Flight attendants
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Flight attendants in the United States earn a median salary of $63,580 per year — about $31 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 131K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +9%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core responsibilities of flight attendants are physical and interpersonal, involving safety enforcement, emergency medical response, and manual service tasks that AI cannot perform. While AI may assist with peripheral digital tasks like report writing or passenger manifest management, the role is largely defined by a physical presence required by law for passenger safety.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJBEST VALUE | $127,740 | Above avg (112.6) | $113,483 |
| Columbus, OH | $83,450 | Below avg (95.5) | $87,411 |
| Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | $82,730 | Average (100.9) | $82,018 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $78,320 | Average (100.1) | $78,275 |
| Tucson, AZ | $75,610 | Below avg (96.9) | $78,032 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $89,430 | Above avg (115.6) | $77,353 |
| Richmond, VA | $72,600 | Average (97.9) | $74,189 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $79,390 | Above avg (113.6) | $69,906 |
| Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | $67,140 | Average (98.9) | $67,916 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $75,100 | Above avg (111.1) | $67,577 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | $64,890 | Average (97.3) | $66,658 |
| Boise City, ID | $62,200 | Average (98.4) | $63,217 |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $62,490 | Average (100.3) | $62,304 |
| Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | $62,770 | Average (102.7) | $61,092 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $60,840 | Average (100.9) | $60,303 |