Average First Officer Salary in Sunshine Coast, Australia for 2026

In this article, we will look at the average First Officer salary for 2026 in Sunshine Coast 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 Australian dollar. To keep things simple, we are using the AUD currency code instead of the currency symbol $.

How Much Does a First Officer Make in Sunshine Coast?

A First Officer working in Sunshine Coast will typically earn around 63,500 AUD per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 31,400 AUD to the highest average salary of 100,700 AUD.

These are average salaries for a First Officer in Sunshine Coast and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a First Officer to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

First Officer 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 First Officer Salaries in Sunshine Coast

So we've looked at the average salaries a First Officer will earn in Sunshine Coast. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a First Officer can earn between 31,400 AUD and 100,700 AUD on average in Sunshine Coast. 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 a First Officer in Sunshine Coast is 66,900 AUD. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 66,900 AUD, and 50% of the population earn more than 66,900 AUD.

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 First Officer salary in Sunshine Coast, 25% of the population are earning less than 43,800 AUD while 75% of the population earn more than 43,800 AUD.

75% of the population earn less than 86,800 AUD, and 25% of the population earn more than 86,800 AUD.

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.

First Officer Salary by Experience Level in Sunshine Coast

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 First Officer 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. A First Officer in Sunshine Coast that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 36,700 AUD.
• 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average First Officer salary would increase to 49,700 AUD.
• 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a First Officer, the average salary would be 65,800 AUD.
• 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 81,300 AUD.
• 15 - 20 Years Experience. A First Officer with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 87,800 AUD.
• 20+ Years Experience. For a First Officer with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 93,600 AUD.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

First Officer Salary by Education Level in Sunshine Coast

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 a First Officer in Sunshine Coast based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

• High School. A First Officer in Sunshine Coast with a high school education can earn an average salary of 49,700 AUD.
• Certificate or Diploma. A First Officer in Sunshine Coast with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 68,800 AUD.
• Bachelor's Degree. A First Officer in Sunshine Coast with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 97,200 AUD.

Average Salary by Education Chart

First Officer 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 Sunshine Coast, a male first officer will earn an average of 70,500 AUD, while a female first officer will earn around 69,800 AUD.

This means that a male first officer earns approximately 1% more than a female first officer for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in Sunshine Coast

First Officer Average Pay Raise in Sunshine Coast

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 a First Officer in Sunshine Coast is around 11% every 15 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in Australia 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 = ( 11 ÷ 15 ) × 12  = 9%

What this means is that a First Officer in Sunshine Coast can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 9% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in Sunshine Coast for 2026

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

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

First Officer Bonus and Incentive Rates in Sunshine Coast

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.

A First Officer is a moderate bonus based job, with 52% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

48% 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 4% to 5%.

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 Australia earn approximately 5% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a First Officer

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a First Officer in Sunshine Coast.

Salary Comparison by City

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