Air Traffic Controller vs Firefighter: $148K vs $59K Median Pay

Air Traffic Controller vs Firefighter: what changes?

Consider Air Traffic Controller if you want to control air traffic on and within vicinity of airport, and movement of air traffic between altitude sectors and control centers, according to established procedures and policies. Consider Firefighter if you would rather control and extinguish fires or respond to emergency situations where life, property, or the environment is at risk. Entry credentials differ: Air Traffic Controller, associate's degree; Firefighter, postsecondary nondegree award.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Air Traffic Controller and Firefighter. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Air Traffic Controller

National median pay (2025): $148,080
Route into the job: Associate's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,100

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (24,000 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Air Traffic Controller brief

Firefighter

National median pay (2025): $59,280
Route into the job: Postsecondary nondegree award; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Rescue survivors from burning buildings, accident sites, and water hazards.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 26,800

Know before you choose

The work routinely happens in close physical proximity to other people; personal space is limited.

See the full Firefighter brief

How the national numbers differ

Firefighter has the edge on annual openings

Firefighter is at 26,800 annual openings, compared with 2,100 annual openings for Air Traffic Controller.

Air Traffic Controller has the edge on median pay

Air Traffic Controller is at $148,080, compared with $59,280 for Firefighter.

Firefighter has the edge on projected growth

Firefighter is at 3.7% projected growth, compared with 1.7% projected growth for Air Traffic Controller.

55.2/ 100

Air Traffic Controller

60.7/ 100

Firefighter

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Air Traffic Controller vs Firefighter

Dimension	Air Traffic Controller	Firefighter
Median pay (2025)	$148,080	$59,280
Pay percentile	94.8 percentile	46.4 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1.7%	3.7%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,100	26,800
2025 employment	24,000	355,300
How you qualify	Associate's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Postsecondary nondegree award; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.	More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Air Traffic Controller brief Read Firefighter brief

Air Traffic Controller vs Firefighter: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Air Traffic Controller

Firefighter

How the national numbers differ

Firefighter has the edge on annual openings

Air Traffic Controller has the edge on median pay

Firefighter has the edge on projected growth

Air Traffic Controller vs Firefighter

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