SOC Code 53-2012 - Commercial Pilots

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Commercial Pilots (SOC 53-2012) is a 2018 SOC detailed occupation with about 37,830 U.S. jobs and a mean annual wage of $102,870 (May 2025 OEWS).

Key facts for SOC 53-2012

Code
53-2012
O*NET® code
53-2012.00
Level
Detailed occupation, 2018 SOC
Official title
Commercial Pilots
Employment
37,830 in the United States
Annual wage
$102,870 average
Extended SOC
1 O*NET® occupation
Source
BLS, 2018 SOC. Wages and employment: May 2025 OEWS

Description

Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018 Standard Occupational Classification.

Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots.

Classification scope for SOC 53-2012

Included examples, work this classification places in another SOC code.

Included examples

Bureau of Labor Statistics illustrative examples for this SOC code.

  • Aerial Crop Duster
  • Aerial Hurricane Hunter
  • Aerial Sprayer
  • Agricultural Pilot
  • Air Ambulance Captain
  • Air Tour Pilot
  • Balloon Pilot
  • Charter Pilot (Commercial Pilot Certificate Required)
  • Charter Pilot (Commercial)
  • Commercial Helicopter Pilot
  • Corporate Pilot
  • Emergency Medical Service Helicopter Pilot
  • Emergency Medical Service Rotary Wing Pilot
  • EMS Helicopter Pilot
  • Executive Pilot
  • Flight Instructor (Commercial Pilots)
  • Helicopter Pilot

Classified elsewhere

Bureau of Labor Statistics exclusions. This work belongs in another SOC code.

"Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers" (53-2011). "Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians" (17-3024).

Where SOC 53-2012 sits in the hierarchy

Major group 53-0000 Transportation and Material Moving Occupations Minor group 53-2000 Air Transportation Workers Broad occupation Direct parent 53-2010 Aircraft Pilots and Flight Engineers
Detailed occupation Current 53-2012 Commercial Pilots

Extended SOC (O*NET®-SOC 31.0)

1 occupation

O*NET® child pages of this detailed SOC code. A suffix of .00 is the O*NET® occupation for this code. A higher suffix is a finer breakout. These are not additional official SOC codes.

Other detailed occupations (1)

Career video for Commercial Pilots

This video describes Commercial Pilots, including the career, work options, and abilities. Source: CareerOneStop.

Using SOC 53-2012

Use SOC 53-2012, Commercial Pilots, when that is the work performed. A more specific O*NET® occupation, when listed, is an Extended SOC code inside this SOC code.

What do Commercial Pilots do?

Pilot and navigate the flight of fixed-wing aircraft on nonscheduled air carrier routes, or helicopters. Requires Commercial Pilot certificate. Includes charter pilots with similar certification, and air ambulance and air tour pilots.

How much do Commercial Pilots earn?

May 2025 OEWS reports a mean annual wage of $102,870 for this occupation.

How many people work as Commercial Pilots in the U.S.?

May 2025 OEWS estimates 37,830 U.S. jobs in SOC 53-2012, Commercial Pilots.

Is SOC 53-2012 the same as an O*NET® code?

The official code is the six-digit SOC code 53-2012. Each O*NET® occupation is a child page of that code. 53-2012.00 Commercial Pilots is the .00 O*NET® child page for this SOC code.

Sources for SOC 53-2012

  • Official classification source U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. 2018 Standard Occupational Classification. BLS SOC page
  • Extended SOC source This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SICCODE.com has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
  • Wage and employment data U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. BLS OEWS

Published by SICCODE.com. The title, description, and exclusions are the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2018 SOC text. Wage and employment figures, when shown, are U.S. national estimates from the May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

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