What does a Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary really buy you in Minnesota?
Minnesota is 2.3% cheaper than the US averageData: BLS OEWS 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-04-02
Minnesota's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 97.7, meaning prices are 2.3% lower the national average. A Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers earning $171,270 in Minnesota has the equivalent purchasing power of $175,301 in an average-cost US state.
Minnesota's cost of living is close to the national average, so $171,270 keeps most of its value at $175,301 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
Where does Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Minnesota ranks #8 out of 25 states for Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
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How much do you actually take home? See Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers take-home pay in Minnesota after taxes →
A Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Minnesota earns a median salary of $171,270 per year. After adjusting for Minnesota's cost of living (RPP=97.7), the real purchasing power is $175,301 — a +2.4% difference.
Minnesota's cost of living is 2.3% lower than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Minnesota is 97.7 (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 Minnesota: $171,270 x (100 / 97.7) = $175,301. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
From a purchasing power perspective, yes. A Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers in Minnesota enjoys 2.4% more buying power than the nominal salary suggests, because living costs are below the national average. However, other factors like job availability, career growth, and quality of life also matter.