ZSE

Seattle ARTCC

FAA En Route Air Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) Auburn, Washington

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier	ZSE
Facility Name	Seattle ARTCC
Type	En Route Center
Level	Level 10

Airspace & Operations
Hours of Operation	0000-2359 (always open)
Towers Under This Center	SEA, GEG, PDX, HIO, EUG, PAE, BFI, TTD, RDM, TIW, MWH, RNT, SFF, OLM, UAO, PSC, MFR, YKM, SLE, ALW, LWS, PDT, OTH Show all 23Show fewer
Surface Area

Location & Contact

View on full map → ARTCC boundaries →
Address	3101 Auburn Way S Auburn, WA 98092
Phone Number	253-351-3520

Salary Information

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

Career Level	Hourly Min.	Hourly Max.	Total Pay Min.	Total Pay Max.
CPC	$76.79	$103.67	$160,264	$216,355
D3	$65.18	$76.79	$136,027	$160,264
D2	$53.57	$65.18	$111,794	$136,027
D1	$41.96	$53.57	$87,567	$111,794
AG	$30.34	$30.34	$63,330	$63,330
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay, and the additions listed under Pay Factors, including this facility's 3.1% Controller Incentive Pay (how CIP works). It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.

Pay Factors
Facility Level	Level 10
Locality Area	Seattle
Locality Pay	31.57%
Controller Incentive Pay (CIP)	3.10%

Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index	111.1 (11.1% above avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min	$144,213
Every facility ranked by cost-adjusted pay →

How this pay is calculated

Basic Pay (Level 10 CPC band maximum)	$160,656
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $50,719
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$211,375
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $4,980
= Total Pay	$216,355

Basic Pay (Level 10 CPC band minimum)	$119,005
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $37,570
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$156,575
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $3,689
= Total Pay	$160,264

Basic Pay (Level 10 D3 band maximum)	$119,005
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $37,570
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$156,575
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $3,689
= Total Pay	$160,264

Basic Pay (Level 10 D3 band minimum)	$101,008
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $31,888
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$132,896
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $3,131
= Total Pay	$136,027

Basic Pay (Level 10 D2 band maximum)	$101,008
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $31,888
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$132,896
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $3,131
= Total Pay	$136,027

Basic Pay (Level 10 D2 band minimum)	$83,014
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $26,207
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$109,221
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $2,573
= Total Pay	$111,794

Basic Pay (Level 10 D1 band maximum)	$83,014
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $26,207
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$109,221
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $2,573
= Total Pay	$111,794

Basic Pay (Level 10 D1 band minimum)	$65,023
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $20,528
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$85,551
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $2,016
= Total Pay	$87,567

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $14,846
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$61,872
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $1,458
= Total Pay	$63,330

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 (31.57% of Basic Pay for Seattle)	+ $14,846
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$61,872
+ Controller Incentive Pay (3.1% of Basic Pay, not of the locality-adjusted figure)	+ $1,458
= Total Pay	$63,330

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.

How CIP works

Controller Incentive Pay is a cost-of-living differential under the NATCA contract. It comes from a fixed $30 million yearly pool that has been running out before year-end; when that happens, payments stop until the next fiscal year. It is not retirement-creditable, and at some facilities only controllers on board before a set date receive it.

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

Staffing and Training

Staffing Information, September 2026
CPCs on Board	126 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	141 CPCs
Current Staffing	88.65%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	98.18%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 40
↳ Committed Outbounds	- 4
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 22.6
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	58 trainees
↳ Academy Graduates	25
↳ Developmental 1	7
↳ Developmental 2	10
↳ Developmental 3	10
↳ CPC-IT 0 (Transfer)	3
↳ CPC-IT 1 (Transfer)	1
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)	2

Training Information, September 2026
Training Time (Avg)	2.51 years
↳ New Hires	3 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	1.28 years
Training Success Rate (Avg)	69%
↳ New Hires	69%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	69%
Travel Days from Academy	5 days

Historical Trends

ZSE Staffing Percentages

ZSE Personnel Counts

ZSE Training Metrics

NCEPT

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

Eligibility & Staffing, September 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	94.15%
Gaining Target	99.15%
Possible Gains	2
Primary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary (ER to ER)	0

Transfer Activity
Releases, Past 3 Yrs	15
↳ Standard	15
↳ Priority/Other	0
Gains, Past 3 Yrs	11
Last Standard Release	0.1 years ago

Legacy NCEPT

Selections, 2016–2026

Gained	30
Released	28
Net	+2
Top Origins	ZAU (3), ZFW (3), PAE (2), ZAN (2), ZHU (2)
Top Destinations	SCT (3), SEA (2), ZHU (2), ZLC (2), ZMA (2)

Selections by Year, 2016–2026

Demand Trends

NCEPT Priority

Traffic

August 2025 - July 2026 (12 Months)
En Route Aircraft	1,257,114 aircraft/yr
Average Daily Aircraft	3,444 aircraft/day
Peer Group Median (Lvl 10 Center)	1,646,722 aircraft/yr
Relative Workload	-23.7% vs peer median

Traffic History

Administration

Organizational Structure
Service Area	Western
District	Seattle
HR Region	Northwest Mountain

Nearest Facilities

SEA	Seattle Tower	FAA	13 mi
S46	Seattle TRACON	FAA	13 mi
RNT	Renton Tower	FCT	14 mi
TCM	McChord Fld (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)	DoD	17 mi
BFI	Boeing Tower	FAA	18 mi
TIW	Tacoma Tower	FCT	18 mi
GRF	Gray AAF (Joint Base Lewis-McChord)	DoD	23 mi
OLM	Olympia Tower	FCT	40 mi
PAE	Paine Tower	FAA	43 mi
NUW	Whidbey Island NAS (Ault Fld)	DoD	77 mi