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What does a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary really buy you in Colorado?
Colorado is 2.3% pricier than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Colorado's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 102.3, meaning prices are 2.3% higher the national average. A Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers earning $307,490 in Colorado has the equivalent purchasing power of $300,576 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Colorado's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $189,150 | $184,897 | $-4,252 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $197,310 | $192,873 | $-4,436 |
| Median (P50) | $307,490 | $300,576 | $-6,913 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $371,190 | $362,844 | $-8,345 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $377,860 | $369,364 | $-8,495 |
Colorado's cost of living is close to the national average, so $307,490 keeps most of its value at $300,576 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 102.3, Colorado is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Colorado's cost of living, $307,490 nominal nets out to $300,577 in real purchasing power — a small 2.2% loss. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers, Colorado places #6 of 37 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Colorado ranks #6 out of 37 states for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers take-home pay in Colorado after taxes →
A Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Colorado earns a median salary of $307,490 per year. After adjusting for Colorado's cost of living (RPP=102.3), the real purchasing power is $300,576 — a -2.2% difference.
Colorado's cost of living is 2.3% higher than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Colorado is 102.3 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Colorado: $307,490 x (100 / 102.3) = $300,576. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
Partially — a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers's nominal salary of $307,490 in Colorado has 2.2% less purchasing power due to higher living costs. The real value is $300,576. However, Colorado may offer better career opportunities, networking, and industry access.
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