Pilot Salary in North Dakota (2026)
The average Pilot in North Dakota earns around $219,000/year. After taxes, your estimated take-home is $158,773/year ($13,231/month).
Take-Home Pay Breakdown
| Category | Amount |
|---|---|
Annual Take-Home Pay | $158,773 |
Monthly Take-Home Pay | $13,231 |
Biweekly Take-Home Pay | $6,107 |
Hourly Take-Home Pay based on 2,080 hrs/year | $76/hr |
Federal Tax | $41,384 |
State Tax | $4,058 |
FICA Taxes | $14,786 |
Effective Tax Rate total taxes ÷ gross salary | 27.5% |
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Pilot Salary Ranges in North Dakota
Not all Pilots earn the same — not even close
North Dakota's pilot market is anchored by University of North Dakota J.D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences Grand Forks (one of country's largest US collegiate aviation programs + ~2K aviation students + the substantial UND ATM Air Traffic Management + UND CFI + airline pilot pipeline + the substantial UND-FAA partnership), Hector International Airport Fargo FAR + Bismarck Municipal Airport BIS + Grand Forks International Airport GFK + the substantial Delta + American + United + Allegiant ND service, Minot Air Force Base Minot (~5.4K + 5th Bomb Wing B-52H Stratofortress + 91st Missile Wing UH-1N Iroquois ICBM transport + post-2024 MH-139A Grey Wolf transition), Grand Forks Air Force Base (~2.3K + 319th Reconnaissance Wing RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS + the substantial Grand Forks UAS pilot pipeline), the substantial Sanford LifeFlight + Essentia Air Care + the substantial ND medevac, plus the substantial ND agricultural aviation crop dusting + the substantial Bakken oilfield aerial.
Senior Captain (Delta / United Hector commute)
$215,000–$385,000+ bonus
Senior mainline captain commuting from FAR or BIS · narrowbody + widebody + flow-up
Senior Captain (Minot AFB B-52H)
$135,000–$215,000+ bonus
Minot AFB 5th BW B-52H Stratofortress · cleared TS/SCI + flight hour pay
Senior Captain (Grand Forks 319th RW Global Hawk)
$118,000–$185,000+ bonus
Grand Forks 319th RW Global Hawk UAS · cleared + ISR + RPA
Senior Captain (Regional / Envoy / SkyWest)
$135,000–$215,000+ bonus
Envoy + SkyWest + GoJet regional captain · transitioning to mainline · UND grad pipeline
Senior First Officer (Mainline / FAR commute)
$165,000–$255,000+ bonus
Senior mainline first officer · narrowbody + widebody · transitioning to captain
Senior FO (Regional / UND Grad)
$85,000–$145,000+ bonus
Regional FO at SkyWest + Envoy + GoJet · UND Aerospace grad pipeline
Senior Corporate Pilot
$155,000–$258,000+ benefits
Corporate pilot · the substantial ND private jet + Sanford + Doosan-Bobcat fleet
Senior Medevac / Ag Aviation Pilot
$108,000–$165,000+ flight pay
Sanford LifeFlight + Essentia Air Care + ND crop dusting + Bakken aerial
Senior UND Aerospace CFI / Faculty
$72,000–$118,000+ bonus
UND J.D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences · CFI + faculty + ATM training
New Pilot (CFI / Flight Instructor)
$42,000–$68,000+ hours
New CFI + flight instructor · building hours at UND + FAR + BIS flight schools
Worth knowing: UND J.D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences + Grand Forks AFB 319th Reconnaissance Wing Global Hawk dual-anchor is one of the country's distinctive concentrated US single-state collegiate aviation + UAS military pilot anchor and a feature most national pilot surveys understate for ND. UND J.D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences Grand Forks (one of country's largest US collegiate aviation programs + ~2K aviation students + the substantial UND Air Traffic Management ATM program + the substantial UND CFI Certified Flight Instructor production pipeline + the substantial UND airline pilot pipeline + the substantial UND-FAA partnership + the substantial UND Aviation Restricted ATP-CTP authority + the substantial UND post-2020 substantial aviation enrollment surge driven by pilot shortage + the substantial UND-Mesa Airlines partnership + the substantial UND collegiate restricted ATP 1000-hour reduction) supports substantial ND collegiate aviation pipeline. Senior UND grad regional + mainline pilots populate substantial US regional + mainline carriers. Grand Forks AFB 319th Reconnaissance Wing post-2010 transition from refueling to UAS + the substantial 319th RW RQ-4 Global Hawk UAS + the substantial Grand Forks UAS + the substantial Northern Plains UAS Test Site + the substantial UND-Grand Forks AFB UAS partnership. Minot AFB 5th BW B-52H + 91st MW + post-2024 MH-139A Grey Wolf transition + Hector International + Sanford LifeFlight + Essentia Air Care + ND crop dusting. ND flat 1.95%/2.5% top + ND RTW since 1948 anchor the ND pilot proposition.
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More on North Dakota
Salaries by profession, top-paying roles by industry, and an economic breakdown for North Dakota in 2026.
Tax brackets, standard deductions, and take-home estimates for North Dakota in 2026.
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