Last updated: August 30, 2024As a drone enthusiast, you may have wondered how much a drone pilot salary is and if you could make a career out of it. Drone piloting is an exciting and rewarding career, but the amount of salary you earn would depend on various factors. Your level of experience, the industry you are in, and whether you are working as a full-time employee or freelancer are some factors that will determine how much you earn. Industries that rely on drones heavily like film and TV pay higher salaries than others. If you want unlimited earning capacity, work as a self-employed or freelance pilot.
In this article, we delve deep into salaries for different drone pilots so you know what to expect as a freelancer or employee. We also provide tips on how to make the most out of the industry and earn higher rates as a drone pilot.
The first thing that crosses a drone enthusiast’s mind before thinking of the average drone pilot’s salary is where to get work. Anyone who needs to use a drone can hire a drone operator. However, some industries rely on drones more than others. Prime examples of such industries are film and TV. They almost always need UAV pilots for professional aerial photography and videography.
You can work as a full-time employee for a drone piloting company or companies big enough to hire a UAV pilot. You can also work as a freelancer and offer your piloting services to different companies or clients on a contract basis or take shots for some celebrations like weddings. You may need special equipment for that so check out our reviews of the best drones for wedding photography.
A self-employed drone pilot runs their business themselves. Many self-employed drone operators are highly experienced with vast knowledge of the drone industry. They can easily market their services to different clients.
Being a self-employed drone operator sounds exciting because of all the freedom. However, it comes with the most risk as you would have to look for work yourself as well as get all the necessary licenses and insurance for your business. In essence, you must have an entrepreneurial spirit and be comfortable with uncertainty.
Freelancing is the ultimate path to follow if you want more control over work schedules and rates. You would be working on a project-by-project basis for different clients. The best thing about being a freelance drone pilot is flexibility and unlimited earning capacity. You will choose the projects to work on and negotiate your rates.
The downside of freelancing is the difficulty in securing consistent work and repeat clients. You also have to get licenses and insurance for your business yourself.
A professional drone operator has a lot of knowledge and experience and mostly works as a freelancer on project-by-project basis for different clients. Many companies or anyone who needs to use a drone prefer to hire a local drone pilot because of convenience.
If you want to work as a professional drone operator you can build your portfolio and look for clients. As a beginner, check out some of the popular UAV pilot networks, register, and build a portfolio. The platforms will help you find work that fits your profile from various industries.
Working as a certified drone pilot is relatively new in the labor market that even the Bureau Labor Statistics is yet to start collecting information about it. Glassdoor Trusted Source How much does a Drone Pilot make? The estimated total pay for a Drone Pilot is $79,484 per year in the United States area, with an average salary of $58,822 per year. www.glassdoor.com is the only other trusted place to look for salaries and this is what we found:
UAS pilot salaries for base employees range between $62,000 and $70,000.
UAV operator job listings had salaries ranging between $33,000 and $40,000.
Here are UAV pilot salaries across different industries.
| Industry | Average Drone Pilot Salary |
| Aerospace and Defense | $84,295 |
| Construction | $79,368 |
| Environmental Services | $83,856 |
| Film and Video | $69,107 |
| Mapping and Surveying | $88,196 |
| Real Estate | $77,247 |
| Transportation | $85,715 |
| All Other Industries | $89,264 |
From the table, it is clear that Aerospace and Defense is the highest-paying industry that any drone pilot should look into. Film and video pays the least salary yet it is the industry with heavy drone use. This means that you may need to look for work in less saturated industries to earn higher rates as a drone pilot.
Your location as a drone pilot is another factor that affects your pay. Here is a quick rundown of certified drone pilot salaries according to location.
| Location | Drone Operator Salary |
| Northeast | $87,068 |
| Midwest | $81,153 |
| South | $76,695 |
| West | $90,195 |
Although the margins are not that big, the average drone pilot salary in the West is alluring. Anyone would want to be where the big bucks are.
Regions aside, the average drone pilot salary also varies across cities and towns.
| Location | Average Drone Pilot Salary |
| Phoenix, AZ | $80,819 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $91,386 |
| Denver, CO | $81,568 |
| Washington, DC | $91,075 |
| Miami, FL | $77,723 |
| Atlanta, GA | $80,929 |
| Chicago, IL | $86,795 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $87,164 |
| New York City, NY | $98,422 |
| Raleigh, NC | $79,171 |
| Portsmouth, OH | $74,696 |
| Portland, OR | $84,937 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $87,639 |
| Nashville, TN | $76,033 |
| Dallas, TX | $81,282 |
| Seattle, WA | $89,455 |
It helps to know the hourly rates if you choose self-employment or freelancing paths. Hourly rates will help you calculate your salary as an entry-level, experienced, or senior-level drone pilot.
| Experience Level | Hourly Rate |
| Entry-Level | $41.21 |
| Experienced | $53.91 |
| Senior-Level | $74.04 |
According to Salary.com Trusted Source Hourly wage for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Pilot | Salary.com The average hourly wage for an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Pilot in the United States is $40 as of February 27, 2023, but the salary range typically falls between $29 and $48. www.salary.com industry is one of the many critical factors that affect drone pilot hourly pay rates. Some of the top industries with heavy drone usage include; construction, oil and mining, solar, surveying, agriculture, and real estate. If you are looking to have a full-fledged career in drone piloting, invest in proper training and certification to increase your earning capacity in various industries.
Oil and gas have the higher hourly rates, followed by mining, surveying, solar, and emergency response. Construction, agriculture, and real estate have the lowest hourly rates even though the pay is decent.
Freelance drone pilot salary is not the same as full-time UAV pilot salary. Freelancers earn between $35 and $150 per hour, while full-time UAV pilots earn between $80 and $120. The median hourly rate for freelancers is $85 and for employed drone pilots is $95.
Freelancing is more attractive than full-time employment in terms of pay, but if you love teamwork and consistent work full-time employment is your best bet.
Many variables are at play when it comes to pricing drone services. There is no standard number that you can name, but a few parameters can help you create a profitable price point. They include the following;
Traveling may be part of the job, but you have to factor in excess mileage and travel time. Drone pilots that cover large areas apply travel surcharge by charging higher hourly rates to make up for the extra time spent on the road.
According to the Insurance Information Institute Trusted Source Drones and insurance | III Even for recreational use, the Federal Aviation Administration requires that all drones weighing over 55 pounds must now be registered. If you do not register your drone, you may be subject to criminal and civil penalties. www.iii.org , insurance coverage is a must-have for all commercial drone operators. The FAA has different insurance requirements for different industries. For instance, the standard insurance policy for commercial drones is $1,000,000, but industries like mining usually require drone pilots to carry bigger policies. Pilots in such industries charge higher hourly rates to offset the high insurance costs.
As mentioned earlier, industry type affects drone pilot salary significantly. Industries like oil and mining pay higher rates because the certifications and insurance coverage required to pilot a drone are relatively expensive. You will not charge the same rates in real estate or film industry projects as you would in mining projects.
Your price points should reflect the quality of your deliverables. You can have higher hourly rates if you can prove to a client that you have exponential photography experience or engineering background. Additional certifications will also bump up your earning potential as they would be proof that you can deliver quality work. Clients only care about deliverables.
Your pricing model should include all the time you spend working, from travel time and on-site time to all the time you spend processing data and preparing deliverables. Many drone pilots who overlook the extra time spent on different tasks end up working for less than minimum wage.
By all accounts, drone popularity is increasing rapidly. This means that demand for drone pilots is also on the rise. With the right education, certifications, and a bit of experience, you can earn a decent commercial drone pilot salary to live on.
The least a commercial drone pilot can earn is $20 per hour, which equals $42,000 per annum. A professional drone pilot’s salary can be as high as $82 per hour, which is $171,500. According to a survey by Airstoc, some commercial drone pilots in the U.S. make up to $500 per hour.
Drone pilot jobs salaries vary and some pay higher than others.
The use of drones in topographic surveys has become more popular because they are cheaper and more convenient than traditional methods. Surveying and mapping engineers are on high demand with a typical salary of $56 per hour. Besides site survey expenses, they reduce field professionals’ burdens significantly.
Nowadays it is hard to sell a house or property without aerial images. Buyers get a better sense of a property’s appearance and surroundings through aerial images and videos. This means that real estate photography is a booming industry. The average real estate photographer makes an hourly rate of $51.
As a UAV pilot instructor, you would train people who want to improve their expertise in theory and operational skills in drone flying. UAV pilot instructors earn $48 per hour and $100,600 annually.
In place of high-altitude systems in satellites or airplanes, drones are used to obtain high levels of detail and accuracy during ground inspection and monitoring to reduce costs. The measurement equipment is installed under the drone to collect information from low altitudes.
The UAV-based monitoring system is commonly used for pollution monitoring, forest fire detection, disaster monitoring, and powerline inspection, among others. A drone pilot in the inspection and monitoring role earns an hourly wage of $48.
Emergency services like firefighters, disaster response, and rescue teams use drones to provide real-time visual information and data after a natural disaster occurs. Drones also come in handy when searching for lost persons. In such a role, a drone operator can expect a salary of $100,000 per year.
Do you need a premium quality drone that offers excellent value for money with high-end features and rugged build quality? Read our reviews of the best drones under $2000 for unmatched options.
The popular SwellPRO Spry+ Plus and DJI Mavic 3 are prime examples of top-rated drones under $2000. The SwellPRO Spry + Plus is perfect for flying over water as it is fully waterproof and buoyant. The DJI Mavic 3 offers a decent flight time of 46 minutes and a high-end camera for professional images.
At this point, it is quite clear that many drone jobs pay over $100,000 annually. However, you must remember that the salary you will earn as a drone pilot depends on the industry you will work in, your skills, and your level of experience. An entry-level drone pilot’s salary is not the same as an experienced, professional drone pilot’s salary in a lucrative industry.
Are you in the market for a high-quality drone for outdoor adventure? Read our articles on the best drones for windy conditions for top-rated models and comprehensive buying guides.
A drone business can be highly profitable if done with the right approach. Many organizations use drones for different purposes, including package delivery, construction inspection, surveying damaged areas after natural disasters, and much more. You can make the most of the endless opportunities in various industries if you do proper research.
Drone use is more popular and is expected to rise to 51.1% in the next five years. Different industries like construction, advertising, and security firms are expected to spend more on drones in the next decade. Since drones have not been fully automated, demand for pilots to give human supervision for certain operations as per the FAA rules is going to be at an all-time high.
More industries are investing in drones, which means a promising future for drone pilots. There will be more opportunities, and finding sustainable, well-paying work won’t be a hassle. If you want to have a successful career as a drone pilot, invest in the right training and certifications now because the future is bright.
The drone industry is growing exponentially and is expected to be more popular in the coming years. You can live decently on a certified drone pilot salary in today’s economy. There are different paths to choose if you are considering drone piloting as a career; you can be self-employed, a freelancer, or a full-time employee at an organization. Freelancing is fun because of the flexibility and unlimited earning capacity, but some people prefer the consistency of a military drone pilot’s salary or an airforce drone pilot’s salary.
Whichever path you choose, you can increase your earning potential by investing in the right training and certifications. Your skills, experience, and certifications will make you a highly-sought after drone pilot by the highest-paying industries. Remember, clients only care about deliverables.
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