Average Aviation Manager Salary in Illinois, United States for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average Aviation Manager salary for 2026 in Illinois and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the United States dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the USD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does an Aviation Manager Make in Illinois?

An Aviation Manager working in Illinois will typically earn around 229,000 USD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 125,400 USD to the highest average salary of 349,300 USD.

Average Annual Salary229,000 USD
Average Monthly Salary19,083 USD
Average Lowest Salary125,400 USD
Lowest Monthly Salary10,450 USD
Average Highest Salary349,300 USD
Highest Monthly Salary29,108 USD

These are average salaries for an Aviation Manager in Illinois and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for an Aviation Manager to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Aviation Manager salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Aviation Manager Salaries in Illinois

So we've looked at the average salaries an Aviation Manager will earn in Illinois. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that an Aviation Manager can earn between 125,400 USD and 349,300 USD on average in Illinois. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for an Aviation Manager in Illinois is 212,500 USD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 212,500 USD, and 50% of the population earn more than 212,500 USD.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Aviation Manager salary in Illinois, 25% of the population are earning less than 151,800 USD while 75% of the population earn more than 151,800 USD.

75% of the population earn less than 257,700 USD, and 25% of the population earn more than 257,700 USD.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Aviation Manager Salary by Experience Level in Illinois

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average Aviation Manager salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. An Aviation Manager in Illinois that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 146,700 USD.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Aviation Manager salary would increase to 184,700 USD.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as an Aviation Manager, the average salary would be 241,200 USD.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 283,500 USD.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. An Aviation Manager with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 313,300 USD.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For an Aviation Manager with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 332,800 USD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years-
146,700 USD
2-5 Years+26%
184,700 USD
5-10 Years+32%
241,200 USD
10-15 Years+18%
283,500 USD
15-20 Years+11%
313,300 USD
20+ Years+6%
332,800 USD

Aviation Manager Salary by Education Level in Illinois

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for an Aviation Manager in Illinois based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • Certificate or Diploma. An Aviation Manager in Illinois with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 184,700 USD.
  • Bachelor's Degree. An Aviation Manager in Illinois with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 241,200 USD.
  • Master's Degree. An Aviation Manager in Illinois with a master's degree education can earn an average salary of 330,700 USD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

Certificate or Diploma-
184,700 USD
Bachelor's Degree+32%
241,200 USD
Master's Degree+37%
330,700 USD

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in United States is around 39,500 to 118,000 USD and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Aviation Manager Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In Illinois, a male aviation manager will earn an average of 206,300 USD, while a female aviation manager will earn around 199,700 USD.

This means that a male aviation manager earns approximately 3% more than a female aviation manager for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Illinois

Male-
206,300 USD
Female-3%
199,700 USD

Aviation Manager Average Pay Raise in Illinois

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for an Aviation Manager in Illinois is around 13% every 18 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in United States is around 8% every 16 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 13 ÷ 18 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that an Aviation Manager in Illinois can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Illinois for 2026

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in United States.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking-
4%
Energy-
8%
Information Technology-
3%
Healthcare-
7%
Travel-
2%
Construction-
6%
Education-
1%

Aviation Manager Bonus and Incentive Rates in Illinois

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

An Aviation Manager is a high bonus based job, with 84% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

16% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 5% to 8%.

Received Bonus-
84%
No Bonus-
16%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in United States earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector-
98,800 USD
Private Sector-6%
93,100 USD

Salaries for Jobs Similar to an Aviation Manager

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to an Aviation Manager in Illinois.

Job TitleCategorySalary
Aeronautical EngineerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense100,700 USD
Aerospace EngineerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense127,600 USD
Aerospace TechnicianAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense93,800 USD
Air Crew MemberAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense58,700 USD
Air Crew OfficerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense64,400 USD
Air Traffic AssistantAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense55,100 USD
Air Traffic ControllerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense102,700 USD
Aircraft AssemblerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense51,300 USD
Aircraft Body RepairerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense46,700 USD
Aircraft CaptainAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense153,800 USD
Aircraft ElectricianAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense54,100 USD
Aircraft Electronics TechicianAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense51,300 USD
Aircraft EngineerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense100,700 USD
Aircraft FuelerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense45,000 USD
Aircraft Maintenance EngineerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense98,100 USD
Aircraft Maintenance ManagerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense151,800 USD
Aircraft Maintenance SupervisorAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense100,700 USD
Aircraft Maintenance TechnicianAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense47,400 USD
Aircraft MechanicAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense52,000 USD
Aircraft PilotAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense172,200 USD
Aircraft Pneudraulics RepairerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense49,400 USD
Aircraft Quality AssuranceAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense132,000 USD
Aircraft Rigging AssemblerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense52,300 USD
Aircraft Service TechnicianAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense45,600 USD
Airfield Management SpecialistAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense148,300 USD
Airfield Operations SpecialistAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense114,900 USD
Airline Cabin CrewAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense103,600 USD
Airline CopilotAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense102,700 USD
Airline PilotAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense161,300 USD
Airlines Sales DirectorAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense192,600 USD
Airlines Sales ManagerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense168,700 USD
Airlines Structural AssemblerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense44,300 USD
Airport Services AgentAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense65,900 USD
Airport Services ManagerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense195,200 USD
Airport Services SupervisorAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense111,700 USD
Assistant Aircraft MechanicAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense40,200 USD
Aviation AnalystAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense128,200 USD
Aviation InspectorAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense112,700 USD
Aviation Operations ControllerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense108,200 USD
Aviation Resources ManagerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense177,100 USD
Aviation Safety AssistantAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense56,100 USD
Aviation Safety ManagerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense189,800 USD
Aviation Safety OfficerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense105,200 USD
Aviation TechnicianAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense49,400 USD
Cargo ExecutiveAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense93,200 USD
Cargo and Freight AgentAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense40,300 USD
Chief PilotAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense172,300 USD
First OfficerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense68,800 USD
Fleet ControllerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense153,800 USD
Fleet Management OfficerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense66,900 USD
Flight AttendantAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense69,400 USD
Flight PlannerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense91,500 USD
Flight SchedulerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense78,200 USD
Flight Simulation EngineerAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense87,400 USD
Freight and Cargo InspectorAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense69,700 USD
Helicopter PilotAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense107,300 USD
Loading Bridge OperatorAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense41,400 USD
PilotAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense160,600 USD
Ramp AgentAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense45,600 USD
Reservations Sales AgentAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense50,600 USD
Safety and Quality SpecialistAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense100,700 USD
Test PilotAirlines / Aviation / Aerospace / Defense119,700 USD

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in United States, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

CityAverage Salary
Atlanta199,700 USD
Austin210,400 USD
Baltimore197,600 USD
Boston211,200 USD
Bristol163,500 USD
Chicago227,600 USD
Cincinnati163,800 USD
Cleveland175,200 USD
Dallas222,300 USD
Denver210,400 USD
Detroit211,200 USD
Honolulu166,600 USD
Houston245,600 USD
Indianapolis210,600 USD
Iowa City165,900 USD
Jacksonville225,500 USD
Kansas City187,500 USD
Kent172,100 USD
Las Vegas191,100 USD
Long Beach195,500 USD
Los Angeles243,000 USD
Memphis205,700 USD
Miami189,800 USD
Minneapolis192,600 USD
New Orleans172,100 USD
New York241,200 USD
Oakland189,800 USD
Oklahoma City206,100 USD
Orlando172,200 USD
Philadelphia241,000 USD
Phoenix241,800 USD
Sacramento191,500 USD
San Antonio231,400 USD
San Diego223,800 USD
San Francisco223,700 USD
San Jose213,800 USD
Seattle211,200 USD
Tampa172,300 USD
Vancouver171,300 USD
Washington D.C.199,700 USD

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in United States.

StateAverage Salary
Alabama210,600 USD
Alaska175,100 USD
Arizona225,500 USD
Arkansas205,700 USD
California225,500 USD
Colorado197,600 USD
Connecticut206,100 USD
Delaware187,500 USD
District of Columbia175,100 USD
Florida236,700 USD
Georgia225,500 USD
Hawaii185,900 USD
Idaho183,900 USD
Indiana213,800 USD
Iowa192,600 USD
Kansas206,100 USD
Kentucky206,100 USD
Louisiana199,700 USD
Maine177,200 USD
Maryland218,500 USD
Massachusetts210,400 USD
Michigan211,200 USD
Minnesota215,100 USD
Mississippi197,600 USD
Missouri206,100 USD
Montana175,100 USD
Nebraska195,200 USD
Nevada193,200 USD
New Hampshire182,400 USD
New Jersey225,500 USD
New Mexico193,200 USD
New York219,500 USD
North Carolina210,600 USD
North Dakota184,700 USD
Ohio218,100 USD
Oklahoma193,400 USD
Oregon206,300 USD
Pennsylvania223,800 USD
Rhode Island177,200 USD
South Carolina216,300 USD
South Dakota185,900 USD
Tennessee210,400 USD
Texas218,700 USD
Utah200,600 USD
Vermont180,500 USD
Virginia212,500 USD
Washington223,800 USD
West Virginia193,400 USD
Wisconsin206,700 USD
Wyoming169,700 USD

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