Plane captain demographics and statistics in the US
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Plane captain demographics by:
Plane captain gender statistics
12.4% of plane captains are women and 87.6% of plane captains are men.
- Male, 87.6%
- Female, 12.4%
Plane captain gender ratio
| Gender | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Male | 87.6% |
| Female | 12.4% |
Plane captain gender pay gap
Women earn 93¢ for every $1 earned by men
Male income
$47,820
Female income
$44,323
Plane captain gender ratio over time
This data breaks down the percentage of men and women in plane captain positions over time. Currently, 12.4% of plane captains are female.
Plane captain gender ratio by year
| Year | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 89.87% | 10.13% |
| 2011 | 93.38% | 6.62% |
| 2012 | 87.46% | 12.54% |
| 2013 | 91.32% | 8.68% |
| 2014 | 90.17% | 9.83% |
| 2015 | 91.28% | 8.72% |
| 2016 | 86.65% | 13.35% |
| 2017 | 87.55% | 12.45% |
| 2018 | 87.52% | 12.48% |
| 2019 | 89.54% | 10.46% |
| 2020 | 88.23% | 11.77% |
| 2021 | 87.57% | 12.43% |
Plane captain related jobs gender ratio
We compared plane captains with similar job titles to see how gender ratios vary. As you can see, airline transport pilot and combat control have the biggest gender ratio gaps.
| Job title | Male | Female |
|---|---|---|
| Airline Flight Attendant | 16% | 84% |
| International Flight Attendant | 21% | 79% |
| Flight Attendant | 21% | 79% |
| Plane Captain | 88% | 12% |
| Agricultural Aviation Pilot | 98% | 2% |
| Combat Control | 98% | 2% |
| Airline Transport Pilot | 98% | 2% |
Male
Female
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
Plane captain demographics by race
The most common ethnicity among plane captains is White, which makes up 82.2% of all plane captains. Comparatively, 6.7% of plane captains are Hispanic or Latino and 5.5% of plane captains are Unknown.
- White, 82.2%
- Hispanic or Latino, 6.7%
- Unknown, 5.5%
- Asian, 2.7%
- Black or African American, 2.6%
- American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
Plane captain race
| Plane captain race | Percentages |
|---|---|
| White | 82.2% |
| Hispanic or Latino | 6.7% |
| Unknown | 5.5% |
| Asian | 2.7% |
| Black or African American | 2.6% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.3% |
Plane captain race and ethnicity over time
See how plane captain racial and ethnic diversity trended since 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau data.
Plane captain race and ethnicity by year
| Year | White | Black or African American | Asian | Hispanic or Latino |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 88.19% | 2.18% | 1.37% | 5.87% |
| 2011 | 89.47% | 2.13% | 1.00% | 5.34% |
| 2012 | 88.67% | 2.71% | 1.52% | 5.21% |
| 2013 | 87.81% | 2.15% | 1.78% | 5.73% |
| 2014 | 88.40% | 2.35% | 1.56% | 5.47% |
| 2015 | 87.80% | 2.02% | 1.71% | 6.06% |
| 2016 | 87.09% | 1.77% | 1.62% | 6.44% |
| 2017 | 87.71% | 2.86% | 1.85% | 5.53% |
| 2018 | 86.01% | 2.05% | 1.94% | 7.07% |
| 2019 | 86.93% | 1.57% | 2.16% | 6.68% |
| 2020 | 83.36% | 2.43% | 2.75% | 7.04% |
| 2021 | 82.18% | 2.62% | 2.72% | 6.75% |
Plane captain wage gap by race
According to our data, unknown plane captains have the highest average salary compared to other ethnicities. Asian plane captains have the lowest average salary at $41,154.
| Ethnicity | Salary |
|---|---|
| Unknown | $52,313 |
| White | $50,879 |
| Black or African American | $48,742 |
| Asian | $41,154 |
| Hispanic or Latino | $46,836 |
Average plane captain age
See how the average age of plane captains varies based on ethnicity and gender.
Male
Female
Plane captain age by race and gender
| Race | Male age | Female age |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 46 | |
| White | 44 | 40 |
| Black or African American | 46.5 | |
| Asian | 34 | |
| Hispanic or Latino | 44 |
Plane captain age breakdown
The average age of plane captains is 40+ years years old, representing 61% of the plane captain population.
Plane captain age breakdown
| Plane Captain Years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| 40+ years | 61% |
| 30-40 years | 27% |
| 20-30 years | 11% |
Plane captain educational attainment
The most common degree for plane captains is high school diploma, with 40% of plane captains earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are bachelor's degree degree at 29% and bachelor's degree degree at 22%.
- High School Diploma, 40%
- Bachelor's, 29%
- Associate, 22%
- Master's, 4%
- Other Degrees, 5%
Plane captains by degree level
| Plane captain degree | Percentages |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma | 40% |
| Bachelor's | 29% |
| Associate | 22% |
| Master's | 4% |
| Other Degrees | 5% |
Plane captain jobs you might like
Plane captain wage gap by degree level
| Education | Salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $54,335 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $52,196 |
Plane captain employment statistics
Most plane captains work for a private in the technology industry.
Company size where plane captains work
Below, you can see the size of companies where plane captains work.
Plane captain jobs by employer size
| Company size | Percentages |
|---|---|
| < 50 employees | 4% |
| 50 - 100 employees | 16% |
| 100 - 500 employees | 18% |
| 500 - 1,000 employees | 7% |
| 1,000 - 10,000 employees | 20% |
| > 10,000 employees | 36% |
Plane captain jobs by company type
Employees with the plane captain job title have their preferences when it comes to working for a company. For instance, most plane captains prefer to work at private companies over public companies.
Plane captain jobs by sector
| Company type | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Education | 4% |
| Public | 26% |
| Private | 65% |
| Government | 6% |
Plane captain jobs by industry
The most common industries for plane captains are technology, professional and manufacturing.
Plane captain industry statistics
| Industry | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Technology | 22% |
| Professional | 19% |
| Fortune 500 | 16% |
| Manufacturing | 11% |
| Transportation | 10% |
| Government | 5% |
| Start-up | 3% |
| Education | 3% |
| Finance | 2% |
| Non Profits | 2% |
| Health Care | 2% |
| Construction | 2% |
| Hospitality | 2% |
| Energy | 2% |
| Telecommunication | 2% |
Plane captain turnover and employment statistics
Plane captain unemployment rate over time
The unemployment rate for plane captains between 2008 and the most recent data has varied, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Plane captain unemployment rate by year
| Year | Plane captain unemployment rate |
|---|---|
| 2010 | 3.56% |
| 2011 | 2.99% |
| 2012 | 2.30% |
| 2013 | 2.29% |
| 2014 | 2.11% |
| 2015 | 1.19% |
| 2016 | 0.95% |
| 2017 | 1.24% |
| 2018 | 0.65% |
| 2019 | 0.93% |
| 2020 | 1.69% |
| 2021 | 2.31% |
Average plane captain tenure
The average plane captain stays at their job for 1-2 years, based on the 1,329 plane captains resumes in Zippia's database.
Plane captain tenure statistics
| Number of years | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Less than 1 year | 9% |
| 1-2 years | 35% |
| 3-4 years | 37% |
| 5-7 years | 13% |
| 8-10 years | 3% |
| 11+ years | 4% |
Plane captain LGBT ratio compared to similar jobs
Review the percent of plane captains that are members of the LGBT community. You can see how this compares to similar jobs in the chart below.
| Job title | LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Valet Attendant | 3.71% | 45,768 |
| Car Wash Attendant | 4.91% | 49,512 |
| Feeder | 5.16% | 695 |
| Plane Captain | 8.59% | - |
| Flight Operations Specialist | 13.04% | 64,152 |
| Bus Attendant | 15.05% | 51,391 |
| Flight Purser | 31.52% | 1,429 |
Similar plane captain jobs LGBT demographics
| Profession | Percentages of LGBT | Job openings |
|---|---|---|
| Valet Attendant | 3.71% | 45,768 |
| Car Wash Attendant | 4.91% | 49,512 |
| Feeder | 5.16% | 695 |
| Flight Operations Specialist | 13.04% | 64,152 |
| Bus Attendant | 15.05% | 51,391 |
| Flight Purser | 31.52% | 1,429 |
Foreign languages spoken by plane captains
The most common foreign language among plane captains is Spanish at 66.7%. The second-most popular foreign language spoken is Carrier at 23.8% and German is the third-most popular at 4.8%.
- Spanish, 66.7%
- Carrier, 23.8%
- German, 4.8%
- Arabic, 4.8%
Plane captain languages spoken
| Foreign language | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Spanish | 66.7% |
| Carrier | 23.8% |
| German | 4.8% |
| Arabic | 4.8% |