,711 | 42 |
| 5 | Montana | $83,066 | $54,000 | 1,050,493 | 24 |
| 6 | California | $109,381 | $73,000 | 39,536,653 | 158 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $80,682 | $54,000 | 1,815,857 | 24 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $82,328 | $54,000 | 2,088,070 | 30 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $80,908 | $54,000 | 1,059,639 | 22 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $101,236 | $68,000 | 9,005,644 | 38 |
| 11 | Texas | $88,780 | $58,000 | 28,304,596 | 113 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $84,288 | $56,000 | 4,684,333 | 31 |
| 13 | Hawaii | $93,870 | $76,000 | 1,427,538 | 24 |
| 14 | Florida | $90,658 | $60,000 | 20,984,400 | 83 |
| 15 | New York | $101,449 | $68,000 | 19,849,399 | 41 |
| 16 | Kansas | $80,045 | $54,000 | 2,913,123 | 30 |
| 17 | Colorado | $82,096 | $54,000 | 5,607,154 | 50 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $79,380 | $53,000 | 1,342,795 | 23 |
| 19 | Vermont | $76,208 | $51,000 | 623,657 | 22 |
| 20 | Delaware | $77,621 | $52,000 | 961,939 | 24 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $75,347 | $50,000 | 755,393 | 26 |
| 22 | Arizona | $79,983 | $53,000 | 7,016,270 | 45 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $78,108 | $53,000 | 4,454,189 | 28 |
| 24 | Utah | $78,112 | $51,000 | 3,101,833 | 33 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $74,116 | $49,000 | 869,666 | 22 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $80,184 | $53,000 | 3,588,184 | 24 |
| 27 | Illinois | $81,150 | $55,000 | 12,802,023 | 39 |
| 28 | Massachusetts | $80,377 | $54,000 | 6,859,819 | 40 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $75,714 | $51,000 | 6,715,984 | 32 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $74,557 | $50,000 | 5,024,369 | 45 |
| 31 | Ohio | $76,114 | $51,000 | 11,658,609 | 51 |
| 32 | Washington | $78,811 | $53,000 | 7,405,743 | 37 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $72,813 | $49,000 | 3,004,279 | 26 |
| 34 | Idaho | $70,636 | $46,000 | 1,716,943 | 30 |
| 35 | Maryland | $76,573 | $52,000 | 6,052,177 | 39 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $67,527 | $45,000 | 2,984,100 | 28 |
| 37 | Alaska | $63,218 | $50,000 | 739,795 | 28 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $74,356 | $50,000 | 10,273,419 | 41 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $66,029 | $44,000 | 1,920,076 | 31 |
| 40 | Maine | $64,871 | $44,000 | 1,335,907 | 22 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $64,738 | $43,000 | 3,930,864 | 47 |
| 42 | Missouri | $67,095 | $45,000 | 6,113,532 | 62 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | $76,246 | $51,000 | 693,972 | 5 |
| 44 | Virginia | $70,040 | $47,000 | 8,470,020 | 62 |
| 45 | Michigan | $67,975 | $45,000 | 9,962,311 | 30 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $63,835 | $43,000 | 5,795,483 | 33 |
| 47 | Alabama | $58,723 | $39,000 | 4,874,747 | 43 |
| 48 | Indiana | $63,465 | $43,000 | 6,666,818 | 34 |
| 49 | Georgia | $65,637 | $44,000 | 10,429,379 | 44 |
| 50 | Minnesota | $58,155 | $39,000 | 5,576,606 | 53 |
| 51 | Pennsylvania | $63,889 | $43,000 | 12,805,537 | 34 |
Highest paying states for pilots
| Rank | State | Avg. Pilot Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wyoming | $91,537 |
| 2 | Nevada | $95,876 |
| 3 | Oregon | $96,852 |
| 4 | Iowa | $89,805 |
| 5 | Montana | $83,066 |
| 6 | California | $109,381 |
| 7 | West Virginia | $80,682 |
| 8 | New Mexico | $82,328 |
| 9 | Rhode Island | $80,908 |
| 10 | New Jersey | $101,236 |
| 11 | Texas | $88,780 |
| 12 | Louisiana | $84,288 |
| 13 | Hawaii | $93,870 |
| 14 | Florida | $90,658 |
| 15 | New York | $101,449 |
| 16 | Kansas | $80,045 |
| 17 | Colorado | $82,096 |
| 18 | New Hampshire | $79,380 |
| 19 | Vermont | $76,208 |
| 20 | Delaware | $77,621 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $75,347 |
| 22 | Arizona | $79,983 |
| 23 | Kentucky | $78,108 |
| 24 | Utah | $78,112 |
| 25 | South Dakota | $74,116 |
| 26 | Connecticut | $80,184 |
| 27 | Illinois | $81,150 |
| 28 | Massachusetts | $80,377 |
| 29 | Tennessee | $75,714 |
| 30 | South Carolina | $74,557 |
| 31 | Ohio | $76,114 |
| 32 | Washington | $78,811 |
| 33 | Arkansas | $72,813 |
| 34 | Idaho | $70,636 |
| 35 | Maryland | $76,573 |
| 36 | Mississippi | $67,527 |
| 37 | Alaska | $63,218 |
| 38 | North Carolina | $74,356 |
| 39 | Nebraska | $66,029 |
| 40 | Maine | $64,871 |
| 41 | Oklahoma | $64,738 |
| 42 | Missouri | $67,095 |
| 43 | District of Columbia | $76,246 |
| 44 | Virginia | $70,040 |
| 45 | Michigan | $67,975 |
| 46 | Wisconsin | $63,835 |
| 47 | Alabama | $58,723 |
| 48 | Indiana | $63,465 |
| 49 | Georgia | $65,637 |
| 50 | Minnesota | $58,155 |
| 51 | Pennsylvania | $63,889 |
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Updated January 8, 2025