Airfield Operations Specialists
Median $56,850
Occupation · SOC 53-2021
Air Traffic Controllers: pay and where the jobs are
What air traffic controllers earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$148,080 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $146,490
- Median hourly wage
- $71.19
- Mean hourly wage
- $70.43
- Employment
- 22,510
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-2021.
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How much do air traffic controllers make?
The median annual wage for air traffic controllers was $148,080 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $78,420 and the highest-paid 10% more than $215,610. As an hourly rate, the median is $71.19. About 22,510 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Virginia ($191,820), Illinois ($181,560) and Georgia ($178,420). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Texas.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for air traffic controllers looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $78,420 | $37.70 | $6,535 | $5,333 |
| 25th percentile | $104,520 | $50.25 | $8,710 | $6,863 |
| Median | $148,080 | $71.19 | $12,340 | $9,373 |
| 75th percentile | $190,570 | $91.62 | $15,881 | $11,793 |
| 90th percentile | $215,610 | $103.66 | $17,968 | $13,220 |
Air Traffic Controllers: pay by state
45 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$131,382 take-home in national prices
2
$130,716 take-home in national prices
3
$129,876 take-home in national prices
Where a median air traffic controller paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 1,120 | $191,820 | $94,330 | $225,680 | $132,159 | $130,716 |
| Illinois | 990 | $181,560 | $83,990 | $225,680 | $126,520 | $126,573 |
| Georgia | 970 | $178,420 | $90,940 | $217,590 | $125,061 | $129,876 |
| Colorado | 740 | $177,380 | $76,310 | $213,950 | $124,628 | $120,937 |
| Minnesota | 680 | $176,840 | $88,940 | $218,190 | $120,309 | $121,991 |
| Texas | 2,060 | $170,080 | $90,420 | $222,230 | $127,516 | $131,382 |
| Washington | 620 | $162,570 | $91,600 | $209,270 | $120,127 | $112,255 |
| California | 2,290 | $160,080 | $80,960 | $225,680 | $107,957 | $97,505 |
| Kansas | 430 | $159,700 | $82,060 | $199,160 | $112,309 | $124,694 |
| Indiana | 630 | $158,810 | $81,000 | $200,640 | $115,157 | $123,388 |
| Hawaii | 210 | $158,700 | $92,580 | $205,000 | $109,016 | $99,150 |
| Utah | 360 | $158,310 | $75,360 | $186,180 | $112,426 | $113,718 |
| Tennessee | 590 | $157,330 | $98,300 | $198,790 | $118,801 | $129,314 |
| New Mexico | 350 | $148,550 | $77,400 | $187,790 | $106,852 | $115,876 |
| Florida | 1,950 | $147,530 | $86,660 | $195,960 | $112,103 | $108,402 |
| New York | 1,150 | $144,960 | $74,320 | $225,680 | $102,391 | $94,876 |
| Connecticut | Not published | $140,940 | $95,180 | $175,090 | $99,687 | $96,214 |
| Nevada | 210 | $140,920 | $80,600 | $200,160 | $107,585 | $107,607 |
| Arizona | 380 | $136,800 | $86,630 | $195,980 | $101,743 | $101,058 |
| Pennsylvania | 460 | $132,350 | $81,490 | $225,680 | $97,571 | $99,999 |
| New Jersey | 190 | $132,230 | $88,460 | $209,730 | $94,666 | $87,006 |
| Maryland | 70 | $131,290 | $96,600 | $169,920 | $94,945 | $90,460 |
| North Carolina | 410 | $129,230 | $88,690 | $191,530 | $94,947 | $100,659 |
| Kentucky | 230 | $127,800 | $66,150 | $168,650 | $94,262 | $104,551 |
| Rhode Island | 50 | $126,300 | $61,710 | $150,180 | $92,095 | $90,042 |
| Puerto Rico | 110 | $125,780 | $73,130 | $172,680 | — | — |
| Massachusetts | 120 | $125,060 | $82,150 | $202,070 | $90,136 | $85,230 |
| Alaska | 490 | $123,950 | $66,800 | $191,690 | $95,715 | $93,509 |
| Oklahoma | 270 | $123,220 | $78,340 | $169,980 | $90,487 | $103,010 |
| Missouri | 260 | $122,200 | $90,940 | $166,610 | $89,984 | $99,082 |
| Michigan | 360 | $118,930 | $80,430 | $205,380 | $87,693 | $91,141 |
| Alabama | 240 | $114,960 | $79,420 | $159,640 | $85,019 | $95,718 |
| South Carolina | 190 | $112,030 | $71,680 | $142,830 | $82,772 | $88,291 |
| Nebraska | 70 | $111,710 | $83,030 | $147,990 | $83,215 | $92,355 |
| Arkansas | 80 | $109,760 | $76,360 | $134,430 | $82,185 | $94,534 |
| Vermont | 30 | $109,140 | $90,500 | $139,810 | $80,911 | $82,597 |
| North Dakota | 100 | $107,990 | $58,470 | $147,410 | $83,954 | $94,374 |
| Maine | 70 | $107,270 | $46,550 | $135,910 | $78,034 | $80,406 |
| Montana | 60 | $101,380 | $75,130 | $127,980 | $75,784 | $80,072 |
| Louisiana | 230 | $99,810 | $75,130 | $149,700 | $76,438 | $86,658 |
| Wyoming | 40 | $93,580 | $75,130 | $132,000 | $74,664 | $80,551 |
| Iowa | 120 | $90,790 | $54,930 | $121,720 | $69,903 | $79,650 |
| Mississippi | 160 | $88,110 | $64,380 | $127,170 | $68,023 | $78,230 |
| Guam | 40 | $82,830 | $50,580 | $156,270 | — | — |
| District of Columbia | 820 | $47,760 | $47,760 | $196,310 | $38,856 | $35,355 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-2021. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.