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Median pay
$144,580
Median annual pay for Air Traffic Controller.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
Excellent federal compensation and an aggressive hiring push, but entry is selective and training attrition plus age/retirement rules make the path unusually constrained.
Excellent federal compensation and an aggressive hiring push, but entry is selective and training attrition plus age/retirement rules make the path unusually constrained.
The measurable baseline is $144,580 median pay, 1.2% projected employment change from 2024 to 2034, and about 2,200 annual openings. Those figures establish the national baseline; the occupation-specific evidence on this page is what makes the decision more useful than a generic profile.
The national median-pay figure in the current ChooseField dataset is $144,580. A national median is a benchmark, not a personal forecast: experience, geography, employer type, specialty, credentials, and hours can move actual compensation materially.
BLS data in the ChooseField corpus put 2024 employment at 24,100 and projected 2034 employment at 24,400. That corresponds to 1.2% projected growth over the decade. BLS projects about 2,200 openings per year, including growth and replacement demand. This distinction matters when people ask whether a field is oversaturated: growth measures whether the occupation itself is getting larger, while annual openings also reflect people retiring, changing occupations, or leaving roles that must be refilled.
BLS lists the typical entry education as Associate's degree. On-the-job preparation is listed as Long-term on-the-job training. Treat this entry path like an investment: compare the time and cost required to enter with the pay, annual openings, and alternatives available at a similar training level.
Record recent trainee hiring. The headline figure is 2,028. FAA air traffic controller trainees hired in FY2025, the highest number since 2008. Source: FAA (FY2025).
Hiring surge continues. The headline figure is 2,200 → 2,400. FAA hiring targets rise from 2,200 to 2,400 new controllers across FY2026–FY2028. Source: FAA (FY2026–FY2028).
The evidence is more nuanced than a yes/no replacement prediction. FAA reports that FAA air traffic controller trainees hired in FY2025, the highest number since 2008. ChooseField therefore treats AI as a force changing tasks and hiring patterns, not as a single probability that the occupation disappears.
Air traffic control has exceptional federal compensation for its formal education level, but access is tightly constrained by selection and training. FAA's recent hiring surge is a real opportunity signal without implying that entry is easy.
This field is a stronger fit if the specialized training, screening, and schedule constraints are acceptable.
Before choosing Air Traffic Controller, compare it with Firefighter, Physician Assistant, Industrial Engineer. The purpose is not to find a universal winner; it is to see how pay, training time, annual openings, work setting, and field-specific risks change when you move to an adjacent option.
The evidence is more nuanced than a yes/no replacement prediction. FAA reports that FAA air traffic controller trainees hired in FY2025, the highest number since 2008. ChooseField therefore treats AI as a force changing tasks and hiring patterns, not as a single probability that the occupation disappears.
The national median in the current ChooseField dataset is $144,580. Treat that as a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
The evidence is more nuanced than a yes/no replacement prediction. FAA reports that FAA air traffic controller trainees hired in FY2025, the highest number since 2008. ChooseField therefore treats AI as a force changing tasks and hiring patterns, not as a single probability that the occupation disappears.
Air traffic control has exceptional federal compensation for its formal education level, but access is tightly constrained by selection and training. FAA's recent hiring surge is a real opportunity signal without implying that entry is easy.
National pay and employment projections come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other sources are linked on their cards.