Air Traffic Control
Everything OPM FedScope (June 2026) reports about the Air Traffic Control occupation series (code 2152): headcount, average salary, length of service, and pay comparison.
The verdict
Air Traffic Control is a major federal occupation: 21,627 employees (1.1% of the federal civilian workforce) in the Transportation Group family. At an average salary of $153,037 it pays well above the federal average of $117,339, and headcount grew 0.4% from the prior period.
- Employees
- 21,627
- Share of workforce
- 1.1%
- Avg salary
- $153,037
- Avg tenure
- 13.7 yrs
FedScope read on Air Traffic Control (dense series)
As of the June 2026 reporting window, 21,627 people work in the Air Traffic Control occupation (OPM code 2152) across federal agencies, 1.1% of the 1,953,300-strong federal civilian workforce. Headcount moved up by 0.4% 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 $153,037 per year. Salaries moved up by 0.7% from the prior period, a modest shift, consistent with routine locality pay and grade-level movement. Average length of service in this role is 13.7 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 19 other related occupations across the federal government. Candidates browsing USAJOBS for Air Traffic Control postings should also review these sibling occupations in the Transportation Group family.
Inside the Transportation Group family (20 occupations, 42,428 employees combined), Air Traffic Control holds the #1 spot by headcount, a 51.0% share of the family total. Its average salary ranks in the top half (87th percentile) of pay among Transportation Group occupations.
Salary context · rich-pay series
How Air Traffic Control pay compares to the federal average of $117,339
Occupation Average
$153,037
Federal Average
$117,339
vs. Federal Avg
+30.4%
Where Air Traffic Control ranks on rich federal pay
Its average salary of $153,037 is higher than 90% of federal occupation series (485 of 541). The highlighted bar marks where Air Traffic Control sits in the federal pay distribution.
Average-salary distribution across all 541 federal occupation series; Air Traffic Control ranks higher than 90%.
Related Occupations in Transportation Group
10 other occupations in the same family
| Occupation | Employees | Avg Salary | Avg LOS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transportation Specialist | 8,313 | $123,621 | 16.6 yrs |
| Transportation Clerk and Assistant | 2,525 | $55,598 | 11.3 yrs |
| Aircraft Operation | 2,432 | $149,284 | 15.2 yrs |
| Transportation Operations | 1,900 | $105,349 | 16.3 yrs |
| Traffic Management | 1,400 | $119,205 | 15.8 yrs |
| Dispatching | 1,378 | $58,047 | 10.9 yrs |
| Technical Systems Program Manager | 672 | $191,580 | 24.5 yrs |
| Railroad Safety | 497 | $119,966 | 14.1 yrs |
| Motor Carrier Safety | 467 | $94,322 | 12 yrs |
| Aircrew Technician | 374 | n/a | 13.5 yrs |
Nationwide peers near this dense headcount
Two peer sets for Air Traffic Control outside the Transportation Group family, on headcount and average salary axes that vary across all OPM occupation series.
Similar dense headcount
Nearest employee counts in other occupation families (21,627 here).
Similar rich average salary
Nearest average salaries in other occupation families ($153,037 here).
Key takeaways
- Air Traffic Control pays well above the federal average by 30.4% ($153,037 vs $117,339 federal-wide), at the 90th percentile for pay among 541 tracked occupation series.
- A major federal occupation by headcount: 21,627 employees, 1.1% of the federal civilian workforce, and headcount grew 0.4% from the prior period.
- According to OPM FedScope June 2026, Air Traffic Control ranks #23 of 663 federal occupation series by headcount (the same employee_count ordering as our occupations directory).
- Inside the Transportation Group family (20 occupations, 42,428 employees combined), Air Traffic Control holds the #1 spot by headcount, a 51.0% share of the family total.
OPM FedScope and Federal Workforce Data figures are federal civilian headcounts, average salaries, and length-of-service statistics - not job-quality scores, hiring advice, or a live vacancy listing. A larger or higher-paid agency is not a better employer.