ZLA

Los Angeles ARTCC

FAA En Route Air Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) Palmdale, California

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier	ZLA
Facility Name	Los Angeles ARTCC
Type	En Route Center
Level	Level 12

Airspace & Operations
Hours of Operation	0000-2359 (always open)
Towers Under This Center	LAS, LAX, MYF, SNA, LGB, VNY, SAN, CNO, SBA, SEE, BFL, VGT, CMA, CRQ, BUR, POC, RAL, ONT, OXR, RNM, EMT, WHP, SMO, TOA, FUL, SDM, SBP, HND, SBD, WJF, PSP, HHR, GCN, SMX, PMD, IFP, VCV Show all 37Show fewer
Surface Area

Location & Contact

View on full map → ARTCC boundaries →
Address	2555 E Ave P Palmdale, CA 93550
Phone Number	510-745-3000

Salary Information

2026 pay for Los Angeles ARTCC, built from the FAA Air Traffic Specialized Pay Plan bands:

Career Level	Hourly Min.	Hourly Max.	Total Pay Min.	Total Pay Max.
CPC	$86.00	$109.25	$179,477	$228,000
D3	$72.19	$86.00	$150,652	$179,477
D2	$58.38	$72.19	$121,831	$150,652
D1	$44.56	$58.38	$93,002	$121,831
AG	$30.75	$30.75	$64,176	$64,176
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay. It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.

Pay Factors
Facility Level	Level 12
Locality Area	Los Angeles
Locality Pay	36.47%

Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index	113.6 (13.6% above avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min	$158,032

How this pay is calculated

Basic Pay (Level 12 CPC band maximum)	$177,543
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $64,750
− Statutory pay cap (Basic + Locality cannot exceed $228,000)	− $14,293
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$228,000
= Total Pay	$228,000

Basic Pay (Level 12 CPC band minimum)	$131,514
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $47,963
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$179,477
= Total Pay	$179,477

Basic Pay (Level 12 D3 band maximum)	$131,514
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $47,963
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$179,477
= Total Pay	$179,477

Basic Pay (Level 12 D3 band minimum)	$110,392
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $40,260
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$150,652
= Total Pay	$150,652

Basic Pay (Level 12 D2 band maximum)	$110,392
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $40,260
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$150,652
= Total Pay	$150,652

Basic Pay (Level 12 D2 band minimum)	$89,273
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $32,558
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$121,831
= Total Pay	$121,831

Basic Pay (Level 12 D1 band maximum)	$89,273
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $32,558
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$121,831
= Total Pay	$121,831

Basic Pay (Level 12 D1 band minimum)	$68,149
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $24,853
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$93,002
= Total Pay	$93,002

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $17,150
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$64,176
= Total Pay	$64,176

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 (36.47% of Basic Pay for Los Angeles)	+ $17,150
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$64,176
= Total Pay	$64,176

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 and Training

Staffing Information, November 2026
CPCs on Board	208 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	268 CPCs
Current Staffing	75.37%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	88.01%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 67
↳ Temporary Inbounds	+ 2
↳ Placement List Outbounds	- 1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 34.1
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	98 trainees
↳ Academy Graduates	44
↳ Developmental 1	19
↳ Developmental 2	17
↳ Developmental 3	16
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)	1
↳ CPC-IT 3 (Transfer)	1

Training Information, November 2026
Training Time (Avg)	3.05 years
↳ New Hires	3.16 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	2.58 years
Training Success Rate (Avg)	68%
↳ New Hires	71%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	58%
Travel Days from Academy	3 days

Historical Trends

ZLA Staffing Percentages

ZLA Personnel Counts

ZLA Training Metrics

NCEPT

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

Eligibility & Staffing, November 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	96.42%
Gaining Target	101.42%
Possible Gains	53
Primary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary (ER to ER)	0

Transfer Activity
Releases, Past 3 Yrs	8
↳ Standard	0
↳ Priority/Other	8
Gains, Past 3 Yrs	0
Last Standard Release	None in 3+ years

Legacy NCEPT

ERR Demand, October 14, 2026
ERRs on File (Inbound)	11
↳ Releasable	0
Employees with ERRs (Outbound)	12
↳ As % of CPCs	5.8%
↳ Total ERRs (Outbound)	60

ERR demand at every facility →

ERR Demand Trends

Legacy NCEPT

Selections, 2016–2026

Gained	26
Released	20
Net	+6
Top Origins	CMA (4), BUR (3), CNO (2), ZAU (2), ACY (1)
Top Destinations	MIA (3), SCT (2), ZDV (2), ZOA (2), CLT (1)

Selections by Year, 2016–2026

Traffic

October 2025 - September 2026 (12 Months)
En Route Aircraft	2,503,545 aircraft/yr
Average Daily Aircraft	6,859 aircraft/day
Peer Group Median (Lvl 12 Center)	2,479,818 aircraft/yr
Relative Workload	+1.0% vs peer median

Traffic History

Administration

Organizational Structure
Service Area	Western
District	Los Angeles
HR Region	Western Pacific

Nearest Facilities

PMD	Palmdale Tower	FCT	2 mi
WJF	Fox Tower	FCT	12 mi
EDW	Edwards AFB	DoD	24 mi
JCF	Joshua TRACON	FAA	24 mi
WHP	Whiteman Tower	FCT	30 mi
MHV	Mojave Tower	Other	32 mi
BUR	Burbank Tower	FAA	32 mi
VNY	Van Nuys Tower	FAA	36 mi
EMT	El Monte Tower	FAA	36 mi
POC	Brackett Tower	FAA	39 mi