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Salary data · October 14, 2026

Drone Pilot Salary

Drone pilots in the United States are offered a median of $37.75 an hour in open postings that state pay, and the middle half of posted rates runs $33.75–$43.50 an hour. That is about $78,500 a year at full time. The figures come from 6 postings by 4 employers and move as postings open and close.

Medianmidpoint of stated rates
$37.75/hr
Middle halfper hour, 25th to 75th percentile
$33.75–$43.50
Per yearestimate: median × 2,080 hours
$78,500
Postingswith an hourly rate, from 4 employers
6
Postings read 6 hrs ago29 open drone pilot postings in all; 6 in the US state an hourly rate. How we count

By employer

What each employer pays drone pilots

Each bar runs from the lowest to the highest hourly rate an employer states for this job title, and the tick marks the middle of its postings. An employer posting one range in several cities or shifts counts once toward the median.

  • Skydio
    1 posting · middle of its postings $55/hr
    $50–$60/hr
    Skydio: $50–$60/hr across 1 posting
  • Shield AI
    1 posting · middle of its postings $45/hr
    $35.60–$54.30/hr
    Shield AI: $35.60–$54.30/hr across 1 posting
  • Zipline
    3 postings · middle of its postings $36/hr
    $30–$45/hr
    Zipline: $30–$45/hr across 3 postings
  • Pyka
    1 posting · middle of its postings $30/hr
    $28–$32/hr
    Pyka: $28–$32/hr across 1 posting
Axis: $25/hr to $60/hrBar: lowest to highest stated rate. Tick: middle of the employer's postings. Dashed line: median across employers, $37.75/hr.

By location

Drone Pilot pay by state

The same postings, grouped by the state each one names, with the cities inside it. A posting that lists sites in two states counts in both.

  • California
    4 postings · Esparto, San Diego, San Mateo and South San Francisco
    $34–$60/hr
    California: $34–$60/hr across 4 postings
  • Texas
    1 posting · Amarillo
    $30–$36/hr
    Texas: $30–$36/hr across 1 posting
  • State not named in the posting
    1 posting · Alameda
    $28–$32/hr
    State not named in the posting: $28–$32/hr across 1 posting
Axis: $25/hr to $60/hrBar: lowest to highest stated rate. Tick: middle of the postings there. Dashed line: median across employers, $37.75/hr.

Open now

Open drone pilot jobs

21 jobs (29 postings across their locations). The ones that state pay come first; each opens the full posting.

Drone Pilot pay: questions

How much does a drone pilot make?

Open drone pilot postings in the United States that state pay offer a median of $37.75 an hour. The middle half of posted rates falls between $33.75 and $43.50, and single postings range from $28 to $60. That comes from 6 postings by 4 employers, read on October 14, 2026.

How much does a drone pilot make a year?

At 40 hours a week for 52 weeks, the median of $37.75/hr comes to about $78,500 a year before tax, and the middle half to about $70,200 to $90,500. That is our arithmetic on hourly rates, not a salary the postings state; overtime, shift premiums and part-time hours all change it.

Which employers pay drone pilots the most?

Skydio has the highest midpoint, $55/hr ($50–$60/hr across 1 posting). Pyka has the lowest, $30/hr ($28–$32/hr). Each employer's pay reflects its own cities, shifts and duties, so compare the postings before you apply.

Where do drone pilots earn the most?

Among the states these postings name, California has the highest midpoint at $42.25/hr (4 postings) and Texas the lowest at $33/hr (1 posting). With few postings per state, a single employer can set a state's figure.

How many drone pilot jobs are open right now?

21 jobs are open (29 postings counting every location). 6 US postings state an hourly rate; the others give no hourly figure, give an annual salary, or are outside the United States.

Method

How these figures are worked out

This page gathers the open postings whose titles match drone pilot, UAS and UAV operator, flight test operator, flight operations and fleet commander titles at drone and autonomous-aircraft employers. Titles are sorted by a fixed set of word rules, so the page follows the job feeds as they change; this reading is from October 14, 2026.

Only pay a posting states counts: its own hourly range, from postings located in the United States, where the dollar figure is certainly US dollars. Each posting counts at the midpoint of its range. “Up to $X/hr” maximums are left out, and each employer’s advertised range counts once in the median and middle half however many cities or shifts post it. Medians and quartiles are rounded to the nearest 25 cents. The yearly figure multiplies an hourly rate by 2,080 hours (40 a week, 52 weeks) and is an estimate, not a stated salary.

A job title gets its own page once at least 5 US postings from 2 or more employers state an hourly rate, giving 4 or more distinct employer rates. Below that the page comes down until the postings support it. Our wider pay methodology.

More pay data