Air Traffic Controller vs Industrial Engineer: $148K vs $102K Median Pay

Air Traffic Controller vs Industrial Engineer: 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 Industrial Engineer if you would rather design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis…. Entry credentials differ: Air Traffic Controller, associate's degree; Industrial Engineer, bachelor's degree.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Air Traffic Controller and Industrial Engineer. 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

Industrial Engineer

National median pay (2025): $102,440
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 23,100

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Industrial Engineer brief

How the national numbers differ

Industrial Engineer has the edge on annual openings

Industrial Engineer is at 23,100 annual openings, compared with 2,100 annual openings for Air Traffic Controller.

Industrial Engineer has the edge on projected growth

Industrial Engineer is at 12.4% projected growth, compared with 1.7% projected growth for Air Traffic Controller.

Typical preparation differs.

Air Traffic Controller: Associate's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Industrial Engineer: Bachelor's degree Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Air Traffic Controller has the edge on median pay

Air Traffic Controller is at $148,080, compared with $102,440 for Industrial Engineer.

55.2/ 100

Air Traffic Controller

77.1/ 100

Industrial Engineer

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 Industrial Engineer

Dimension	Air Traffic Controller	Industrial Engineer
Median pay (2025)	$148,080	$102,440
Pay percentile	94.8 percentile	84.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1.7%	12.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,100	23,100
2025 employment	24,000	365,100
How you qualify	Associate's degree; More than 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing	Bachelor's degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 3	Job Zone 4
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.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

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 Industrial Engineer brief

Air Traffic Controller vs Industrial Engineer: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Air Traffic Controller

Industrial Engineer

How the national numbers differ

Industrial Engineer has the edge on annual openings

Industrial Engineer has the edge on projected growth

Typical preparation differs.

Air Traffic Controller has the edge on median pay

Air Traffic Controller vs Industrial Engineer

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