Sequence traffic from the tower
Watch planes and ground vehicles from the tower and say where and when each moves, keeping runways safe.
Career profile
Air Traffic Controller
Air traffic controllers issue pilots clearances that keep planes safely apart while taxiing and flying.
Two planes' routes are set to bring them too close. The controller sees it coming, changes one clearance, then keeps watching as traffic shifts.
A day in the life
Act before planes lose spacing
Give pilots a new altitude or a hold before their planes lose safe spacing.
Hand off a flight
Pass the next control center the flight's course, altitude and expected arrival so it can take over smoothly.
Warn pilots and reroute departures
Warn pilots about dangerous weather, and send a departing flight a new route clearance if weather affects it.
Quick facts
Qualifying experience or education, then training
United States
$148,080 a year
United States · May 2025
2% projected growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Qualifying experience or education, then trainingFederal Aviation Administration (FAA) entry includes screening and extensive training; approved college programs offer another route.
Pay
$148,080 a yearNational median for May 2025, equivalent to about $71.19 an hour.
Outlook
2% projected growthAbout 2,100 openings a year, on average, during 2025–2035.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like tracking several moving things without losing the details.
- You can speak briefly and listen closely.
- You enjoy putting actions in order as conditions change.
Things to weigh
- Sustained concentration can be exhausting; nights, weekends, and rotating shifts are common.
- FAA placement is nationwide, so training may lead to a move rather than a job near home.
Where AI may help
Where aircraft and facilities are equipped, Data Communications sends clearances as digital messages, reducing lengthy radio exchanges and readback errors.
What people still lead
You still decide when traffic needs a different clearance and respond when a pilot cannot follow the original plan.
What we can’t predict yet
How much routine coordination future systems can take over—and how that changes the traffic one controller handles—remains uncertain.
Pay in context
Earnings
The national median describes the occupation as a whole, not what you earn while learning.
Median and spread
The May 2025 median was $148,080 annually—about $71.19 per hour using 2,080 hours. The lowest 10% earned below $78,420; the highest 10% earned above $215,610. These are wage percentiles, not beginner and senior pay scales.
Employer and facility matter
Industry medians were $156,250 in federal government and $83,890 in air transportation support activities. FAA pay also changes with training progress, location, and facility complexity.
Openings exceed net growth
Most projected openings replace people who leave the occupation or retire. The projection is not a count of jobs accepting applications today.
Getting started
Qualify through work or a degree
- What the route involves
- Build one year of progressively responsible work experience, earn a bachelor’s degree, or combine postsecondary education and work experience totaling one year under FAA requirements.
- What it can lead to
- You can compete for trainee selection. If hired, attend paid Academy training in Oklahoma City, then continue at a facility.
Study in an approved air traffic program
- What the route involves
- Complete an approved Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program. Standard programs teach aviation foundations; Enhanced programs include Academy-equivalent controller training.
- What it can lead to
- Standard graduates can bypass the Academy’s Basics course. Enhanced graduates who are hired can proceed directly to local facility training.
- What to check
- Graduation does not guarantee hiring. Assessment, medical, and security requirements still apply; check whether the specific program is Standard or Enhanced before enrolling.
For ordinary FAA entry, you must be a U.S. citizen, apply before age 31, speak clear English, pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA), and clear medical and security screening.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization. This path also has a credential or licensing boundary; see the requirements and limits.
Learn your facility
Build a detailed mental map of local airspace while practicing and receiving feedback from senior controllers.
Keep your skills current
After certification, continue proficiency training to maintain the knowledge and skills your position requires.
Train for another specialty
Additional training can let you move between specialties, such as from an en route center to a tower.
Where you can work
Airport control tower
Look out over runways and taxiways while handling nearby traffic. Tower operating hours vary by airport.
- Indoors
- Safety-sensitive
Approach control facility
Use radar to handle aircraft arriving at or leaving an airport area. Some facilities combine traffic from several airports.
- Indoors
- Safety-sensitive
En route center
Work in a secure building, usually away from airports, handling aircraft traveling between terminal areas.
- Indoors
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Draw two crossing runways and make four paper aircraft. Give each a starting point and destination. Explain a movement sequence to a friend, then close one runway and revise it. Notice whether tracking positions and giving clear instructions holds your interest.
Stay safe: This is a paper exercise, not air traffic control training or an aptitude test.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Air Traffic Controllers — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Air Traffic Controllers. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- O*NET OnLine. 53-2021.00 — Air Traffic Controllers. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Aeronautical Information Manual — ATC Clearances and Aircraft Separation. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Data Communications (Data Comm). Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Safe Skies. Strong Careers. We're Hiring Air Traffic Controllers.. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Air Traffic Controller Qualifications. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Federal Aviation Administration. Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiatives. Accessed 2026-10-05.
- Federal Aviation Administration. OPSNET: Facility Classification. Accessed 2026-10-05.