Best states for a Pilot

Q: What is the best state for pilots?

The best state to be a pilot is Wyoming based on pilot salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for pilots?

The highest paying state for pilots is Minnesota based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for pilots?

The worst state for pilots is Pennsylvania, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

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.

If you're looking for a Pilot job, here are five companies hiring now:

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
Pilot Jobs in Wyoming
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
Pilot Jobs in Nevada
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
Pilot Jobs in Oregon
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
Pilot Jobs in Iowa
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
Pilot Jobs in Montana
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
Pilot Jobs in California
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
Pilot Jobs in West Virginia
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
Pilot Jobs in New Mexico
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
Pilot Jobs in Rhode Island
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 Jobs in New Jersey

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

Best states for a Pilot

If you're looking for a Pilot job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for pilots in 2025

1. Wyoming

2. Nevada

3. Oregon

4. Iowa

5. Montana

6. California

7. West Virginia

8. New Mexico

9. Rhode Island

10. New Jersey

Pilot JobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a pilot

Detailed list of the best states for a pilot

Highest paying states for pilots

Pilot best states FAQs

What is the best state for pilots?

What is the highest paying state for pilots?

What is the worst state for pilots?

Search for pilot jobs

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