MRI - Merrill Tower | Air Traffic Control Tower

Facility Information

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

Career Level	Hourly Min.	Hourly Max.	Total Pay Min.	Total Pay Max.
CPC	$49.19	$66.41	$102,662	$138,590
D3	$44.43	$49.19	$92,732	$102,662
AG	$30.16	$30.16	$62,944	$62,944
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay, and the additions listed under Pay Factors. It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.

Pay Factors
Facility Level	Level 6
Locality Area	Alaska
Locality Pay	32.36%
Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA)	1.49% (tax-free)

Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index	105.4 (5.4% above avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min	$97,384

How this pay is calculated

Basic Pay (Level 6 CPC band maximum)	$103,541
+ Locality Pay (32.36% of Basic Pay for Alaska)	+ $33,506
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$137,047
+ COLA (1.49% of Basic Pay, tax-free)	+ $1,543
= Total Pay	$138,590

Basic Pay (Level 6 CPC band minimum)	$76,699
+ Locality Pay (32.36% of Basic Pay for Alaska)	+ $24,820
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$101,519
+ COLA (1.49% of Basic Pay, tax-free)	+ $1,143
= Total Pay	$102,662

Basic Pay (Level 6 D3 band maximum)	$76,699
+ Locality Pay (32.36% of Basic Pay for Alaska)	+ $24,820
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$101,519
+ COLA (1.49% of Basic Pay, tax-free)	+ $1,143
= Total Pay	$102,662

Basic Pay (Level 6 D3 band minimum)	$69,281
+ Locality Pay (32.36% of Basic Pay for Alaska)	+ $22,419
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$91,700
+ COLA (1.49% of Basic Pay, tax-free)	+ $1,032
= Total Pay	$92,732

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (32.36% of Basic Pay for Alaska)	+ $15,217
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$62,243
+ COLA (1.49% of Basic Pay, tax-free)	+ $701
= Total Pay	$62,944

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 (32.36% of Basic Pay for Alaska)	+ $15,217
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$62,243
+ COLA (1.49% of Basic Pay, tax-free)	+ $701
= Total Pay	$62,944

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, September 2026
CPCs on Board	8 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	12 CPCs
Current Staffing	66.67%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	87.54%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 3.1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 0.6
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	4 trainees
↳ Academy Graduates	1
↳ Developmental 3	3

Training Information, September 2026
Training Time (Avg)	0.78 years
↳ New Hires	0.96 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	0.47 years
Training Success Rate (Avg)	77%
↳ New Hires	82%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	90%
Travel Days from Academy	9 days

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

Eligibility & Staffing, September 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	88.60%
Gaining Target	105.26%
Possible Gains	3
Primary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary Releases Avail.	0