Flight Attendants
Flight Attendants (SOC 53-2031) earn a median $63,580 a year in the United States, with 131,650 employed as of May 2025; the highest-paying state is New York.
What flight attendants do
Flight attendants look after safety and service in the passenger cabin of commercial aircraft. Before boarding they confirm that first aid kits, fire extinguishers, oxygen bottles, and other emergency gear are in working order. On board they demonstrate seat belts, oxygen masks, and life jackets, check that passengers have followed federal rules before takeoff and landing, and walk the aisle to keep an eye out for behavior that could threaten the crew or other travelers. They also serve food and drinks and answer questions, but the safety role is the reason the job exists. In an emergency they direct and assist evacuation and prepare the cabin for an emergency landing. Part of the job is finding out which passengers need special help, such as small children, older travelers, or people with disabilities, and giving first aid to anyone in distress. Flight attendants are counted apart from passenger attendants who work in other settings.
Typical entry: O*NET reports that most workers in this occupation have a high school diploma or equivalent.
Also called: Aircraft Cabin Agent, Airline Attendant, Airline Flight Attendant, Airline Hostess, Airline Stewardess.
National wage percentiles, May 2025
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||
| United States | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 131,650 |
| Annual | $35,110 | $51,760 | $63,580 | $95,640 | $136,430 | $77,440 | ||
Employment per 1,000 jobs and the location quotient are area measures; they appear in the state and metro tables below. To see what a wage in this range leaves after tax, use FastCalc's take-home pay calculator.
Where flight attendants earn and work most
Five highest-paying states
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 12,060 | 1.25 | 1.47 |
| Annual | $52,430 | $75,990 | $126,650 | $163,750 | $163,750 | $115,670 | ||||
| Utah | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 2,490 | 1.44 | 1.70 |
| Annual | $49,830 | $62,940 | $82,730 | $103,890 | $133,230 | $88,930 | ||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 15,840 | 0.87 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $48,130 | $59,230 | $82,170 | $100,550 | $129,290 | $83,000 | ||||
| Georgia | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $62,410 | $62,410 | $78,320 | $98,840 | $127,390 | $83,930 | ||||
| Connecticut | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 250 | 0.15 | 0.17 |
| Annual | $53,990 | $62,770 | $78,180 | $96,560 | $134,050 | $87,210 | ||||
Five states with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| California | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 15,840 | 0.87 | 1.03 |
| Annual | $48,130 | $59,230 | $82,170 | $100,550 | $129,290 | $83,000 | ||||
| Texas | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 13,470 | 0.96 | 1.13 |
| Annual | $28,800 | $45,520 | $58,220 | $66,760 | $77,740 | $56,870 | ||||
| Florida | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 13,220 | 1.33 | 1.57 |
| Annual | $27,790 | $38,570 | $47,320 | $67,520 | $90,260 | $58,050 | ||||
| New York | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 12,060 | 1.25 | 1.47 |
| Annual | $52,430 | $75,990 | $126,650 | $163,750 | $163,750 | $115,670 | ||||
| Illinois | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 9,350 | 1.53 | 1.81 |
| Annual | $40,040 | $60,320 | $62,120 | $77,720 | $98,810 | $72,830 | ||||
Five highest-paying metropolitan areas
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 18,030 | 1.90 | 2.24 |
| Annual | $52,430 | $80,320 | $127,740 | $163,750 | $165,290 | $127,220 | ||||
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 4,420 | 1.86 | 2.20 |
| Annual | $52,700 | $60,890 | $89,430 | $110,310 | $141,700 | $91,980 | ||||
| Columbus, OH | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 290 | 0.26 | 0.31 |
| Annual | $62,440 | $62,440 | $83,450 | $95,510 | $95,510 | $79,820 | ||||
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | ** | ** | ** |
| Annual | $50,790 | $62,940 | $82,730 | $103,890 | $133,230 | $90,870 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 10,080 | 1.61 | 1.90 |
| Annual | $48,130 | $58,790 | $79,390 | $94,380 | $113,050 | $76,980 | ||||
Five metropolitan areas with the most jobs
| Area | Basis | Percentile wage | Mean | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | ||||||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 18,030 | 1.90 | 2.24 |
| Annual | $52,430 | $80,320 | $127,740 | $163,750 | $165,290 | $127,220 | ||||
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 10,080 | 1.61 | 1.90 |
| Annual | $48,130 | $58,790 | $79,390 | $94,380 | $113,050 | $76,980 | ||||
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 9,240 | 2.05 | 2.42 |
| Annual | $40,040 | $60,320 | $62,120 | $77,720 | $98,940 | $72,870 | ||||
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 8,100 | 2.87 | 3.39 |
| Annual | $27,790 | $38,020 | $47,320 | $60,960 | $90,260 | $54,580 | ||||
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | Hourly | * | * | * | * | * | * | 7,680 | 1.90 | 2.24 |
| Annual | $33,140 | $49,810 | $61,100 | $76,890 | $77,740 | $60,110 | ||||
Top industries employing flight attendants
Scheduled Air Transportation employ 97.0% of flight attendants nationally (127,660 jobs) at a median $63,570 a year, followed by Nonscheduled Air Transportation (1.6%) and Support Activities for Air Transportation (1.0%).
| Industry | Employment | Share of occupation | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Air Transportation NAICS 481100 | 127,660 | 97.0% | $63,570 | * |
| Nonscheduled Air Transportation NAICS 481200 | 2,080 | 1.6% | $70,700 | * |
| Support Activities for Air Transportation NAICS 488100 | 1,360 | 1.0% | $59,020 | * |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises NAICS 551100 | 80 | 0.1% | * | * |
Share is the industry's employment over the occupation's national employment (131,650). Industries whose employment BLS withheld are not ranked.
Published medians, May 2021 to May 2025
BLS published a median annual wage of $61,640 for flight attendants in May 2021 and $63,580 in May 2025, with employment of 96,900 and 131,650.
| Release | Median annual | Median hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $61,640 | * | 96,900 |
| May 2022 | $63,760 | * | 108,480 |
| May 2023 | $68,370 | * | 126,020 |
| May 2024 | $67,130 | * | 130,110 |
| May 2025 | $63,580 | * | 131,650 |
BLS does not design OEWS as a time series: each release pools three years of samples, and occupational classifications, area definitions and estimation methods change between releases, so a difference between two releases is not a measure of change over time. The figures are shown as published, side by side, and nothing is computed from them. See how often OEWS is updated.
Every state, by median wage
20 states and DC publish a row for this occupation. A linked state has its own page with the within-state metro table and comparison; the others appear here only.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | 10th pct (annual) | 90th pct (annual) | Employment | Jobs per 1,000 | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York profile | * | $126,650 | $52,430 | $163,750 | 12,060 | 1.25 | 1.47 |
| 2 | Utah profile | * | $82,730 | $49,830 | $133,230 | 2,490 | 1.44 | 1.70 |
| 3 | California profile | * | $82,170 | $48,130 | $129,290 | 15,840 | 0.87 | 1.03 |
| 4 | Georgia profile | * | $78,320 | $62,410 | $127,390 | ** | ** | ** |
| 5 | Connecticut profile | * | $78,180 | $53,990 | $134,050 | 250 | 0.15 | 0.17 |
| 6 | Washington profile | * | $74,090 | $48,050 | $135,320 | ** | ** | ** |
| 7 | Michigan profile | * | $62,490 | $61,270 | $129,070 | ** | ** | ** |
| 8 | Ohio profile | * | $62,440 | $26,590 | $95,510 | 990 | 0.18 | 0.21 |
| 9 | Idaho profile | * | $62,200 | $62,200 | $130,060 | ** | ** | ** |
| 10 | Illinois profile | * | $62,120 | $40,040 | $98,810 | 9,350 | 1.53 | 1.81 |
| 11 | Arizona profile | * | $61,780 | $32,390 | $81,860 | 4,590 | 1.42 | 1.67 |
| 12 | Massachusetts profile | * | $61,510 | $31,730 | $99,390 | 4,390 | 1.21 | 1.43 |
| 13 | Oregon profile | * | $61,480 | $30,930 | $96,790 | 980 | 0.50 | 0.59 |
| 14 | Minnesota profile | * | $61,230 | $30,010 | $96,710 | 4,050 | 1.37 | 1.62 |
| 15 | Colorado profile | * | $59,500 | $31,510 | $95,640 | 7,110 | 2.47 | 2.92 |
| 16 | Texas profile | * | $58,220 | $28,800 | $77,740 | 13,470 | 0.96 | 1.13 |
| 17 | Nevada profile | * | $51,800 | $31,120 | $75,130 | 4,040 | 2.60 | 3.07 |
| 18 | Florida profile | * | $47,320 | $27,790 | $90,260 | 13,220 | 1.33 | 1.57 |
| 19 | Pennsylvania profile | * | $39,520 | $25,960 | $65,370 | 2,290 | 0.38 | 0.45 |
| – | Virginia profile | * | * | * | * | 3,900 | 0.95 | 1.12 |
Part of Transportation and Material Moving Occupations. Compare any area in the wage explorer.
Source and notes
Data: BLS OEWS May 2025, released 2026-05-15. Cross-industry estimates, all ownerships. BLS page: OEWS 53-2031 Flight Attendants.
*- Wage estimate not available.
**- Employment estimate not available.
- Annual wages assume 2,080 hours a year at the hourly rate; occupations BLS publishes on one basis only show an en dash (–) on the other.
- Employment is rounded to the nearest 10 by BLS. Where BLS withholds a cell, nothing is estimated in its place.
- Top industries: nat4d_M2025_dl.xlsx in oesm25in4.zip (BLS OEWS May 2025, national, 4-digit NAICS, cross-ownership). Employment is the industry's rounded total for this occupation; industries whose employment BLS withheld (**) are not ranked. A withheld or top-coded median in that table shows the marker explained above.
- Published medians: national_M2021_dl.xlsx to national_M2024_dl.xlsx in oesm21nat.zip to oesm24nat.zip (BLS OEWS May 2021 to May 2024, national, cross-industry, all ownerships) and the May 2025 spine. Each release is shown as published; nothing is computed between them. A withheld or top-coded cell in that table shows the marker explained above.
Sources
- BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018, definition of 53-2031, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- O*NET 30.1 Database, 53-2031.00, National Center for O*NET Development, USDOL/ETA (CC BY 4.0).
- OEWS May 2025 national industry-specific estimates, 4-digit NAICS (oesm25in4.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2021 national estimates (oesm21nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2022 national estimates (oesm22nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2023 national estimates (oesm23nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2024 national estimates (oesm24nat.zip), US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
- OEWS May 2025 national estimates (oesm25nat.zip), the site's data spine, US Bureau of Labor Statistics (public domain).
Includes information from O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, used under the CC BY 4.0 license.
Description written 2026-10-17 in our own words from the sources above.