Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$80,000
National baseline
Target bonus
$9,000
11.5% of base
Total target cash
$89,000
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$5,50050th$9,00075th$14,500
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
Typical entry preparation: High School Diploma and up to 1 year of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
Verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order.
Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.
Monitor passenger behavior to identify threats to the safety of the crew and other passengers.
Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.
Direct and assist passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing.
Top skills:SpeakingMonitoringActive ListeningSocial PerceptivenessService OrientationCoordination
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Flight Attendant pay by experience level
Entry level$36,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$53,500
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$66,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$99,000
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$141,000
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+9.2%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
19,800
projected openings per year
Growing faster than average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Flight Attendant salary by industry
Air Transportation
129,740 workers
$80,000
Scheduled Air Transportation
127,660 workers
$80,000
Nonscheduled Air Transportation
2,080 workers
$76,000
Support Activities for Transportation
1,360 workers
$61,000
Support Activities for Air Transportation
1,360 workers
$61,000
Credit Intermediation and Related Activities$126,000
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 129,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
74.1%
White
64.6%
Black or African American
16.5%
Asian
15.2%
Hispanic or Latino
17.3%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $59,050 to $63,580.
+7.7% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$36,500
Early career25th percentile
$53,500
Median50th percentile
$66,000
Experienced75th percentile
$99,000
Top earners90th percentile
$141,000
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order.
Announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.
Monitor passenger behavior to identify threats to the safety of the crew and other passengers.
Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.
Direct and assist passengers in emergency procedures, such as evacuating a plane following an emergency landing.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Service, trades, or production work
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay under FLSA rules. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$80,000
2027$83,000
2028$85,500
2029$88,500
2030$92,000
2031$95,000
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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The median market pay for a Flight Attendant in the United States is about $80,000 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Flight Attendant?
Most Flight Attendant pay falls between about $53,500 (25th percentile) and $99,000 (75th percentile), with top earners above $141,000.
What does a Flight Attendant do?
Core responsibilities include: verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order; and announce and demonstrate safety and emergency procedures, such as the use of oxygen masks, seat belts, and life jackets.
Is pay for Flight Attendant roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $59,050 in 2020 to $63,580 in 2025, a change of +7.7% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Flight Attendant pays 16% above the average across 53 roles in the Transportation and Material Moving job family (family average $69,000).
Similar-paying roles in Transportation and Material Moving
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