Occupation

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers

SOC 53-2011Standard Occupational Classification

Employers submitted 126 certified H-1B applications for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers (53-2011) roles, requesting 397 workers. The average offered wage is $134,735/yr, 42% below the BLS national median ($232,140/yr). (2025, SOC 53-2011) The largest filers are SkyWest Airlines, PSA Airlines, Inc. and Spirit Airlines.

Data current as of Sep 2, 2026

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (OFLC) · Bulk disclosure files downloaded quarterly from DOL · Refreshed Sep 2, 2026

Methodology

What the records contain / DOL LCA disclosures

126Certified filings126 LCA records397Workers requestedRequests on filings, not confirmed hires112Employers filing112 distinct · see ranking

What XH1B calculates / Wage comparisons

$134.7KAvg offered wageMean of offers · annual$232.1KBLS medianOES national median · U.S. · 2025 · SOC 53-2011-42%Offered vs BLS benchmarkBelow the benchmark
+8% Offered vs prevailingThe attested floor, employer-reported222 Annualized offers in the distributionOther wage units sit outside it
How to read these figures

Offered and prevailing wages are employer-reported on each DOL filing, annualized to year rates. The average mixes experience levels, localities, and years.

The benchmark is the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics national median for this occupation, latest available year. An average set against a median: a few very high offers pull the average up.

A certified filing is an approved application, not a confirmed hire. These comparisons are screening measures, not wage-law findings.

Data sources & methodology ↗

Signed gaps: a negative % sits below the benchmark; a positive % sits above.

Wage evidence

What filings for this occupation offer against the BLS benchmark.

Offered wage vs BLS median by year

Median offered wage moved from $99,049 in 2011 to $98,574 in 2025. The dashed line is the BLS national median for the occupation.

$0K$20K$40K$60K$80K$100K$120K$140K$160K$180K$200K$220KInfosys pays record $34M visa-fraud settlement (ICE/DOJ): https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/indian-corporation-pays-record-34-million-fine-settle-allegations-systemic-visa-fraudInfosys pays record $34M vi…$4,000 H-1B "9/11 fee" on 50+ / >50% H-1B employers: https://www.uscis.gov/archive/new-law-increases-h-1b-and-l-1-petition-fees$4,000 H-1B "9/11 fee" on 5…Buy American, Hire American EO: https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/presidential-actions/presidential-executive-order-buy-american-hire-american/Buy American, Hire American…USCIS suspends premium processing; site visits expand: https://www.uscis.gov/USCIS suspends premium proc…USCIS third-party worksite memo: denials spike: https://www.uscis.gov/sites/default/files/USCIS/policymanual/updates/20180222.pdfUSCIS third-party worksite …June 2020 H-1B entry ban + Oct 2020 DOL prevailing-wage IFR: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2020/10/08/2020-22381/requirements-including-labor-certification-programs-for-permanent-employment-in-the-united-statesJune 2020 H-1B entry ban + …Biden revokes entry ban; denials normalize: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2021/02/05/2021-02469/revocation-of-presidential-proclamations-10014-and-10149Biden revokes entry ban; de…Trump introduces $100,000 payment for certain new H-1B petitions (Sept. 21): https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/restriction-on-entry-of-certain-nonimmigrant-workers/Trump introduces $100,000 p…2011: $99,049/yr median offer (2 filings)2012: $90,875/yr median offer (4 filings)2013: $67,283/yr median offer (7 filings)2014: $80,384/yr median offer (7 filings)2017: $83,813/yr median offer (4 filings)2018: $73,183/yr median offer (3 filings)2019: $77,075/yr median offer (4 filings)2020: $97,000/yr median offer (3 filings)2021: $71,175/yr median offer (2 filings)2022: $93,000/yr median offer (3 filings)2023: $197,140/yr median offer (2 filings)2024: $202,500/yr median offer (4 filings)2025: $98,574/yr median offer (4 filings)20112012201320142017201820192020202120222023202420252011: $105,580/yr BLS median2012: $114,200/yr BLS median2013: $115,190/yr BLS median2014: $118,140/yr BLS median2017: $137,330/yr BLS median2018: $140,340/yr BLS median2019: $147,220/yr BLS median2020: $160,970/yr BLS median2021: $202,180/yr BLS median2022: $211,790/yr BLS median2023: $219,140/yr BLS median2024: $226,600/yr BLS median2025: $232,140/yr BLS medianmedian wage
median wageBLS median

Offered-wage distribution

011223243$60K$76K$93K$109K$126K$142K$159K$175K$192K$208K$225K$241Kannual wagefilings

Offered-wage percentiles (n=222)

$54,666$100,404$146,142$191,879$237,617$112,000annual wage
Individual filings on the wage axis· 98 sampled since 2023

Each dot is one recent H-1B filing for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, positioned by offered wage and colored by outcome: gold certified, red denied, gray withdrawn. Hover a dot for the filing detail. This is a stable sample, not the full population; the tables above cover every annualized filing.

$66,403$137,302$208,202$279,101$350,000annual wage
Context & calculation noteswage definitions and benchmark scope

Offered and prevailing wages are employer-reported on each DOL filing, annualized to year rates. The average mixes experience levels, localities, and years.

The benchmark is the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics national median for this occupation (U.S.), latest available year. The average is set against a median, so a few very high offers pull the average up.

The distribution and percentiles cover annualized offers only; filings with hourly or other wage units sit outside them.

A certified filing is an approved labor condition application, not a confirmed hire. The comparisons on this page are screening measures, not wage-law findings.

Data sources & methodology ↗

Employers & filings

Who files, and the certified records behind every figure on this page. Filing wage badges use the latest national BLS median. Their detail shows the benchmark code and year. A mapped comparator can use a different occupation from the direct-code profile benchmark above. It is a screening comparison, not a claim that the occupations are identical.

Top employers (112)

EmployerFilings
1

SkyWest Airlines

$144.1K avg-38% BLS

545
2

PSA Airlines, Inc.

$162.3K avg-30% BLS

195
3

Spirit Airlines

$174.4K avg-25% BLS

169
4

Champlain ENTERPRISES, LLC

$85.5K avg-63% BLS

113
5

Gojet Airlines LLC

$194.7K avg-16% BLS

100
6

Mesa Airlines, Inc.

$110.6K avg-52% BLS

85
7

Frontier Airlines

$233.8K avg+1% BLS

79
8

Atlas Air, Inc.

$200.2K avg-14% BLS

69

LCA filings (126)

Title · Worksite
Open LCA I-200-25259-313400

GoJet Airlines, LLC(1 position requested)

Direct Entry Captain · Brighton 63044 · 2025-09-23

Certified$320,902
Open LCA I-200-25195-173789

AIR Transport International(5 positions requested)

Captain · WILMINGTON 45177 · 2025-07-21

Certified$307,840
Open LCA I-200-25195-173769

AIR Transport International(5 positions requested)

Long Haul First Officer · WILMINGTON 45177 · 2025-07-21

Certified$260,000
Open LCA I-200-25195-173736

AIR Transport International(10 positions requested)

Long Haul First Officer · WILMINGTON 45177 · 2025-07-21

Certified$187,200
Open LCA I-200-25182-145465

GoJet Airlines, LLC(1 position requested)

Direct Entry Captain · Brighton 63044 · 2025-07-09

Certified$336,440
Open LCA I-200-25156-058250

AIR Transport International(20 positions requested)

First Officer · WILMINGTON 45177 · 2025-06-12

Certified$181,522
Open LCA I-200-25156-058525

AIR Transport International(17 positions requested)

First Officer · WILMINGTON 45177 · 2025-06-12

Certified$181,522
Open LCA I-200-25156-058374

AIR Transport International(20 positions requested)

Long Haul First Officer · WILMINGTON 45177 · 2025-06-12

Certified$222,976

A negative % sits below the BLS market median; a positive % sits above.

Geography

Where filings for this occupation concentrate.

State filing trends (39)

One line per state plus PR, 2015 to 2026. Hover a line or a state to single it out. The list picks which states render; a state name links to its page. The latest year may be a partial period.

States · 39/39 shown
00.511.522.532015201720192021202320252026filings / 100k residents

Per 100k residents divides a state's filings by the U.S. Census Bureau population estimate for that state and year (annual July estimates). Years after the latest published estimate carry that estimate forward.

FAQ

Questions about the data & methods

What is SOC code 53-2011?

53-2011 is the federal Standard Occupational Classification code for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers. The government assigns every H-1B filing one of these codes, so filings can be studied by occupation.

How many H-1B filings are there for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?

126 H-1B labor condition applications name this occupation, requesting 397 workers, per Department of Labor disclosure records.

How much do Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers H-1B workers get paid?

The average wage offered on H-1B filings for this occupation is $134,735 per year. That is 42% below the BLS national median for the occupation ($232,140).

Which companies hire the most Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers workers on H-1B visas?

The largest filers on this page include SkyWest Airlines, PSA Airlines, Inc. and Spirit Airlines. The employer table ranks every employer in this occupation by filings and wage impact.

SOC code 53-2011 data sourced from DOL LCA disclosures and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics. About our sources →

Public source records and site analysis. We do not attest to accuracy. Read the full disclaimer.

Dataset guides and site methods

  1. [1] Dataset documentation · DOL OFLC. LCA public disclosure record layout (FY2026 Q3). Pages 1–4: application, DOL outcome and dates, requested positions, employer, representatives, worksites and pay unitsThis layout covers determinations issued October 1, 2025 through June 30, 2026. It documents employer-provided application fields and DOL decisions, not USCIS decisions, payroll verification, legal bills or worker-linked moves. Older layouts can differ.Checked 2026-10-17.
  2. [2] Dataset documentation · BLS. OEWS technical notes (May 2025). Scope of the survey; occupational coding; concepts and estimation methodologyDocuments occupation and geographic wage estimates, not an individual worker’s pay. Use the estimate year and geography stated by the site; older releases can differ.Checked 2026-10-17.
  3. [3] Guidance · BLS. Standard Occupational Classification. Classification Principles 1–2 and Coding Guideline 2; job duties, not job titlesChecked 2026-10-08.
  4. [4] XH1B method or registry · XH1B. Calculation and Matching Methods; Reading Public Records and Derived Indicators. Filing units, annualization, weighting, wage comparisons, and inference limits; Reading records: units, source coverage, wage gaps, entity links, and inference limitsThese are the site's review methods, not validated predictions of wrongdoing. Inspect underlying records and alternative explanations.