Outpaid

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary
in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN

Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro earn a median of $293,490 a year, based on BLS estimates for 6,360 jobs (May 2025). That is 26% above the U.S. median of $232,140 and in line with the IL statewide median of $293,490. It ranks #9 of 22 metros with published figures for this job.

AIRLINE PILOTS, COPILOTS, AND FLIGHT ENGINEERS · CHICAGO-NAPERVILLE-ELGIN, IL-IN · BLS
BLS OEWS MAY 2025 · CHICAGO-NAPERVILLE-ELGIN, IL-IN · ALL EMPLOYERS, ALL EXPERIENCE LEVELS
P10$179,840P25$205,480MEDIAN$293,490P75$420,280P90$429,040
BLS · UNITED STATES
P10$106,710P25$182,280MEDIAN$232,140P75$384,440P90$463,830
30 SECONDS · NO SIGNUP · ON-DEVICE

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EMPLOYERS FILING FOR THIS JOB IN CHICAGO · VISA-SPONSORED BASE WAGES

Median of each employer’s DOL LCA filings (5+ filings) in this metro, FY2026 Q3. Covers sponsored positions only.

Questions

What is the average Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary in Chicago?

The BLS median is $293,490 a year (May 2025). Half of the 6,360 jobs pay between $205,480 and $420,280. The 10th percentile is $179,840 and the 90th is $429,040.

Is Chicago a high-paying metro for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers?

That is 26% above the U.S. median of $232,140 and in line with the IL statewide median of $293,490. It ranks #9 of 22 U.S. metros with published BLS figures for this job.

Does this include experience levels?

BLS figures cover all experience levels together. Employer filings carry a DOL wage level, which the free checker can filter by (approximate).

Which employers pay Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers the most in Chicago?

Among employers with 5+ visa-sponsored filings here, the highest medians were SkyWest Airlines ($263,286). These are base wages for sponsored positions, not all employees.

Sources: U.S. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (national + state) (metro area estimates, all employers); employer rows from U.S. DOL OFLC LCA Disclosure Data, FY2026 Q3 (LCA_Disclosure_Data_FY2026_Q3.xlsx). Base pay only. Estimates can have sampling error, especially for smaller metros.