Air Traffic Control federal employee pay and staffing
This page shows how large the Air Traffic Control series is across government, what the average pay looks like, and which agencies employ the biggest share of people in this occupation.
March 2025 workforce snapshot. The Air Traffic Control occupation series had 20,721 employees with an average salary of $150,830.
20,721 employees in this occupation series
$150,830 average pay
Transportation Group occupation family
Federal Aviation Administration largest agency for this occupation
What this page helps you check
Use this page when you want to see where a federal occupation is concentrated, which agencies employ the most people in it, and what the average pay looks like across government.
Occupation family
Air Traffic Control is reported under the Transportation Group family in the latest OPM summary.
Agencies that employ the most Air Traffic Control staff
These are the agencies with the biggest reported headcount in this occupation series.
| Agency | Department | Employees | Total salary expense | Average pay | Share of occupation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal Aviation Administration | Department of Transportation | 18,748 | $2,896,685,283 | $154,506 | 90.5% |
| United States Army Installation Management Command | Department of Defense | 410 | $47,472,715 | $115,787 | 2.0% |
| Air National Guard Units | Department of Defense | 165 | $18,429,916 | $111,696 | 0.8% |
| Air Combat Command | Department of Defense | 159 | $19,053,583 | $119,834 | 0.8% |
| Air Education and Training Command | Department of Defense | 142 | $16,134,873 | $113,626 | 0.7% |
| "Commander, Navy Installations" | Department of Defense | 137 | $15,902,603 | $116,077 | 0.7% |
| U.s. Marine Corps | Department of Defense | 121 | $14,986,044 | $123,852 | 0.6% |
| "Headquarters, Air Force Reserve Command" | Department of Defense | 116 | $13,194,739 | $113,748 | 0.6% |
| Air Mobility Command | Department of Defense | 114 | $12,583,946 | $110,385 | 0.6% |
| Air Force Materiel Command | Department of Defense | 109 | $12,992,342 | $119,196 | 0.5% |
| Army National Guard Units | Department of Defense | 69 | $6,762,003 | $98,000 | 0.3% |
| U.s. Army Training and Doctrine Command | Department of Defense | 56 | $7,099,195 | $126,771 | 0.3% |
| Air Force Global Strike Command | Department of Defense | 30 | $3,047,058 | $101,569 | 0.1% |
| Immediate Office of the Commander-In-Chief of the U.s. Army Europe and Seventh Army | Department of Defense | 26 | $2,784,366 | $107,091 | 0.1% |
| Pacific Air Forces | Department of Defense | 19 | $2,438,954 | $128,366 | 0.1% |
| HQ Af Flight Standards Agency | Department of Defense | 11 | $1,600,214 | $145,474 | 0.1% |
| U.s. Army Forces Command | Department of Defense | 11 | $970,211 | $88,201 | 0.1% |
| U.s. Army Military District of Washington | Department of Defense | 11 | $1,051,842 | $95,622 | 0.1% |
Common pay plans for Air Traffic Control
This shows the pay plans most commonly attached to this occupation series in the latest OPM summary.
| Pay plan | Employees | Average pay | Share of occupation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AT | 17,749 | $156,428 | 85.7% |
| GS | 1,675 | $114,986 | 8.1% |
| FG | 510 | $55,203 | 2.5% |
| FV | 489 | $188,324 | 2.4% |
| NH | 31 | $125,888 | 0.1% |
Occupation totals come from the latest OPM FedScope Employment Summary Data (March 2025).