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SFO

San Francisco Tower

FAA Control Tower San Francisco, California

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier SFO
Facility Name San Francisco Tower
Airport Name San Francisco Intl
Type Tower
Level Level 10
Core 30 Airport Yes
Airspace & Operations
Hours of Operation 0000-2359 (always open)
Airspace Class Class B
Approach/Departure NCT
Overlying ARTCC ZOA
Airport Diagram Airport Diagram (PDF)
Location & Contact
View on full map →
Address 334 Domestic Terminals Departures Level
San Francisco, CA 94128
Phone Number 650-876-2883

Salary Information

2026 Pay for San Francisco Tower

Career Level Hourly Min. Hourly Max. Salary Min. Salary Max.
CPC $89.15 $116.95 $186,053 $244,066
D3 $75.67 $89.15 $157,916 $186,053
D2 $62.19 $75.67 $129,783 $157,916
D1 $48.71 $62.19 $101,657 $129,783
AG $35.23 $35.23 $73,521 $73,521
Includes everything except premium pay.

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

Pay Factors
Facility Level Level 10
Locality Area San Francisco
Locality Pay 46.34%
Controller Incentive Pay (CIP) 10.00%
Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index 115.6 (15.6% above avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min $160,931

Staffing and Training

Staffing Information, July 2026
CPCs on Board 23 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP) 32 CPCs
Current Staffing 71.88%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications+ 1.2
↳ Committed Inbounds+ 1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses- 2.8
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)2
Training Information, July 2026
Training Time (Avg) 1.39 years
↳ New Hires 1.19 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 1.39 years
Training Success Rate (Avg) 60%
↳ New Hires 75%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) 59%
Travel Days from Academy 4 days

Historical Trends

SFO Staffing Percentages

SFO Personnel Counts

SFO Training Metrics

NCEPT

NCEPT manages controller-requested transfers between FAA facilities.

Eligibility & Staffing, July 2026
Staffing Source Non-Academy Sourced
Incentive Award $60,000
↳ Geographical Incentive + $10,000
TSL (One Training Time) 90.02%
Gaining Target 90.02%
Possible Gains 15
Primary Releases Avail. 0
Secondary Releases Avail. 0
Transfer Activity
Releases, Past 3 Yrs 4
↳ Standard 4
↳ Priority/Other 0
Gains, Past 3 Yrs 11
Last Standard Release 0.8 years ago
ERR Demand History
Priority / Draft Order
Mar 2026
#24
Inbound ERRs on File
Feb 2026
7
Employees with Outbound ERRs
Feb 2026
3 (13.6%)

Demand Trends

NCEPT Priority

Traffic

June 2025 - May 2026 (12 Months)
Tower Operations 422,299 operations/yr
Average Daily Operations 1,157 operations/day
Peer Group Median
(Lvl 10 Tower)
422,299 operations/yr
Relative Workload +0.0% vs peer median

Traffic History

Administration

Organizational Structure
Service Area Western
District Oakland
HR Region Western Pacific

Nearest Facilities

SQL San Carlos Tower FCT 10 mi
OAK Oakland Tower FAA 11 mi
HWD Hayward Tower FAA 14 mi
PAO Palo Alto Tower FAA 18 mi
ZOA Oakland ARTCC FAA 20 mi
SJC San Jose Tower FAA 30 mi
LVK Livermore Tower FAA 31 mi
CCR Concord Tower FAA 31 mi
RHV Reid-Hillview Tower FAA 36 mi
APC Napa Tower FAA 41 mi