As of April 01, 2025, the average annual salary for an First Officer in the United States is $141,400. Salary.com reports that pay typically ranges from $127,900 to $156,300, with most professionals earning between $115,609 and $169,866.
| Annual Salary |
Monthly Pay |
Weekly Pay |
Hourly Wage |
|
| 75th Percentile | $156,300 | $13,025 | $3,006 | $75 |
| Average | $141,400 | $11,783 | $2,719 | $68 |
| 25th Percentile | $127,900 | $10,658 | $2,460 | $61 |
An entry-level First Officer with less than 1 year of experience earns about $135,355. With 1-2 years of experience, the average salary increases to $136,363. For 2-4 years of experience, the pay typically rises to $138,378. Senior-level professionals with 5-8 years of experience earn around $141,400, and those with over 8 years of experience can expect an average of $146,960.
| Levels | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry Level First Officer | $135,355 |
| Intermediate Level First Officer | $136,363 |
| Senior Level First Officer | $138,378 |
| Specialist Level First Officer | $141,400 |
| Expert Level First Officer | $146,960 |
| Entry Level | 4% |
| Mid Level | 4% |
| Senior Level | 2% |
| Top Level | 0% |
| Experienced | 4% |
Salaries in the United States differ widely between states due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
What Am I Worth?
Salaries in the United States can vary greatly between cities due to factors like cost of living, local economies, and industry presence.
As of April 01, 2025, our research reveals a significant shift in First Officer compensation over the past six years. For example, the median salary increased from $101,595 in 2023 to approximately $96,612 in 2024. (For a detailed analysis of First Officer salary trends, click here.)
Key factors like location, experience, industry demand, and economic growth significantly influence salary variations, making them important to consider.
Salary.com job board provides millions of First Officer information for you to search for. Click on search button below to see First Officer job openings or enter a new job title here.
Here are companies hiring for First Officer and their salaries, click below for more details.
| Core Compensation | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Base Salary | $141,400 | 72.7% | ||
| Bonus | $0 | 0.0% | ||
| Value of Benefits | ||||
| Core Compensation | Median | % of Total | ||
| Social Security | $10,817 | 5.6% | ||
| 401K/403B | $5,939 | 3.1% | ||
| Disability | $2,828 | 1.5% | ||
| Healthcare | $8,352 | 4.3% | ||
| Pension | $7,636 | 3.9% | ||
| Time Off | $17,403 | 9.0% | ||
| Total Compensation | $194,375 | 100% | ||
| Degree Level | % of user with this level of education |
|---|---|
| High School | 22.5% |
| Bachelors | 67.5% |
| Masters | 10.0% |
What Am I Worth?
The average annual salary of First Officer is $141,400. In case you are finding an easy salary calculator, the average hourly pay of First Officer is $68; the average weekly pay of First Officer is $2,719; the average monthly pay of First Officer is $11,783.
An First Officer's earning potential can vary widely depending on several factors, including location, industry, experience, education, and the specific employer. According to the latest salary data by Salary.com, an First Officer earns the most in San Jose, CA, where the annual salary of an First Officer is $178,400.
The highest pay for First Officer is $169,866.
The lowest pay for First Officer is $115,609.
The First Officer follows required procedures to perform pre-flight checks and inspections. Pilots or co-pilots aircraft following standard operating procedures to ensure that flights operate according to all regulations, safety, and company policies. Being an First Officer completes required documentation and performs post-flight procedures as required. Determines flight routes, speed, take-off, and landing times that will fulfill scheduling requirements. In addition, First Officer may require a bachelor's degree. Requires FAA Commercial Pilot's License with necessary ratings. Typically reports to chief pilot. Being an First Officer work is generally independent and collaborative in nature. Contributes to moderately complex aspects of a project. Working as an First Officer typically requires 4 -7 years of related experience.
Specify the abilities and skills that a person needs in order to carry out the specified job duties. Each competency has five to ten behavioral assertions that can be observed, each with a corresponding performance level (from one to five) that is required for a particular job.
Customer Service: Customer service is the provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase. The perception of success of such interactions is dependent on employees "who can adjust themselves to the personality of the guest". Customer service concerns the priority an organization assigns to customer service relative to components such as product innovation and pricing. In this sense, an organization that values good customer service may spend more money in training employees than the average organization or may proactively interview customers for feedback. From the point of view of an overall sales process engineering effort, customer service plays an important role in an organization's ability to generate income and revenue. From that perspective, customer service should be included as part of an overall approach to systematic improvement. One good customer service experience can change the entire perception a customer holds towards the organization.
Safety Management: Applying safety principles, framework, processes, and measures to prevent accidents, injuries, and other adverse consequences.
Continuous Improvement: A continual improvement process, also often called a continuous improvement process (abbreviated as CIP or CI), is an ongoing effort to improve products, services, or processes. These efforts can seek "incremental" improvement over time or "breakthrough" improvement all at once. Delivery (customer valued) processes are constantly evaluated and improved in the light of their efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility. Some see CIPs as a meta-process for most management systems (such as business process management, quality management, project management, and program management). W. Edwards Deming, a pioneer of the field, saw it as part of the 'system' whereby feedback from the process and customer were evaluated against organisational goals. The fact that it can be called a management process does not mean that it needs to be executed by 'management'; but rather merely that it makes decisions about the implementation of the delivery process and the design of the delivery process itself.
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We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)
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