Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Salary in Denver, CO (2024)
Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earn a median of $211,860 per year based on 5,540 jobs counted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2024. That is -6.5% against the national median of $226,600 for this occupation.
Pay distribution
The median is a single point on a wide curve. The table below shows where airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers actually sit across the pay range in Denver, CO, from the bottom decile to the top.
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $49.67 | $103,310 | |
| 25th percentile | $88.73 | $184,550 | |
| Median | — | $211,860 | half earn more, half earn less |
| 75th percentile | — | — | |
| 90th percentile | — | — | |
| Average (mean) | — | $255,440 |
How Denver, CO compares
The local median of $211,860 runs -6.5% below the US median of $226,600 for this occupation; it pays 246.7% more than the metro-wide median across all jobs ($61,110); within the metro it ranks 1st of 635 detailed occupations by median pay.
| Benchmark | Median annual | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| Denver, CO — this occupation | $211,860 | — |
| US median, same occupation (all areas) | $226,600 | -6.5% |
| Denver, CO — all occupations | $61,110 | +246.7% |
| Highest metro in the US for this job | $229,930 | -7.9% |
Denver, CO has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 5.31 means the job is roughly 531% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
Moderate confidence The relative standard error is 7.9%. Treat the headline number as accurate to within roughly 8%, and read the percentiles as a range rather than a precise point.
Ranked 1st of 635 detailed occupations in the metro by median annual wage.
Highest-paying jobs in Denver, CO
To put $211,860 in context, these are the best-paid detailed occupations in the same metro area. This occupation sits 1st.
| Occupation | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | $211,860 | 5,540 |
| Nurse Anesthetists | $207,120 | 220 |
| Chief Executives | $206,990 | — |
| Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | $193,000 | 310 |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $183,050 | 8,510 |
| Pediatricians, General | $182,320 | 280 |
| Lawyers | $180,940 | 12,590 |
| Financial Managers | $177,470 | 8,190 |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $177,340 | 2,600 |
| Sales Managers | $176,620 | 6,580 |
Where airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers earn the most
Across the 9 metro areas with released data for this occupation, medians run from $154,360 to $229,930. These are the top markets.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $229,930 | 2,080 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $226,130 | 200 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $214,390 | 4,950 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $211,860 | 5,540 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $205,650 | 180 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $198,800 | 1,990 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $184,560 | — |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $172,710 | 3,230 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $154,360 | 4,110 |
See the full national picture on the Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary by metro page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median salary for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers in Denver, CO?
The median annual wage is $211,860. That means half of the airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers working in the Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO metro area earn more than this figure and half earn less. The average is $255,440.
Is airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers pay in Denver, CO above the local average?
Yes, it is 246.7% above the all-occupation median for the metro, which is $61,110. That comparison is the fairer one for judging local purchasing power, because it holds the metro's overall cost and wage level constant.
How does Denver, CO pay compare with the rest of the US for this job?
At $211,860 the metro median is 6.5% lower than the US median of $226,600 for airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers. Across the 9 metro areas covered here, this occupation ranges from $154,360 to $229,930.
How many airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers work in Denver, CO?
BLS counts about 5,540 people in this occupation in the metro area, or 3.42 jobs per 1,000 total jobs. Denver, CO has an unusually deep bench in this occupation — the location quotient of 5.31 means the job is roughly 531% as common here as it is nationally, which usually reflects a specialised local industry cluster.
About these figures
Figures come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for 2024 (employment relative standard error 2.0%). OEWS measures what employers pay, not what any individual earns; it excludes self-employed workers, and it does not adjust for local cost of living.
Read the full methodology, or the original data at bls.gov/oes.