PublicPay

Air Traffic Control federal salary series 2152

Full-time federal employees in the Air Traffic Control series earned a median of $161,120 in annualized adjusted basic pay in September 2026, 47% above the all-federal median of $109,641. The middle half earned between $110,673 and $197,752.

Median pay
$161,120
full-time, September 2026
Middle 50%
$110,673–$197,752
25th–75th percentile
Employees
21,546
in this series, all schedules
Change in median
-0.1%
vs. September 2025
Pay distribution, full-time employees with published pay, September 2026
Air Traffic Control
All federal (full-time)

What shapes air traffic control pay

The most common grade with published pay is FG-3 (398 employees, median $48,251). The largest employer of this series with published pay is the Department of Transportation (19,772 employees). Among states with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay, the median is highest in Virginia ($198,065) and lowest in District of Columbia ($48,251), a gap that partly reflects locality pay differences. Federal pay depends mostly on grade and step, plus a locality adjustment for where the job is located; see the GS pay scale explainer.

Air Traffic Control pay by grade

Grades with at least 30 full-time employees with published pay. GS grades are listed first; other pay plans follow.

Air Traffic Control pay by grade
Pay plan–grade Employees Median pay Middle 50%
FG-3 398 $48,251 $48,251–$48,251
FG-14 31 $163,514 $155,128–$164,190

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Air Traffic Control pay by agency

Air Traffic Control pay by agency
Agency Employees Median pay Middle 50%
Department of Transportation 19,772 $161,120 $110,673–$197,752

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Air Traffic Control pay by state

The 10 states with the most employees in this series and published pay.

Air Traffic Control pay by state
State Employees Median pay Middle 50%
California 1,932 $186,219 $131,388–$217,128
Texas 1,848 $178,336 $118,852–$209,012
Florida 1,662 $161,182 $124,874–$186,400
Virginia 1,036 $198,065 $150,224–$219,983
New York 954 $187,275 $117,600–$226,569
Illinois 926 $183,518 $121,507–$214,924
Georgia 878 $183,174 $138,840–$203,313
Colorado 704 $182,041 $133,064–$209,091
Ohio 687 $168,554 $115,738–$195,278
Minnesota 608 $178,625 $135,891–$199,619

middle 50% (25th–75th percentile) 10th–90th percentile median all-federal median ($109,641)

Compare air traffic control pay across all states and agencies →

Change since September 2025

The median moved −0.1% from $161,346 in September 2025 to $161,120 in September 2026. Headcount went from 21,027 to 21,546 (+2.5%). A change in the median reflects both pay adjustments and who joined or left the workforce, so it is not the same as a pay raise.

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