Air Traffic Controllers
Median $148,080
Occupation · SOC 53-2022
Airfield Operations Specialists: pay and where the jobs are
What airfield operations specialists earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$56,850 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $63,610
- Median hourly wage
- $27.33
- Mean hourly wage
- $30.58
- Employment
- 15,190
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-2022.
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How much do airfield operations specialists make?
The median annual wage for airfield operations specialists was $56,850 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $35,870 and the highest-paid 10% more than $102,120. As an hourly rate, the median is $27.33. About 15,190 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Kentucky ($123,290), Washington ($84,050) and Alabama ($78,590). Kentucky also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for airfield operations specialists 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 | $35,870 | $17.25 | $2,989 | $2,583 |
| 25th percentile | $42,000 | $20.19 | $3,500 | $2,994 |
| Median | $56,850 | $27.33 | $4,738 | $3,988 |
| 75th percentile | $77,340 | $37.18 | $6,445 | $5,270 |
| 90th percentile | $102,120 | $49.10 | $8,510 | $6,723 |
Airfield Operations Specialists: pay by state
36 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
$101,307 take-home in national prices
2
$68,509 take-home in national prices
3
$62,416 take-home in national prices
Where a median airfield operations specialist paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 290 | $123,290 | $54,990 | $163,350 | $91,337 | $101,307 |
| Washington | 150 | $84,050 | $50,520 | $119,490 | $66,793 | $62,416 |
| Alabama | Not published | $78,590 | $62,870 | $83,290 | $60,852 | $68,509 |
| Arizona | 160 | $77,570 | $52,720 | $101,960 | $61,855 | $61,439 |
| Colorado | 70 | $77,500 | $49,800 | $95,680 | $60,309 | $58,523 |
| Oregon | 50 | $75,130 | $48,720 | $83,700 | $56,170 | $54,343 |
| Virginia | 280 | $72,250 | $37,720 | $113,230 | $56,318 | $55,703 |
| Alaska | 160 | $71,510 | $43,780 | $105,060 | $58,866 | $57,510 |
| New Mexico | 50 | $69,090 | $39,020 | $104,360 | $55,353 | $60,028 |
| Georgia | 340 | $66,790 | $20,490 | $78,920 | $53,232 | $55,282 |
| California | 1,660 | $62,600 | $47,040 | $106,170 | $49,870 | $45,041 |
| Idaho | 40 | $62,510 | $47,260 | $84,400 | $50,202 | $52,571 |
| Michigan | 440 | $61,780 | $41,220 | $78,920 | $49,445 | $51,389 |
| Nevada | 150 | $61,350 | $46,150 | $106,960 | $51,475 | $51,486 |
| Texas | 1,310 | $60,910 | $39,680 | $148,060 | $51,121 | $52,671 |
| Utah | 290 | $59,780 | $39,930 | $82,190 | $47,979 | $48,530 |
| Florida | 2,320 | $57,650 | $37,490 | $77,290 | $48,502 | $46,901 |
| Ohio | 360 | $57,140 | $38,790 | $77,860 | $46,964 | $50,622 |
| Massachusetts | 380 | $56,020 | $45,610 | $78,250 | $44,353 | $41,939 |
| Pennsylvania | 340 | $55,660 | $31,980 | $84,460 | $45,155 | $46,279 |
| Puerto Rico | 820 | $50,180 | $36,920 | $66,360 | — | — |
| Oklahoma | 80 | $49,200 | $31,330 | $95,840 | $40,044 | $45,586 |
| Iowa | 40 | $48,870 | $18,320 | $62,810 | $40,242 | $45,853 |
| North Carolina | 610 | $45,820 | $30,980 | $70,590 | $37,677 | $39,943 |
| Mississippi | Not published | $44,290 | $39,210 | $80,720 | $36,727 | $42,238 |
| New Jersey | Not published | $42,480 | $42,480 | $94,040 | $35,154 | $32,310 |
| New York | 2,190 | $42,000 | $32,410 | $67,710 | $34,043 | $31,545 |
| Missouri | 310 | $40,360 | $34,190 | $63,970 | $33,650 | $37,052 |
| Tennessee | 190 | $40,180 | $17,910 | $65,440 | $34,465 | $37,515 |
| Wisconsin | 100 | $39,400 | $38,160 | $58,550 | $32,784 | $34,841 |
| South Dakota | 190 | $37,860 | $30,460 | $49,560 | $32,601 | $36,801 |
| Indiana | 350 | $37,730 | $31,770 | $61,380 | $31,413 | $33,658 |
| North Dakota | 80 | $37,550 | $37,120 | $60,530 | $32,351 | $36,367 |
| Montana | 90 | $33,990 | $31,940 | $68,630 | $28,650 | $30,271 |
| South Carolina | 90 | $33,590 | $18,730 | $71,220 | $28,800 | $30,720 |
| West Virginia | 60 | $28,670 | $28,670 | $50,760 | $24,531 | $27,410 |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 53-2022. *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.