Air Traffic Controllers · SOC 53-2021

Highest-Paying Metro Areas for Air Traffic Controllerss

Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025U.S. metropolitan areas

Metro areas ranked by published median annual wage for air traffic controllers. Areas where BLS suppressed the median are not ranked (1 such areas are excluded here). Higher medians often track higher living costs — this is a pay comparison, not a ranking of where the job is “best”.

Top 25 of 37 metro areas

Air Traffic Controllers: metro areas with the highest published median annual wages, May 2025
#	Metro area	Median annual	Employment	Per 1,000 jobs
1	Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	$198,590	220	0.1
2	Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	$196,290	240	0.2
3	San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$193,360	430	0.2
4	Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$189,780	850	0.2
5	Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	$186,640	810	0.3
6	Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	$186,510	800	0.2
7	Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	$179,670	620	0.3
8	Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	$178,310	180	0.1
9	Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$175,280	510	0.2
10	Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	$174,870	1,800	0.6
11	Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	$173,020	690	0.1
12	Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN	$171,910	470	0.4
13	Jacksonville, FL	$170,120	450	0.6
14	Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	$162,140	720	0.3
15	Kansas City, MO-KS	$161,700	430	0.4
16	Salt Lake City-Murray, UT	$161,640	330	0.4
17	Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	$161,220	220	0.1
18	Anchorage, AK	$160,970	280	1.6
19	Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN	$155,540	60	0.1
20	Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	$155,500	170	0.2
21	Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	$150,700	110	0.1
22	Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	$147,800	170	0.1
23	Oklahoma City, OK	$146,520	130	0.2
24	Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	$142,880	110	0.5
25	Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN	$136,240	80	0.1

Full state and metro tables, the national distribution, and the pay map are on the Air Traffic Controllers overview.

About this data. Estimates are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 release, retrieved from bls.gov/oes/tables.htm on July 24, 2026. OEWS estimates describe metropolitan/nonmetropolitan areas and states — not city limits — and are not designed for year-over-year comparisons. See BLS methodology, our plain-English methodology, and sources. CitySalaryData is independent and not affiliated with BLS.