Air Traffic Controller Salary

See exactly what controllers earn at every FAA facility

Federal air traffic controllers earned a median of $156,250 a year as of May 2025, about $75 an hour. In 2026, new hires are paid $48,251 a year during FAA Academy training, and certified controllers earn $71,585 to $245,754 depending on the facility and their progress through the pay band.

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Pick any FAA facility for its 2026 pay bands, the factors behind them, and the full math for each figure.

Salary at Each Career Stage

What controllers earn at each step from new hire to fully certified, across the 313 FAA facilities:

Career stage	Annual pay	Hourly
Academy trainee FAA Academy, 2026	$48,251	$23.12
Developmental AG through D3 at the first facility, 2026	$55,049 – $195,811	$26.38 – $93.82
Certified Professional Controller CPC, 2026	$71,585 – $245,754	$34.30 – $117.75
Median, all federal controllers BLS, May 2025	$156,250	$74.87

Ranges run from the lowest-paying facility to the highest-paying one. They include locality pay and, where they apply, CIP and other differentials, but not overtime or other premium pay. Hourly figures divide annual pay by 2,087 work hours. How pay grows from the Academy to CPC

What Controllers Earn

Controllers are concentrated at the busiest, highest-paying facilities. Here is the full range of CPC pay across the workforce, from a new controller's starting pay to the top of the band at the busiest facilities.

Each facility's controllers spread across its CPC pay band (locality pay and any differentials included), weighted by how many work there. Where a controller falls within the band depends on tenure. Does not include overtime or other premium pay.

Top-Paying Facilities

CPC maximum Total Pay. Ties are listed alphabetically.

All of these exceed the $228,000 federal pay cap. The cap covers only Basic Pay plus Locality Pay; differentials such as CIP are paid on top of the cap.

Starting Pay: From the Academy to CPC

New controllers are paid from the first day of training, and pay steps up with each certification milestone.

FAA Academy trainee
$48,251 a year

Training starts with an Air Traffic Basics course taken virtually from home, then continues at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. Trainees are paid an hourly wage with full benefits, plus per diem while in Oklahoma City if they live more than 50 miles from the Academy.
Academy Graduate (AG) at the first facility
$55,049 – $73,521

Graduates choose their first facility from the locations with the greatest staffing needs. Pay moves to the AG rate: $47,026 Basic Pay everywhere, plus the facility's locality pay and any differentials. Some graduates may also be eligible for a one-time incentive of up to $20,000.
Developmental (D1, D2, D3)
$67,454 – $195,811

Trainees move up a stage with each certification milestone, and each stage has its own pay band at the facility's level. Lower-level facilities skip D1, and the lowest levels skip D2 as well (see the pay scale).
Certified Professional Controller (CPC)
$71,585 – $245,754

Reaching CPC takes 1.4 years at the median facility, from about 3 months at Manchester Tower to 4.6 years at New York ARTCC (facility averages as of October 2026). Pay then climbs within the CPC band through scheduled raises.

2026 ATC Pay Scale by Facility Level

FAA controllers are paid under the Air Traffic Specialized Pay Plan. Each facility has a level from 4 to 12 that rises with the amount and complexity of the traffic it controls, and the level sets the pay band for every career stage. These are the 2026 bands in Basic Pay, before locality pay. Academy Graduates (AG) start at $47,026 at every level.

Level	D1	D2	D3	CPC	CPC Total Pay	Facilities
12	$68,149 – $89,273	$89,273 – $110,392	$110,392 – $131,514	$131,514 – $177,543	$153,950 – $245,754	25
11	$66,581 – $86,138	$86,138 – $105,694	$105,694 – $125,247	$125,247 – $169,087	$146,614 – $244,909	18
10	$65,023 – $83,014	$83,014 – $101,008	$101,008 – $119,005	$119,005 – $160,656	$139,307 – $244,066	19
9	$61,142 – $75,253	$75,253 – $89,369	$89,369 – $103,480	$103,480 – $139,698	$121,134 – $206,684	28
8	$58,683 – $70,338	$70,338 – $81,995	$81,995 – $93,650	$93,650 – $126,428	$109,627 – $197,658	41
7	–	$65,890 – $75,321	$75,321 – $84,751	$84,751 – $114,412	$99,209 – $178,872	55
6	–	$61,860 – $69,281	$69,281 – $76,699	$76,699 – $103,541	$89,784 – $161,876	54
5	–	–	$63,812 – $69,408	$69,408 – $93,699	$81,249 – $146,490	53
4	–	–	$57,623 – $61,153	$61,153 – $82,554	$71,585 – $121,965	20

A dash means no facility at that level uses the stage: lower-level facilities move trainees from AG straight to D2 or D3. CPC Total Pay is the range across the facilities at each level after locality pay (17.06% to 46.34% in 2026) and, where they apply, CIP and other differentials. Basic Pay plus Locality Pay is capped at $228,000; differentials are paid on top. Pick a facility for its exact figures.

Average Salary, All Facilities

According to U.S. Department of Labor wage data for May 2025, federal air traffic controllers earned the following:

Category		Hourly		Salary
Highest 10%	>	$104.26	>	$217,590
Median		$74.87		$156,250
Average		$72.64		$151,590
Lowest 10%	<	$40.85	<	$85,260

These wages include locality pay and incentives such as CIP, but not premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, or holidays. Hourly rates are the annual figures divided by 2,087 federal work hours.

Premium Pay, All Facilities

Premium pay is given to air traffic controllers for working nights, weekends, holidays, etc.

Type	Premium Amount
Holidays	+ 100%
Overtime	+ 50%
Sundays	+ 25%
On-the-job training instructor	+ 25%
Nights (6PM-6AM)	+ 10%
Controller-in-charge	+ 10%

These amounts accumulate when more than one condition applies. The total amount of premium pay earned will vary based on the staffing level and operating hours of a facility. At a 24/7/365 facility, a controller may be able to expect an additional 10-15% added to their wages as premium pay.

For holidays, see the 2026 FAA Payroll and Holiday Calendar.

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Pay Stagnation

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Staffing Dashboard

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ATC Retirement

Estimate your FERS pension, the SRS bridge, and TSP, and time your exit.