Air Traffic Control

What the Numbers Say About Air Traffic Control

As of the March 2025 reporting window, 20,721 people work in the Air Traffic Control occupation (OPM code 2152) across federal agencies, 0.9% of the 2,289,472-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved up by 0.6% from the prior period, a useful gauge for job seekers on USAJOBS trying to assess whether this role is expanding government-wide or contracting under hiring freezes and attrition.

The average salary for Air Traffic Control is $150,830 per year, placing it 37.3% above the overall federal civilian average of $109,869. Salaries moved up by 1.7% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 12.6 years, a mid-length average tenure, reflecting a mix of career employees and those who transfer or exit mid-career.

The Transportation Group family (code 21) groups Air Traffic Control together with 18 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Air Traffic Control postings should also review these sibling occupations, since federal hiring managers often cross-post positions across closely related codes when recruitment is difficult. All figures here come directly from OPM FedScope Employment Cubes, the same official source referenced in federal workforce planning, budget justifications, and GAO reports.

Inside the Transportation Group family (19 occupations, 44,430 employees combined), Air Traffic Control holds the #1 spot by headcount, a 46.6% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the top half (89th percentile) of pay among Transportation Group occupations.