Air Traffic Controller
Also known as: ATC, Air Traffic Control Specialist, Tower Controller, Radar Controller
Coordinate the movement of aircraft in the sky and on the ground to maintain safe distances, guiding pilots through takeoffs, landings, and flight paths.
Salary Range
The highest-paid specialization or seniority level for air traffic controllers.
About 1 in 20 reaches this level
About 24,100 air traffic controllers in the US; Level 12 facility controllers at busiest centers (NY, Chicago) with overtime and locality pay can reach $225K, roughly 1,000-1,200 positions.
Salary data based on 2025 BLS, Glassdoor, and industry reports. Actual compensation varies by location, experience, and employer.
How to Become One
Complete the FAA Academy program in Oklahoma City. Applicants need an associate’s degree or 3+ years of work experience, and must be under 31 at hire.
For more information: National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) ↗
AI Risk Assessment
The FAA is modernizing its 1970s-era systems and actively exploring AI-assisted traffic management, but full automation remains years away -- the new Common Automation Platform is not expected to deploy until 2028-2029 at earliest. Meanwhile, the FAA employs only 13,164 controllers (6% fewer than 2015) while flights increased 10% to 30.8 million annually, and over 40% of facilities are understaffed. Only ~2% of applicants complete the full training pipeline, creating a severe bottleneck. AI will serve as a decision-support tool, not a replacement, but new graduates should understand this is a career where technology will steadily reshape the role over a 5-10 year horizon.
Ratings reflect a 10-year outlook based on 2025-2026 research, weighted toward entry-level impact. Individual outcomes will vary.
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