4811/Scheduled Air Transportation
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
501K
employees, 2023
501K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 2,233 US Scheduled Air Transportation business locations employed 501,126 people and paid $51.1 billion in annual payroll, $101,948 per employee on average. Employment was up 13.6% from 2022. Texas had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
2,233
+2.8% vs 2022
Employees
501,126
+13.6% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$51.1B
+25.1% vs 2022
Average pay
$101,948
+10.1% 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 Scheduled 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 169 | 68,817* | $112,341 | 0.57% |
| Georgia | 61 | 52,174* | $107,318 | 1.18% |
| California | 281 | 49,873 | $108,396 | 0.30% |
| Florida | 244 | 40,568 | $94,779 | 0.41% |
| New York | 163 | 36,160 | $117,317 | 0.41% |
| Illinois | 116 | 31,590* | $94,230 | 0.56% |
| Colorado | 44 | 24,671 | $112,637 | 0.96% |
| North Carolina | 44 | 17,440* | $94,089 | 0.41% |
| New Jersey | 40 | 16,571* | $106,968 | 0.42% |
| Washington | 67 | 15,771 | $85,389 | 0.52% |
| Arizona | 36 | 13,918* | $93,969 | 0.48% |
| Virginia | 61 | 13,885* | $97,227 | 0.39% |
| Massachusetts | 56 | 11,099 | $87,965 | 0.32% |
| Utah | 21 | 11,090 | $93,998 | 0.70% |
| Minnesota | 26 | 10,944* | $112,147 | 0.39% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Scheduled Air Transportation employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 47 | 51,459* | $108,195 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 172 | 50,599 | $115,910 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 54 | 45,117* | $117,817 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 102 | 31,345* | $94,759 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 120 | 24,922 | $111,511 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 134 | 23,863 | $96,600 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 22 | 23,842 | $114,685 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 59 | 18,325 | $114,236 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 50 | 18,090* | $106,050 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 46 | 15,196 | $85,275 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 13 | 14,409* | $97,068 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 23 | 13,174* | $95,045 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 57 | 10,974* | $102,420 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 51 | 10,764 | $88,794 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 21 | 10,531* | $114,564 |
Business size
US Scheduled Air Transportation business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 729 | 32.6% |
| 5 to 9 | 235 | 10.5% |
| 10 to 19 | 287 | 12.9% |
| 20 to 49 | 347 | 15.5% |
| 50 to 99 | 216 | 9.7% |
| 100 to 249 | 203 | 9.1% |
| 250 to 499 | 80 | 3.6% |
| 500 to 999 | 45 | 2.0% |
| 1,000 or more | 91 | 4.1% |
Related industries
Scheduled Air Transportation and the 1 industry directly below it
Part of Transportation and Warehousing 48-49Air Transportation 481
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 48111 | Scheduled Air Transportation | 501,126 | $101,948 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Scheduled Air Transportation in the US?
501,126 people worked at 2,233 US Scheduled Air Transportation business locations in 2023, up 13.6% from 2022. That is 0.36% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Scheduled Air Transportation?
$101,948 a year per employee in 2023, from $51.1 billion in annual payroll (up 10.1% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Scheduled Air Transportation jobs?
Texas had the most, with 68,817 employees in 2023, followed by Georgia (52,174) and California (49,873).
Which metro areas have the most Scheduled Air Transportation jobs?
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA (51,459), New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (50,599), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (45,117) had the most Scheduled Air Transportation employees in 2023.
Are most Scheduled Air Transportation businesses small?
56.0% of the 2,233 Scheduled Air Transportation business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 136 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.