Pay by state · 45 states
Air Traffic Controller Salary by State (2026)
Air Traffic Controllers earn the most in Virginia at $191,820 a year and the least in District of Columbia at $47,760 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $148,080. All 45 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $191,820Virginia
- National median
- $148,080BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $47,760District of Columbia
- States reporting
- 45of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Air Traffic Controller salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of air traffic controllers OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | VAVirginia | $191,820 | $140,480 | $214,360 | 1,120 | $189,725 |
| 2 | ILIllinois | $181,560 | $117,500 | $209,440 | 990 | $181,636 |
| 3 | GAGeorgia | $178,420 | $126,570 | $198,120 | 970 | $185,289 |
| 4 | COColorado | $177,380 | $108,990 | $204,150 | 740 | $172,127 |
| 5 | MNMinnesota | $176,840 | $120,940 | $200,510 | 680 | $179,313 |
| 6 | TXTexas | $170,080 | $107,990 | $202,590 | 2,060 | $175,237 |
| 7 | WAWashington | $162,570 | $112,150 | $191,030 | 620 | $151,916 |
| 8 | CACalifornia | $160,080 | $115,810 | $207,670 | 2,290 | $144,581 |
| 9 | KSKansas | $159,700 | $119,370 | $181,330 | 430 | $177,310 |
| 10 | INIndiana | $158,810 | $106,100 | $180,290 | 630 | $170,161 |
| 11 | HIHawaii | $158,700 | $115,290 | $186,280 | 210 | $144,337 |
| 12 | UTUtah | $158,310 | $140,130 | $169,520 | 360 | $160,129 |
| 13 | TNTennessee | $157,330 | $120,000 | $178,630 | 590 | $171,253 |
| 14 | NMNew Mexico | $148,550 | $120,120 | $170,660 | 350 | $161,096 |
| 15 | FLFlorida | $147,530 | $107,990 | $178,420 | 1,950 | $142,660 |
| 16 | NYNew York | $144,960 | $106,200 | $216,570 | 1,150 | $134,320 |
| 17 | CTConnecticut | $140,940 | $119,430 | $172,640 | N/A | $136,029 |
| 18 | NVNevada | $140,920 | $112,110 | $182,250 | 210 | $140,950 |
| 19 | AZArizona | $136,800 | $112,030 | $170,870 | 380 | $135,880 |
| 20 | PAPennsylvania | $132,350 | $100,210 | $190,360 | 460 | $135,643 |
| 21 | NJNew Jersey | $132,230 | $102,730 | $179,400 | 190 | $121,529 |
| 22 | MDMaryland | $131,290 | $118,350 | $164,920 | 70 | $125,087 |
| 23 | NCNorth Carolina | $129,230 | $104,640 | $169,520 | 410 | $137,004 |
| 24 | KYKentucky | $127,800 | $97,840 | $151,240 | 230 | $141,750 |
| 25 | RIRhode Island | $126,300 | $100,440 | $150,180 | 50 | $123,485 |
| 26 | PRPuerto Rico | $125,780 | $99,800 | $147,120 | 110 | N/A |
| 27 | MAMassachusetts | $125,060 | $89,890 | $171,010 | 120 | $118,252 |
| 28 | AKAlaska | $123,950 | $94,760 | $168,830 | 490 | $121,093 |
| 29 | OKOklahoma | $123,220 | $98,680 | $150,260 | 270 | $140,273 |
| 30 | MOMissouri | $122,200 | $105,440 | $145,140 | 260 | $134,556 |
| 31 | MIMichigan | $118,930 | $99,610 | $178,590 | 360 | $123,606 |
| 32 | ALAlabama | $114,960 | $100,310 | $138,050 | 240 | $129,426 |
| 33 | SCSouth Carolina | $112,030 | $92,980 | $132,600 | 190 | $119,500 |
| 34 | NENebraska | $111,710 | $94,910 | $127,630 | 70 | $123,980 |
| 35 | ARArkansas | $109,760 | $99,800 | $127,920 | 80 | $126,252 |
| 36 | VTVermont | $109,140 | $101,840 | $114,480 | 30 | $111,415 |
| 37 | NDNorth Dakota | $107,990 | $81,720 | $133,660 | 100 | $121,393 |
| 38 | MEMaine | $107,270 | $54,500 | $122,350 | 70 | $110,531 |
| 39 | MTMontana | $101,380 | $83,030 | $108,680 | 60 | $107,116 |
| 40 | LALouisiana | $99,810 | $87,150 | $123,660 | 230 | $113,154 |
| 41 | WYWyoming | $93,580 | $82,310 | $114,940 | 40 | $100,959 |
| 42 | IAIowa | $90,790 | $76,980 | $105,610 | 120 | $103,450 |
| 43 | MSMississippi | $88,110 | $79,700 | $113,300 | 160 | $101,331 |
| 44 | GUGuam | $82,830 | $54,500 | $126,300 | 40 | N/A |
| 45 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $47,760 | $47,760 | $174,860 | 820 | $43,457 |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Air Traffic Controllers, that changes the ranking: Virginia leads on raw pay at $191,820, while Virginia leads once prices are taken into account at $189,725.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Air Traffic Controller pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Air Traffic Controllers the most?
Virginia reports the highest median wage for Air Traffic Controllers at $191,820 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Illinois ($181,560) and Georgia ($178,420).
Which state pays Air Traffic Controllers the least?
District of Columbia reports the lowest median for Air Traffic Controllers at $47,760 a year, $144,060 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Air Traffic Controllers earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Virginia first at $189,725 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $191,820. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.