RFD - Rockford Tower | Air Traffic Control Tower

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier	RFD
Facility Name	Rockford Tower
Airport	Chicago-Rockford International Airport
Type	Tower and Approach Control
Level	Level 6
Core 30 Airport	No

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.

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 maximum)	$103,541
+ Locality Pay (30.86% of Basic Pay for Chicago)	+ $31,952
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$135,493
= Total Pay	$135,493

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

Basic Pay (Level 6 D3 band maximum)	$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

Basic Pay (Level 6 D3 band minimum)	$69,281
+ Locality Pay (30.86% of Basic Pay for Chicago)	+ $21,380
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$90,661
= Total Pay	$90,661

Basic Pay (Level 6 D2 band maximum)	$69,281
+ Locality Pay (30.86% of Basic Pay for Chicago)	+ $21,380
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$90,661
= Total Pay	$90,661

Basic Pay (Level 6 D2 band minimum)	$61,860
+ Locality Pay (30.86% of Basic Pay for Chicago)	+ $19,090
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$80,950
= Total Pay	$80,950

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (30.86% of Basic Pay for Chicago)	+ $14,512
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$61,538
= Total Pay	$61,538

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 (30.86% of Basic Pay for Chicago)	+ $14,512
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$61,538
= Total Pay	$61,538

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	23 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	22 CPCs
Current Staffing	100.00%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	123.88%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 7
↳ Committed Outbounds	- 1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 0.7
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	7 trainees
↳ Academy Graduates	3
↳ Developmental 2	3
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)	1

Training Information, September 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

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

Eligibility & Staffing, September 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	89.27%
Gaining Target	98.36%
Possible Gains	0
Primary Releases Avail.	2
Secondary Releases Avail.	0