← All careers

Skilled Trades

Air Traffic Controllers

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. Authorize, regulate, and control commercial airline flights according to government or company regulations to expedite and ensure flight safety.

Median salary (BLS)

$148,080

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$78k – $216k

Job outlook

+1% (about average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $70,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Air Traffic Controllers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: No degree (trade/license)

Plan my path to this →

How to qualify

EstimateLicense required

Cost to qualify

$100–$2,600

Time to qualify

3.1 yr

Renewal

$50/yr

  1. 1

    Registered apprenticeship (paid)

    Experience

    Earn-while-you-learn training — apprentices are paid during the program; fees are tools/books, not tuition.

    $0–$2,000 · 36 months · varies by state source

  2. 2

    Journeyman exam & state/local license

    License

    Most states and municipalities test and license journeyman-level trades workers.

    $100–$600 · 1 months · varies by state · renews every 2 yr source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Air Traffic Controllers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Junior Air Traffic Controllers

    Entry / Junior

    $78,420

    ~2 yrs to advance

  2. Air Traffic Controllers

    Established

    $148,080

    ~3 yrs to advance

  3. Senior Air Traffic Controllers

    Senior

    $181,845

Key skills

A typical day

  • •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.
  • •Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Skilled Trades

Explore all

Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.