1Pay
$148,080
Very high national median pay
2025 national median. Top 10% for pay among careers on ChooseField.
Transportation and Logistics · Career brief
Air Traffic Controller
Is it a good career to pursue?
The 30-second read
Air Traffic Controller at a glance
Six signals to look at before you spend time on the full guide.
2Demand
1.7%
Slow projected growth
Projected employment growth for 2025–2035. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for growth.
3Openings
2,100
Relatively fewer openings
Average openings per year in 2025–2035, including replacement hiring. Below the middle of ChooseField careers for openings.
4Route in
Associate degree
Usually a two-year-level credential or equivalent route
Associate's degree. Prior related work is not typically required.
5The work
Structured / detail
Accuracy, process, and organized information matter
Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
6The catch
Know this first
What could make this a poor fit
This is a small national occupation (24,000 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.
ChooseField take
The standout national signal is pay; it ranks in the top quarter of ChooseField careers. It makes the most sense if structured, detail-oriented work appeals to you and you are comfortable with an associate-degree path. Main tradeoff: This is a small national occupation (24,000 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median…
National labor-market measures: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. Work-profile signals: O*NET. See sources and caveats.
Compare Air Traffic Controller with another field
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Want the evidence behind the snapshot?
Market and path
Pay, outlook, and the route in
National median pay (2025)
$148,080
A midpoint for workers nationwide, not a starting salary.
2025–2035 outlook
1.7%employment growth2,100openings per year
Openings include replacement hiring, not only newly created jobs.
Typical entry route
Associate's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
BLS reports the usual education, related experience, and on-the-job training, not a guaranteed minimum for every employer.
2025 employment
24,000
A small national occupation; local availability may be uneven.
Source: BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections ↗ · Air traffic controllers (53-2021).
Actual responsibilities
What you would be trusted to own
Selected O*NET task statements, not a list of traits that applies to almost every career.
- Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
- Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.
- Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.
- Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations.
Decision-changing realities
What could make this a poor fit
- This is a small national occupation (24,000 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.
Work profile
What the work emphasizes
O*NET importance scores. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.9
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events4.6
- Getting Information4.5
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.2
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.2
Interest profile
Career interests
O*NET interest scores describe work someone may enjoy, not personality requirements. Bars are relative to the highest score shown within this chart.
Relative mix of the interest scores below, not percentages of your workday.
- Conventional5.0
- Realistic4.6
- Enterprising4.3
- Social2.7
- Investigative2.5
- Artistic1.0
Preparation
What the training must make you competent at
Subject matter
Transportation
Public Safety and Security
Geography
Telecommunications
Before choosing the major or training
Run a cheaper test first
- Plan a realistic route or delivery problem with time, cost, safety, and disruption constraints, then revise it when one assumption changes.
- Ask an early-career worker which beginner task consumes the most time, what makes new hires quit, and what school or training failed to simulate.
Field-specific evidence
What changes the picture
Record recent trainee hiring
2,028
FAA air traffic controller trainees hired in FY2025, the highest number since 2008.
FAA · FY2025 ↗Hiring surge continues
2,200 → 2,400
FAA hiring targets rise from 2,200 to 2,400 new controllers across FY2026–FY2028.
FAA · FY2026–FY2028 ↗The fuller career guide
How the evidence fits together
The tradeoff that matters most
Air traffic control has exceptional federal compensation for its formal education level, but access is tightly constrained by selection and training. FAA's recent hiring surge is a real opportunity signal without implying that entry is easy.
Common questions
Questions people ask about this career
Is air traffic control a good career?
Consider it if you want responsibility for coordinating aircraft movements and can meet the selection, training, and shift requirements. FAA announcements establish eligibility and the route for a specific opening. Occupational pay does not mean selection is easy or that a trainee will complete certification.
Air traffic controller salary
The national median annual wage in May 2025 was $148,080. This is a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
How hard is ATC training?
There is no single difficulty score. FAA selection includes an aptitude assessment and medical and security screening, followed by training and facility qualification. Review the hiring announcement and ask about progression standards, location assignment, and what happens if a trainee does not qualify. Hiring totals do not measure an individual's completion chances.
ATC retirement age
FAA materials describe 56 as the general mandatory retirement age for covered air traffic controllers. Exceptions and service rules may apply, so check the specific appointment with FAA human resources. This is separate from the entry-age requirements in a hiring announcement.
Adjacent options
Compare before committing
The useful question is not whether one field wins overall, but what changes when you choose a nearby path. Explore the full career guides for Firefighter, Physician Assistant, Industrial Engineer, Commercial Pilots.
Firefighter
- Median pay
- $59,280
- Growth
- 3.7%
Postsecondary nondegree award
Compare side by side →Physician Assistant
- Median pay
- $135,880
- Growth
- 21.1%
Master's degree
Compare side by side →Industrial Engineer
- Median pay
- $102,440
- Growth
- 12.4%
Bachelor's degree
Compare side by side →Commercial Pilots
- Median pay
- $123,220
- Growth
- 5.2%
Postsecondary nondegree award
Compare side by side →Sources
- BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 occupational projections and worker characteristics: pay, employment, openings, education, experience, and training for occupation 53-2021.
- O*NET 53-2021.00 occupation summary: tasks, knowledge, work context, and technologies.
- FAA: FY2025.