Air Traffic Controllers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for air traffic controllerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $146,490 ≈ $70/hr

National median salary $148,080

Total employment 22,510 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth +1.2% Slower than average

Annual openings 2,200 per year (avg)

Employment 2024→2034 24,100 → 24,400 (+300)

Typical entry education Associate's degree

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

AK ME WI VT NH WA ID MT ND MN IL MI NY MA OR NV WY SD IA IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA UT CO NE MO KY WV VA MD DE AZ NM KS AR TN NC SC DC OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL

Mean annual wage $92,000–$109,000 $109,000–$126,000 $126,000–$142,000 $142,000–$151,000 $151,000–$176,000 U.S. mean $146,490

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

Virginia$175,740
Georgia$164,700
Illinois$164,200
Minnesota$162,920
Colorado$158,790

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

Iowa$91,670
Maine$93,400
Mississippi$93,850
District of Columbia$96,410
Wyoming$97,300

State Rankings

⇄ Compare specific states

#	State	Mean	Median	Hourly	vs. U.S.	Employment
1	Virginia	$175,740	$191,820	$84	+20%	1,120
2	Georgia	$164,700	$178,420	$79	+12.4%	970
3	Illinois	$164,200	$181,560	$79	+12.1%	990
4	Minnesota	$162,920	$176,840	$78	+11.2%	680
5	Colorado	$158,790	$177,380	$76	+8.4%	740
6	California	$156,910	$160,080	$75	+7.1%	2,290
7	Texas	$156,370	$170,080	$75	+6.7%	2,060
8	New York	$154,660	$144,960	$74	+5.6%	1,150
9	Washington	$154,320	$162,570	$74	+5.3%	620
10	Hawaii	$151,040	$158,700	$73	+3.1%	210
11	Kansas	$149,440	$159,700	$72	+2%	430
12	Tennessee	$149,020	$157,330	$72	+1.7%	590
13	Utah	$147,710	$158,310	$71	+0.8%	360
14	Indiana	$145,010	$158,810	$70	-1%	630
15	Florida	$144,140	$147,530	$69	-1.6%	1,950
16	Nevada	$143,990	$140,920	$69	-1.7%	210
17	Pennsylvania	$143,180	$132,350	$69	-2.3%	460
18	Connecticut	$141,920	$140,940	$68	-3.1%	—
19	Arizona	$140,340	$136,800	$67	-4.2%	380
20	New Mexico	$140,280	$148,550	$67	-4.2%	350
21	New Jersey	$139,660	$132,230	$67	-4.7%	190
22	North Carolina	$136,490	$129,230	$66	-6.8%	410
23	Maryland	$136,220	$131,290	$65	-7%	70
24	Michigan	$134,670	$118,930	$65	-8.1%	360
25	Massachusetts	$132,750	$125,060	$64	-9.4%	120
26	Alaska	$130,420	$123,950	$63	-11%	490
27	Missouri	$125,950	$122,200	$61	-14%	260
28	Oklahoma	$125,280	$123,220	$60	-14.5%	270
29	Kentucky	$121,910	$127,800	$59	-16.8%	230
30	Rhode Island	$120,870	$126,300	$58	-17.5%	50
31	Alabama	$117,540	$114,960	$57	-19.8%	240
32	Nebraska	$113,210	$111,710	$54	-22.7%	70
33	South Carolina	$110,990	$112,030	$53	-24.2%	190
34	Vermont	$109,830	$109,140	$53	-25%	30
35	Arkansas	$108,570	$109,760	$52	-25.9%	80
36	North Dakota	$106,930	$107,990	$51	-27%	100
37	Louisiana	$106,280	$99,810	$51	-27.4%	230
38	Montana	$98,700	$101,380	$47	-32.6%	60
39	Wyoming	$97,300	$93,580	$47	-33.6%	40
40	District of Columbia	$96,410	$47,760	$46	-34.2%	820
41	Mississippi	$93,850	$88,110	$45	-35.9%	160
42	Maine	$93,400	$107,270	$45	-36.2%	70
43	Iowa	$91,670	$90,790	$44	-37.4%	120

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 40 metro areas.

#	Metro area	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$198,590	$177,260	220
2	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$196,290	$173,710	240
3	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$193,360	$179,320	430
4	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$189,780	$174,320	850
5	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$186,640	$176,190	810
6	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$186,510	$173,430	800
7	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$179,670	$169,370	620
8	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$178,310	$163,150	180
9	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$175,280	$163,230	510
10	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$174,870	$144,670	1,800

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing air traffic controllerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#	Industry	Median	Mean	Employment
1	Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$174,860	$162,980	—
2	Sector 54 - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services	$174,860	$162,980	—
3	Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation)	$156,250	$151,590	20,530
4	Federal Government, including the U.S. Postal Service (OEWS Designation)	$156,250	$151,590	20,530
5	Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$155,040	$150,890	20,740
6	Federal, State, and Local Government, including State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS	$155,040	$150,890	20,740
7	Sector 99 - Federal, State, and Local Government, excl. State & Local Schools & Hospitals & USPS	$155,040	$150,890	20,740
8	Cross-Industry, Private, Federal, State, and Local	$148,080	$146,490	22,510
9	Cross-industry, Private Ownership only	$85,340	$95,070	1,770
10	Support Activities for Air Transportation	$83,890	$82,620	1,080
11	Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$83,880	$81,900	190
12	Local Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)	$83,880	$81,900	190

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do air traffic controllers make in the U.S.?

The median air traffic controllers salary in the United States is $148,080 per year (mean $146,490), and about 80% earn between $78,420 and $215,610.

How much do air traffic controllers make per hour?

Roughly $70 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $146,490 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays air traffic controllers the most?

Virginia has the highest average pay for air traffic controllers at $175,740 per year (median $191,820).

What is the job outlook for air traffic controllers?

Employment is projected to change +1.2% from 2024 to 2034 (Slower than average), with about 2,200 openings per year.