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RFD

Rockford Tower

FAA Control Tower and Approach Control Rockford, Illinois

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier RFD
Facility Name Rockford Tower
Airport Name Chicago/Rockford Intl
Type Tower and Approach Control
Level Level 6
Core 30 Airport No
Airspace & Operations
Hours of Operation 0000-2359 (always open)
Airspace Class Class D
Overlying ARTCC ZAU
Airport Diagram Airport Diagram (PDF)
Location & Contact
View on full map →
Address 5701 Falcon Rd
Rockford, IL 61109
Phone Number 815-484-5312

Salary Information

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

Career Level Hourly Min. Hourly Max. Total Pay Min. Total Pay Max.
CPC $48.09 $64.92 $100,368 $135,493
D3 $43.44 $48.09 $90,661 $100,368
D2 $38.79 $43.44 $80,950 $90,661
AG $29.49 $29.49 $61,538 $61,538
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay. It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.
Pay Factors
Facility Level Level 6
Locality Area Chicago
Locality Pay 30.86%
Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index 92.2 (7.8% below avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min $108,918
How this pay is calculated
Basic Pay (Level 6 CPC band minimum) $76,699
+ Locality Pay (30.86% of Basic Pay for Chicago) + $23,669
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3) $100,368
= Total Pay $100,368

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 and Training

Staffing Information, August 2026
CPCs on Board 23 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP) 22 CPCs
Current Staffing 104.55%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications+ 7
↳ Committed Outbounds- 1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses- 0.7
↳ Academy Graduates5
↳ Developmental 21
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)1
Training Information, August 2026
Training Time (Avg) 0.99 years
↳ New Hires 1.4 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 0.32 years
Training Success Rate (Avg) 100%
↳ New Hires 100%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 100%
Travel Days from Academy 2 days

Historical Trends

RFD Staffing Percentages

RFD Personnel Counts

RFD Training Metrics

NCEPT

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

Eligibility & Staffing, August 2026
Staffing Source Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time) 89.00%
Gaining Target 98.10%
Possible Gains 0
Primary Releases Avail. 2
Secondary Releases Avail. 0
Transfer Activity
Releases, Past 3 Yrs 2
↳ Standard 2
↳ Priority/Other 0
Gains, Past 3 Yrs 1
Last Standard Release 0.1 years ago

Selections, 2016–2026

Gained 3
Released 20
Net -17
Top Origins FNT (1), PIA (1), TUS (1)
Top Destinations MDW (4), ZAU (3), D10 (1), D21 (1), I90 (1)

Selections by Year, 2016–2026

Demand Trends

NCEPT Priority

Traffic

July 2025 - June 2026 (12 Months)
Tower Operations 47,407 operations/yr
TRACON Operations 149,328 operations/yr
Total Operations 196,735 operations/yr
Average Daily Operations 539 operations/day
Peer Group Median
(Lvl 6 Up/Down)
149,241 operations/yr
Relative Workload +31.8% vs peer median

Traffic History

Administration

Organizational Structure
Service Area Central
District Chicago
HR Region Great Lakes

Nearest Facilities

JVL Janesville Tower FCT 29 mi
C90 Chicago TRACON FAA 43 mi
ARR Aurora Tower FAA 43 mi
DPA Dupage Tower FAA 48 mi
ZAU Chicago ARTCC FAA 49 mi
PWK Palwaukee Tower FAA 62 mi
ORD Chicago O'Hare Tower FAA 63 mi
UGN Waukegan Tower FCT 65 mi
LOT Lewis Tower FCT 66 mi
ENW Kenosha Tower FCT 66 mi