Military
Military Drone Operators
SOC 55-3014
Operate unmanned aerial systems for reconnaissance and strike missions.
The job
Median pay
$55k
Estimated
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Growing
Estimated
Openings a year
7k
Estimated
Typical education
High school
Our model
AI exposure
Not measured
No task data or O*NET work context for this role, so it is not ranked
Future-proof
60/100
Key skills
- Remote piloting
- Sensor operation
- Situational awareness
- Discipline
- Tech
Armed forces by state
BLS does not survey the military. These are the Census counts of armed-forces members living in each state (ACS 2023 5-year), all military occupations together; per 1,000 is against the state's labor force, and there are no pay figures by state.
| State | Members | Per 1,000 | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 161,596 | 8.0 | 1.1× |
| Virginia | 130,751 | 28.5 | 3.8× |
| Texas | 118,359 | 7.9 | 1.0× |
| North Carolina | 108,012 | 20.2 | 2.7× |
| Florida | 78,025 | 7.2 | 0.9× |
| Washington | 63,401 | 15.7 | 2.1× |
| Georgia | 59,494 | 10.9 | 1.4× |
| Hawaii | 49,289 | 65.5 | 8.6× |
| Colorado | 42,683 | 13.2 | 1.7× |
| South Carolina | 39,412 | 15.4 | 2.0× |
All 51 states
| State | Members | Per 1,000 | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 32,478 | 9.8 | 1.3× |
| New York | 25,922 | 2.5 | 0.3× |
| Arizona | 24,803 | 7.0 | 0.9× |
| Oklahoma | 23,486 | 12.2 | 1.6× |
| Alaska | 22,039 | 57.9 | 7.6× |
| Illinois | 20,841 | 3.1 | 0.4× |
| Kansas | 20,675 | 13.5 | 1.8× |
| Louisiana | 19,915 | 9.2 | 1.2× |
| Tennessee | 19,903 | 5.7 | 0.8× |
| Missouri | 19,503 | 6.2 | 0.8× |
| Alabama | 15,906 | 6.7 | 0.9× |
| New Mexico | 14,637 | 14.9 | 2.0× |
| Kentucky | 14,435 | 6.7 | 0.9× |
| Mississippi | 13,452 | 10.0 | 1.3× |
| Nevada | 13,013 | 8.2 | 1.1× |
| Ohio | 12,184 | 2.0 | 0.3× |
| New Jersey | 11,377 | 2.3 | 0.3× |
| Pennsylvania | 9,390 | 1.4 | 0.2× |
| Connecticut | 8,409 | 4.3 | 0.6× |
| North Dakota | 7,306 | 17.2 | 2.3× |
| Utah | 6,976 | 4.0 | 0.5× |
| Arkansas | 6,600 | 4.7 | 0.6× |
| Nebraska | 6,503 | 6.2 | 0.8× |
| Massachusetts | 5,781 | 1.5 | 0.2× |
| Indiana | 5,440 | 1.6 | 0.2× |
| Michigan | 5,414 | 1.1 | 0.1× |
| Idaho | 5,172 | 5.5 | 0.7× |
| Oregon | 4,301 | 2.0 | 0.3× |
| Minnesota | 4,070 | 1.3 | 0.2× |
| Rhode Island | 4,049 | 6.8 | 0.9× |
| Delaware | 3,953 | 7.7 | 1.0× |
| Montana | 3,883 | 6.9 | 0.9× |
| South Dakota | 3,774 | 7.9 | 1.1× |
| Wisconsin | 3,480 | 1.1 | 0.1× |
| Washington DC | 3,463 | 8.6 | 1.1× |
| Wyoming | 3,427 | 11.4 | 1.5× |
| Iowa | 3,139 | 1.9 | 0.2× |
| West Virginia | 2,530 | 3.2 | 0.4× |
| Maine | 2,109 | 2.9 | 0.4× |
| New Hampshire | 1,919 | 2.5 | 0.3× |
| Vermont | 1,095 | 3.1 | 0.4× |
Explore the rankings
Explore Military Drone Operators interactively →Pay and outlook for this occupation are Career Atlas estimates: BLS does not publish it on its own. Skills and work activities from O*NET 30.3. AI exposure and future-proof scores are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.