Commercial Pilots in Minnesota
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$73,033
after federal, FICA and Minnesota tax
Tax takes
$25,597
26.0% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$74,207
Minnesota costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Minnesota — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$98,630
Kept after tax
$73,033
Worth in national money
$74,207
State rank
44
of 48 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Minnesota is among the lower-paying states for commercial pilots. The middle earner takes $98,630, ranking 44 of 48 states — about 19.96% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Within Minnesota this is well-paid work. Of 490 occupations with published figures in the state, commercial pilots ranks 84 — in the top quarter of everything people do there.
- Prices here sit close to the national average, so the adjustment changes little. From $98,630 the take-home is $73,033, which is worth about $74,207 in comparable money. Tax does most of the work here, not cost of living. The average is higher, $123,240, because the best-paid pull it up.
- Minnesota ranks 44 of 48 for commercial pilots, with a median of $98,630 — about 19.96% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- Ranked against every occupation Minnesota publishes a median for, commercial pilots sits 84 of 490 — the upper quartile of the state's wage distribution. National standing and within-state standing are separate questions, and a job can occupy very different positions on each.
- Minnesota's price level is near the national average, so price deflation is close to neutral for commercial pilots on its $98,630 median: $73,033 retained after tax becomes $74,207 in national-average terms. Where the price adjustment is small, the tax stack is the dominant determinant of the real outcome. The mean of $123,240 sits above the median, the right skew typical of wage data.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Commercial Pilots
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $42,670 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $98,630 |
| Top tenth earn over | $261,800 |
| This salary | $98,630 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Minnesota | $73,033 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $78,216 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$6,283 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $91,262 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$8,678 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 98 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- Half the people doing this work in Minnesota earn less than $98,630. The published range is $42,670 up to $261,800, so an individual figure can sit a long way from the middle in either direction.
- In Minnesota the take-home figure of $73,033, from $98,630, assumes one filer, no dependants, and nothing paid into a pension before tax. Each of those lowers the bill, so treat it as the plain case. City and school-district income taxes are not included either, and in a few states those are real money. It ranks 84 of 490 occupations here.
- One number stands for prices across all of Minnesota, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $74,207, the adjusted value of that $98,630 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 84 of 490 in the state.
- Reported values are medians; for commercial pilots in Minnesota the tenth-to-ninetieth percentile band is $42,670 to $261,800. Neither the median nor the band is an offer rate, and neither accounts for hours, shift differentials or overtime.
- Take-home for Minnesota is computed for a single filer taking the standard deduction with no dependants and no pre-tax contributions, giving $73,033 from $98,630. Each omitted item reduces taxable income, so the figure is a lower bound on retained pay for this household shape. Municipal and school-district income taxes are excluded, which understates the burden materially in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. The occupation ranks 84 of 490 locally.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Minnesota, so $74,207 — the adjusted value of that $98,630 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 84 of 490 locally.
Questions people ask
Is this the average pay for the job?
It is the midpoint, not the average. The average here is $123,240, dragged up by high earners; the middle figure describes a typical worker better.
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $42,670 at the bottom tenth to $261,800 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Minnesota is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $74,207 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Minnesota then takes its own share, leaving $73,033.
Why is this job missing from some states?
A blank is a suppression, not a zero. 48 states have a published figure for this work; the others had too few responses to release one.
How does the published median differ from the mean for this occupation?
The median is the midpoint of the distribution; the mean for this occupation in Minnesota is $123,240. Wage distributions are right-skewed, so the mean exceeds the median wherever a minority earn substantially more. BLS publishes both because substituting one for the other misstates a typical worker's pay.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($42,670) and the ninetieth ($261,800) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Minnesota's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $74,207 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $73,033 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Minnesota income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 48 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.