Flight attendants

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

110k

Average Age

45.8

Estimated Job Growth

17.3%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$50,198

Average Male Salary

$57,928

Average Female Salary

$47,774

About

Flight attendants are most often employed by the Air transportation industry. The average yearly wage for Flight attendants was $50,198 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Flight attendants by wage are Bus & truck mechanics & diesel engine specialists, Clinical laboratory technologists & technicians, and Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters.

Flight attendants are part of the Transportation Occupations, along with Supervisors of transportation & material moving workers, Aircraft pilots & flight engineers, Air traffic controllers & airfield operations specialists, Flight attendants, Ambulance drivers & attendants, except emergency medical technicians, and 17 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Flight attendants are Fort Lauderdale City (Central) PUMA, FL, Upper East Side PUMA, NY, and Grapevine, Southlake & Colleyville Cities PUMA, TX. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Flight attendants are Fort Lauderdale City (Central) PUMA, FL, Grapevine, Southlake & Colleyville Cities PUMA, TX, and Fayette County PUMA, GA.

Photo by Alexander Mueller

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Flight attendants and on wages and locations for those in the field. Air transportation is the industry that employs the most Flight attendants, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Flight attendants, by average wage, is Services incidental to transportation. Flight attendants are paid most in Fullerton & Placentia Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Fort Lauderdale City (Central) PUMA, FL.

Yearly Wage

$50,198

AVERAGE SALARY

± $2,384

In 2020, Flight attendants earned an average of $50,198, $5,756 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Clinical laboratory technologists & technicians make somewhat more than Flight attendants while Bus & truck mechanics & diesel engine specialists make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Flight attendants as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.271

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Flight attendants had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.271, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Flight attendants (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Flight attendants.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Flight attendants

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Flight attendants.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Flight attendants, by number of employees, are Air transportation and Services incidental to transportation.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Flight attendants, by average wage, are Services incidental to transportation and Air transportation.

Industries by Share

110k

2020 Workforce

± 8,150

−0.246%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 10.5%

The number of people employed as Flight attendants has been declining at a rate of −0.246%, from 110,552 people in 2019 to 110,280 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Flight attendants employed by various industries. Air transportation employs the largest share of Flight attendants at 99.2%, followed by Services incidental to transportation with 0.347% and false with 0%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Flight attendants in the US. The average age of male Flight attendants in the workforce is 44.8 and of female Flight attendants is 46.1, and the most common race/ethnicity for Flight attendants is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

26.3k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 3,983

84k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 7,112

76.1% of Flight attendants are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Flight attendants.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Flight attendants

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

62.4% of Flight attendants are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13.4% of Flight attendants, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Flight attendants.

Age by Sex

44.8

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 1.92

46.1

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 1.14

The median age of Flight attendants is 45.8, and Male employees are generally 1.32 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Flight attendants from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Flight attendants is Business but a relatively high number of Flight attendants hold a major in Transportation.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Flight attendants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Flight attendants need many skills, but most especially Service Orientation, Speaking, and Critical Thinking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Flight attendants need more than the average amount of Service Orientation, Coordination, and Social Perceptiveness.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Flight Attendants from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Flight Attendants are expected to see a growth of 17.3% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow more than the national average.

Job Growth

17.3%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Flight Attendants. This profession is expected to grow more than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.