High paying transportation jobs in Alaska

Every transportation occupation below is ranked by its median annual wage in Alaska. Read the percentile range, not just the median: the gap between the 10th and 90th inside a single transportation job is usually wider than the gap between two different ones, so where you land in a field matters more than which field you pick.

Cost of living: prices in Alaska run 2.4% above the national average (2024), so a Alaska salary is worth about 0.98× its face value in national terms. That scales every wage here by the same factor — it changes what the numbers mean, not their order. To see where a job pays a real premium, use jobs that pay more in Alaska.

Wages: BLS OEWS, May 2025 · Cost of living: BEA regional price parities, 2024

Find transportation jobs in Alaska

OccupationMedian, Alaska · Employed

1Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers$232,140
Bachelor's degree
$59,130 – $369,1501,350
2Air Traffic Controllers$123,950
Associate's degree
$66,800 – $191,690490
3Transportation Inspectors$123,120
High school diploma or equivalent
$81,540 – $164,260170
4Commercial Pilots$100,120
Postsecondary nondegree award
$49,610 – $163,4101,000
5Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water Vessels$88,230
Postsecondary nondegree award
$42,360 – $149,370710
6Ship Engineers$88,190
Postsecondary nondegree award
$40,240 – $145,930420
7Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers$80,210
High school diploma or equivalent
$62,210 – $98,810120
8Airfield Operations Specialists$71,510
High school diploma or equivalent
$43,780 – $105,060160
9Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers$70,100
Postsecondary nondegree award
$48,080 – $90,6103,420
10First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$64,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$45,350 – $106,0701,830
11Bus Drivers, Transit and Intercity$64,150
High school diploma or equivalent
$46,960 – $76,230250
12Sailors and Marine Oilers$63,130
No formal educational credential
$40,200 – $91,730480
13Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors$58,230
High school diploma or equivalent
$52,530 – $92,860130
14Light Truck Drivers$57,190
High school diploma or equivalent
$37,210 – $96,3001,790
15Passenger Attendants$54,290
High school diploma or equivalent
$39,090 – $54,290220
16Bus Drivers, School$54,200
High school diploma or equivalent
$36,470 – $59,910790
17Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators$54,190
No formal educational credential
$37,650 – $72,720410
18Driver/Sales Workers$48,420
High school diploma or equivalent
$35,800 – $61,7601,270
19Aircraft Service Attendants$46,760
High school diploma or equivalent
$41,920 – $60,740300
20Refuse and Recyclable Material Collectors$45,740
No formal educational credential
$31,620 – $80,310250
21Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand$44,510
No formal educational credential
$34,790 – $75,2804,250
22Transportation Workers, All Other$42,360
High school diploma or equivalent
$32,300 – $72,450190
23Packers and Packagers, Hand$41,670
No formal educational credential
$25,620 – $60,440560
24Automotive and Watercraft Service Attendants$41,590
No formal educational credential
$32,620 – $60,330280
25Stockers and Order Fillers$40,310
No formal educational credential
$34,230 – $57,0506,770
26Cleaners of Vehicles and Equipment$40,210
No formal educational credential
$35,660 – $58,330620
27Shuttle Drivers and Chauffeurs$39,800
No formal educational credential
$30,570 – $57,160960

Bars run from the 10th to the 90th percentile; the middle half is shaded darker, and the tick is the median.

#	Occupation	MedianAlaska	10th–90th percentilemiddle half shaded darker	Employed
1	Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight EngineersBachelor's degree	$232,140	$59,130 – $369,150	1,350
2	Air Traffic ControllersAssociate's degree	$123,950	$66,800 – $191,690	490
3	Transportation InspectorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$123,120	$81,540 – $164,260	170
4	Commercial PilotsPostsecondary nondegree award	$100,120	$49,610 – $163,410	1,000
5	Captains, Mates, and Pilots of Water VesselsPostsecondary nondegree award	$88,230	$42,360 – $149,370	710
6	Ship EngineersPostsecondary nondegree award	$88,190	$40,240 – $145,930	420
7	Pump Operators, Except Wellhead PumpersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$80,210	$62,210 – $98,810	120
8	Airfield Operations SpecialistsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$71,510	$43,780 – $105,060	160
9	Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck DriversPostsecondary nondegree award	$70,100	$48,080 – $90,610	3,420
10	First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,420	$45,350 – $106,070	1,830
11	Bus Drivers, Transit and IntercityHigh school diploma or equivalent	$64,150	$46,960 – $76,230	250
12	Sailors and Marine OilersNo formal educational credential	$63,130	$40,200 – $91,730	480
13	Aircraft Cargo Handling SupervisorsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$58,230	$52,530 – $92,860	130
14	Light Truck DriversHigh school diploma or equivalent	$57,190	$37,210 – $96,300	1,790
15	Passenger AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,290	$39,090 – $54,290	220
16	Bus Drivers, SchoolHigh school diploma or equivalent	$54,200	$36,470 – $59,910	790
17	Industrial Truck and Tractor OperatorsNo formal educational credential	$54,190	$37,650 – $72,720	410
18	Driver/Sales WorkersHigh school diploma or equivalent	$48,420	$35,800 – $61,760	1,270
19	Aircraft Service AttendantsHigh school diploma or equivalent	$46,760	$41,920 – $60,740	300
20	Refuse and Recyclable Material CollectorsNo formal educational credential	$45,740	$31,620 – $80,310	250
21	Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNo formal educational credential	$44,510	$34,790 – $75,280	4,250
22	Transportation Workers, All OtherHigh school diploma or equivalent	$42,360	$32,300 – $72,450	190
23	Packers and Packagers, HandNo formal educational credential	$41,670	$25,620 – $60,440	560
24	Automotive and Watercraft Service AttendantsNo formal educational credential	$41,590	$32,620 – $60,330	280
25	Stockers and Order FillersNo formal educational credential	$40,310	$34,230 – $57,050	6,770
26	Cleaners of Vehicles and EquipmentNo formal educational credential	$40,210	$35,660 – $58,330	620
27	Shuttle Drivers and ChauffeursNo formal educational credential	$39,800	$30,570 – $57,160	960

Ranked among the occupations common enough to employ roughly one in every three thousand workers in Alaska. The rarer ones are real jobs — but a 1,190-person occupation at the top of a list answers a different question than the one most readers are asking.

More for Alaska

Metro areas in Alaska

Pay varies more between metros than between states — the spread inside one state is often wider than the gap between two.

By field in Alaska

Without a degree

The same fields, narrowed to what you can enter without one. Fields missing here have too few such occupations in Alaska to rank honestly.

High paying transportation jobs in Alaska

More for Alaska

Metro areas in Alaska

By field in Alaska

Without a degree

High paying transportation jobs in each state