Air Traffic Controllers Salary
The median pay for a air traffic controllers in St. Louis, MO-IL is $127,630/year ($61.36/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $93K at the entry level to $167K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 95.09), that's roughly $134,220 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,218/month, or 15.7% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $128K get you in St. Louis?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by St. Louis’s Regional Price Parity (95.09). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About air traffic controllers
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What this looks like in St. Louis
Pay for air traffic controllers in St. Louis runs about 14% below the U.S. median of $148K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,218/month, 15.8% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 95.09) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Lower pay, lower costs, St. Louis can be a reasonable trade-off for air traffic controllerss who value affordability over top-dollar markets.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for air traffic controllers in metros near St. Louis, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City | $162K | $175K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $190K | $183K |
| Oklahoma City | $147K | $162K |
| Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin | $156K | $161K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, St. Louis, MO-IL
Entry-level air traffic controllers (10th percentile) start around $93K. Mid-career wages sit at $128K. Top earners bring in $167K or more, a $74K spread from bottom to top.
Air Traffic Controllers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Air Traffic Controllers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | $192K | +30% | 1,120 |
| Illinois | $182K | +23% | 990 |
| Georgia | $178K | +20% | 970 |
| Colorado | $177K | +20% | 740 |
| Minnesota | $177K | +19% | 680 |
| Texas | $170K | +15% | 2,060 |
| Washington | $163K | +10% | 620 |
| California | $160K | +8% | 2,290 |
| Kansas | $160K | +8% | 430 |
| Indiana | $159K | +7% | 630 |
| Hawaii | $159K | +7% | 210 |
| Utah | $158K | +7% | 360 |
| Tennessee | $157K | +6% | 590 |
| New Mexico | $149K | +0% | 350 |
| Florida | $148K | -0% | 1,950 |
| New York | $145K | -2% | 1,150 |
| Connecticut | $141K | -5% | N/A |
| Nevada | $141K | -5% | 210 |
| Arizona | $137K | -8% | 380 |
| Pennsylvania | $132K | -11% | 460 |
| New Jersey | $132K | -11% | 190 |
| Maryland | $131K | -11% | 70 |
| North Carolina | $129K | -13% | 410 |
| Kentucky | $128K | -14% | 230 |
| Rhode Island | $126K | -15% | 50 |
| Massachusetts | $125K | -16% | 120 |
| Alaska | $124K | -16% | 490 |
| Oklahoma | $123K | -17% | 270 |
| Missouri | $122K | -17% | 260 |
| Michigan | $119K | -20% | 360 |
| Alabama | $115K | -22% | 240 |
| South Carolina | $112K | -24% | 190 |
| Nebraska | $112K | -25% | 70 |
| Arkansas | $110K | -26% | 80 |
| Vermont | $109K | -26% | 30 |
| North Dakota | $108K | -27% | 100 |
| Maine | $107K | -28% | 70 |
| Montana | $101K | -32% | 60 |
| Louisiana | $100K | -33% | 230 |
| Wyoming | $94K | -37% | 40 |
| Iowa | $91K | -39% | 120 |
| Mississippi | $88K | -40% | 160 |
| District of Columbia | $48K | -68% | 820 |
Showing 1–10 of 43 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track air traffic controllers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when St. Louis numbers change.
Related careers in Transportation
Frequently asked questions
Can a air traffic controller afford a 2BR apartment alone in St. Louis?
Yes — at the median salary of $128K, rent takes 15.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,218/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for air traffic controllers in St. Louis?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new air traffic controllers typically earn — is $93K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,556/month. At HUD’s $1,218/month FMR, rent would take 22% of that take-home — manageable on an entry-level income.
Is air traffic controller a high-paying job in St. Louis?
Local pay runs 14% below the national median — $128K here vs. $148K nationally.
How does St. Louis compare to the national average for air traffic controllers?
St. Louis pays $128K median vs. the U.S. average of $148K — that’s -14%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 95.09), the purchasing-power equivalent is $134K — below the national median.
How much do air traffic controllers make in St. Louis, MO-IL?
The median is $127,630 a year, that works out to about $61 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $92,600, and experienced air traffic controllers can clear $166,800. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $128K enough to live in St. Louis?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,723/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,218/month, which eats 15.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a air traffic controllers salary go in St. Louis?
St. Louis has a Regional Price Parity of 95.09 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median air traffic controllers salary is worth about $134,220 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do air traffic controllers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.