CLE - Cleveland Tower | Air Traffic Control Tower

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier	CLE
Facility Name	Cleveland Tower
Airport	Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport
Type	Tower and Approach Control
Level	Level 8 Show historyHide history • Prior to Nov 2016: Level 9
Core 30 Airport	No

2026 pay for Cleveland Tower, built from the FAA Air Traffic Specialized Pay Plan bands:

Career Level	Hourly Min.	Hourly Max.	Total Pay Min.	Total Pay Max.
CPC	$54.85	$74.05	$114,469	$154,533
D3	$48.02	$54.85	$100,222	$114,469
D2	$41.20	$48.02	$85,974	$100,222
AG	$27.54	$27.54	$57,480	$57,480
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay. It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.

Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index	93.9 (6.1% below avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min	$121,879

How this pay is calculated

Basic Pay (Level 8 CPC band maximum)	$126,428
+ Locality Pay (22.23% of Basic Pay for Cleveland)	+ $28,105
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$154,533
= Total Pay	$154,533

Basic Pay (Level 8 CPC band minimum)	$93,650
+ Locality Pay (22.23% of Basic Pay for Cleveland)	+ $20,819
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$114,469
= Total Pay	$114,469

Basic Pay (Level 8 D3 band maximum)	$93,650
+ Locality Pay (22.23% of Basic Pay for Cleveland)	+ $20,819
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$114,469
= Total Pay	$114,469

Basic Pay (Level 8 D3 band minimum)	$81,995
+ Locality Pay (22.23% of Basic Pay for Cleveland)	+ $18,227
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$100,222
= Total Pay	$100,222

Basic Pay (Level 8 D2 band maximum)	$81,995
+ Locality Pay (22.23% of Basic Pay for Cleveland)	+ $18,227
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$100,222
= Total Pay	$100,222

Basic Pay (Level 8 D2 band minimum)	$70,338
+ Locality Pay (22.23% of Basic Pay for Cleveland)	+ $15,636
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$85,974
= Total Pay	$85,974

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (22.23% of Basic Pay for Cleveland)	+ $10,454
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$57,480
= Total Pay	$57,480

The AG band is a single national rate, so the top and bottom of the band are the same.

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (22.23% of Basic Pay for Cleveland)	+ $10,454
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$57,480
= Total Pay	$57,480

The AG band is a single national rate, so the top and bottom of the band are the same.

Amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar, so lines can differ from the total by a dollar or two.

ATC pay has stalled over the past decade. Marangos & Brown are on a mission to increase pay.

Staffing Information, November 2026
CPCs on Board	45 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	39 CPCs
Current Staffing	115.38%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	131.42%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 9.8
↳ Committed Inbounds	+ 1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 4.4
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	12 trainees
↳ Academy Graduates	1
↳ Developmental 2	1
↳ Developmental 3	4
↳ CPC-IT 0 (Transfer)	4
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)	1
↳ CPC-IT 3 (Transfer)	1

Training Information, November 2026
Training Time (Avg)	1.93 years
↳ New Hires	2.45 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	1.85 years
Training Success Rate (Avg)	82%
↳ New Hires	70%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	83%
Travel Days from Academy	3 days

NCEPT manages controller-requested transfers between FAA facilities. See CLE transfer selections on the Transfer Flow Map.

Eligibility & Staffing, November 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	92.82%
Gaining Target	97.95%
Possible Gains	0
Primary Releases Avail.	11
Secondary Releases Avail.	7

ERR Demand, October 14, 2026
ERRs on File (Inbound)	13
↳ Releasable	1
Employees with ERRs (Outbound)	0
↳ As % of CPCs	0.0%
↳ Total ERRs (Outbound)	0