According to the FAA, there is an average of 45,000 daily flights handled by the FAA, and 16.4 million annually. As such, the job of a flight attendant is one that is integral to all these flights. Thus, not surprisingly, employment of flight attendants is expected to grow at a significant rate. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Occupational Outlook Handbook, employment of flight attendants is projected to increase much faster than average, with approximately 31,100 flight attendant jobs being added from 2020 to 2030, an increase of 30%. That’s much faster than the rate calculated at the time of our last flight attendants’ salary article from a few years ago.
Using occupational data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we've analyzed and compiled a round-up of the average flight attendant salary by state in the U.S. Read on for a full breakdown of where flight attendants make the most money, and where they're making the least, in 2022.
10 States Where Flight Attendants Earn the Most Money in 2022
The national average annual wage of a flight attendant is $62,280, according to the BLS, slightly more than the average annual salary for all occupations, $58,260. The average flight attendant salary can vary substantially from state to state. The state with the highest average flight attendant salary has an average that is nearly $64,000 greater than the average salary for flight attendants in the lowest-paying state.
Below is a list of the top-10 highest-paying states for flight attendants.
- Connecticut average flight attendant salary: $111,500
- Hawaii average flight attendant salary: $104,110
- New York average flight attendant salary: $69,250
- Massachusetts average flight attendant salary: $67,010
- Oregon average flight attendant salary: $65,550
- Arizona average flight attendant salary: $64,420
- Michigan average flight attendant salary: $64,290
- Georgia average flight attendant salary: $64,010
- Florida average flight attendant salary: $62,620
- California average flight attendant salary: $62,000
It’s important to note that the BLS didn’t have 2021 data for all states, although it did have some averages from previous years. For example, the BLS does have an average flight attendant salary in Connecticut for 2021, but not in 2018 to 2020, but then it does again in 2017, when it was $85,630, which was actually the highest flight attendant salary that year. The No. 1 highest-paying state for flight attendants, Connecticut, has experienced growth of 30.2% from 2017 to 2021. For the greatest one-year growth in the average flight attendant salary, New York state witnessed an increase of 25.8%, from $55,030 in 2020 to $69,250 in 2021. New York also witnessed the greatest increase in flight attendant salaries over the last five years: 65.3%, from $41,900 in 2016 to $69,250 in 2021.
5 States Where Flight Attendants Earn the Least Money in 2022
The bottom-5 states where flight attendants make the least money do not display much of a geographical pattern. There are three states in the Midwest, one in the South, and one in the Mountain division. Here’s a look at the five worst states for flight attendant’s salaries:
- Wisconsin average flight attendant salary: $47,650
- Virginia average flight attendant salary: $48,840
- Colorado average flight attendant salary: $52,220
- Minnesota average flight attendant salary: $53,900
- Illinois average flight attendant salary: $56,700
Over the last five years, many of these low-paying states have experienced some growth in the average flight attendant salary. There is no wage data for 2016 for Wisconsin, but the No. 2 lowest-paying state for flight attendants has seen their average salary increase by 8.8%, from $44,910 in 2016 to $48,840 in 2021. The No. 4 state with the lowest average flight attendant salary, Minnesota, has experienced excellent growth: Minnesota’s average flight attendant salary increased by nearly 20%, from $44,960 in 2016 to $54,320 in 2021. Conversely, Oregon, which ranks among the best states for flight attendant salaries, actually experienced a decline of 2.7%, from $67,380 in 2016 to $65,550 in 2021.
How Much Do Flight Attendants Make in Each State in 2022
Unfortunately, the BLS wage data for flight attendants does not cover all 50 states. For 2021, the BLS has the average flight attendant salary for 20 states. For previous years, the data varies in availability. Below you’ll find the average annual wage for flight attendants in as many states as there is data available for from 2016 to 2021.
