State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Flight Attendant Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Flight Attendants earn a median of $63,580 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to grow 9.2% through 2034, with about 19,800 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 53-2031Transportation and Material MovingLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $63,580
- Projected growth
- +9.2%
- Openings a year
- 19,800
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Flight Attendant, In-Flight Crew Member, Inflight Services Flight Attendant, International Flight Attendant, Purser.
How much do Flight Attendants make?
10th percentile$35,110
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$51,760
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$63,580
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$95,640
Upper quartile
90th percentile$136,430
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $63,580 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | N/A |
| Mean annual wage | $77,440 |
| People employed | 131,650 |
Versus all US occupations
At $63,580, Flight Attendants earn 25% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $12,600 a year.
Versus transportation and material moving occupations
Inside the Transportation and Material Moving group, where the middle occupation pays $58,405, this is 9% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $136,430 or more while the bottom 10% earn $35,110, a gap of 3.9×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 48% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
New York pays the most at $126,650, and still leads at $117,354 once local prices are taken into account.
Which states pay Flight Attendants the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $126,650 | $117,354 | 12,060 |
| Utah | $82,730 | $83,681 | 2,490 |
| California | $82,170 | $74,214 | 15,840 |
| Georgia | $78,320 | $81,335 | N/A |
| Connecticut | $78,180 | $75,456 | 250 |
| Washington | $74,090 | $69,235 | N/A |
| Michigan | $62,490 | $64,947 | N/A |
| Ohio | $62,440 | $67,303 | 990 |
| Idaho | $62,200 | $65,135 | N/A |
| Illinois | $62,120 | $62,146 | 9,350 |
Is Flight Attendant a growing career?
Flight Attendants9.2%
All US occupations3.1%
+9.2% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Flight Attendants to change 9.2% over 2024–2034, roughly 3.0× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 12,100 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 19,800 openings are projected each year, 15.1% of the 130,800 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Demand for air travel, particularly from leisure travelers, will continue to support employment growth for flight attendants. Federal regulations require a minimum number of attendants per flight. These workers will continue to be needed to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers on flights.
How to become a Flight Attendant
Flight attendants receive training from their employer and must be certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Flight attendants typically need a high school diploma or the equivalent and work experience in customer service.
Applicants must meet minimum age requirements, typically 18 or 21; be eligible to work in the United States; have a valid passport; and pass a background check and drug test. They must have vision that is correctable to at least 20/40 and often need to conform to height requirements set by the airline. Flight attendants also may have to pass a medical evaluation.
Flight attendants should present a professional appearance, which may be defined by the employer.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | Less than 5 years |
| Typical on-the-job training | Moderate-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as flight attendants.
- High School Diploma70.3%
- Bachelor's Degree12.4%
- Some College Courses10.4%
- Less than a High School Diploma3.5%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)2.7%
What does a Flight Attendant do?
Monitor safety of the aircraft cabin. Provide services to airline passengers, explain safety information, serve food and beverages, and respond to emergency incidents.
Flight attendants provide routine services and respond to emergencies to ensure the safety and comfort of airline passengers.
Day-to-day tasks
- 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.
- Walk aisles of planes to verify that passengers have complied with federal regulations prior to takeoffs and landings.
- Prepare passengers and aircraft for landing, following procedures.
- Attend preflight briefings concerning weather, altitudes, routes, emergency procedures, crew coordination, lengths of flights, food and beverage services offered, and numbers of passengers.
- Reassure passengers when situations, such as turbulence, are encountered.
- Check to ensure that food, beverages, blankets, reading material, emergency equipment, and other supplies are aboard and are in adequate supply.
- Greet passengers boarding aircraft and direct them to assigned seats.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where flight attendants work
| Scheduled air transportation | 97% |
|---|---|
| Nonscheduled air transportation | 1% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Speaking4.1/5
- Active Listening3.9/5
- Monitoring3.9/5
- Reading Comprehension3.1/5
- Critical Thinking3.1/5
- Active Learning3.1/5
- Writing3.0/5
- Learning Strategies2.8/5
Transferable skills
- Social Perceptiveness3.8/5
- Service Orientation3.8/5
- Coordination3.6/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Persuasion3.0/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.0/5
- Negotiation2.9/5
- Instructing2.9/5
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Calendar and scheduling software
- Computer based training software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Flight Attendant?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary4.0
Investigative2.0
Artistic1.3
Socialprimary4.2
Enterprising3.6
Conventionalprimary4.4
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with teaching, helping and working directly with other people.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Flight Attendant: frequently asked questions
How much do Flight Attendants make?
Flight Attendants earn a median of $63,580 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 25% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. The middle half earn between $51,760 and $95,640. The top 10% earn $136,430 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Flight Attendant?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Flight Attendants. BLS also lists moderate-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. Employers typically expect less than 5 years of related work experience first. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 70.3% hold high school diploma.
Is Flight Attendant a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.2% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 19,800 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Flight Attendant do?
Flight attendants provide routine services and respond to emergencies to ensure the safety and comfort of airline passengers. A core O*NET task: verify that first aid kits and other emergency equipment, including fire extinguishers and oxygen bottles, are in working order. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Operating system software.
Which states pay Flight Attendants the most?
The highest state medians for Flight Attendants are New York ($126,650), Utah ($82,730), California ($82,170) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Flight Attendant?
O*NET scores Flight Attendants highest on the Conventional, Social and Realistic interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with teaching, helping and working directly with other people. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFJ, ESTJ, ISFJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.