48121/Nonscheduled Air Transportation
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
72K
employees, 2023
72K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 2,512 US Nonscheduled Air Transportation business locations employed 72,236 people and paid $8.7 billion in annual payroll, $120,746 per employee on average. Employment was up 36.6% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
2,512
+1.6% vs 2022
Employees
72,236
+36.6% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$8.7B
+40.0% vs 2022
Average pay
$120,746
+2.5% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Nonscheduled Air Transportation in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 257 | 15,287 | $149,154 | 0.09% |
| Florida | 379 | 13,623 | $106,408 | 0.14% |
| Ohio | 58 | 9,358 | $134,678 | 0.18% |
| Texas | 269 | 5,515 | $117,355 | 0.05% |
| Michigan | 64 | 3,341 | $120,482 | 0.08% |
| Louisiana | 43 | 1,648* | $100,247 | 0.10% |
| Colorado | 65 | 1,503 | $94,792 | 0.06% |
| Alaska | 110 | 1,501 | $91,279 | 0.57% |
| New Jersey | 48 | 1,372 | $182,249 | 0.03% |
| New York | 110 | 1,336 | $113,910 | 0.02% |
| Kentucky | 26 | 1,250 | $127,678 | 0.07% |
| Oregon | 43 | 1,165 | $94,044 | 0.07% |
| Virginia | 43 | 1,121 | $95,223 | 0.03% |
| Oklahoma | 29 | 1,046 | $132,288 | 0.07% |
| Nevada | 39 | 869 | $126,216 | 0.06% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 49.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Nonscheduled Air Transportation employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 106 | 11,674 | $149,324 |
| Columbus, OH | 12 | 5,817* | $129,927 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL | 7 | 5,509 | $137,503 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 224 | 5,187 | $84,028 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 119 | 2,372 | $155,923 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 15 | 2,335 | $137,425 |
| Cleveland, OH | 12 | 1,989* | $149,817 |
| Ann Arbor, MI | 4 | 1,856* | $130,621 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 90 | 1,508 | $123,243 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 63 | 1,373 | $102,205 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 26 | 1,326* | $75,106 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 40 | 1,249 | $102,836 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | 3 | 1,142* | $214,741 |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 27 | 1,074 | $69,922 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 27 | 968 | $118,108 |
Business size
US Nonscheduled Air Transportation business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 1,499 | 59.7% |
| 5 to 9 | 286 | 11.4% |
| 10 to 19 | 269 | 10.7% |
| 20 to 49 | 241 | 9.6% |
| 50 to 99 | 113 | 4.5% |
| 100 to 249 | 63 | 2.5% |
| 250 to 499 | 18 | 0.7% |
| 500 to 999 | 13 | 0.5% |
| 1,000 or more | 10 | 0.4% |
Related industries
Nonscheduled Air Transportation and the 3 industries directly below it
Part of Transportation and Warehousing 48-49Air Transportation 481Nonscheduled Air Transportation 4812
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 481211 | Nonscheduled Chartered Passenger Air Transportation | 41,913 | $119,174 |
| 481212 | Nonscheduled Chartered Freight Air Transportation | 23,321 | $132,298 |
| 481219 | Other Nonscheduled Air Transportation | 7,002 | $91,680 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Nonscheduled Air Transportation in the US?
72,236 people worked at 2,512 US Nonscheduled Air Transportation business locations in 2023, up 36.6% from 2022. That is 0.05% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Nonscheduled Air Transportation?
$120,746 a year per employee in 2023, from $8.7 billion in annual payroll (up 2.5% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Nonscheduled Air Transportation jobs?
California had the most, with 15,287 employees in 2023, followed by Florida (13,623) and Ohio (9,358).
Which metro areas have the most Nonscheduled Air Transportation jobs?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (11,674), Columbus, OH (5,817), Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL (5,509) had the most Nonscheduled Air Transportation employees in 2023.
Are most Nonscheduled Air Transportation businesses small?
81.8% of the 2,512 Nonscheduled Air Transportation business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 23 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.