Average Air Traffic Controllers Salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

BLS did not publish a wage for air traffic controllers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX in the latest release, but in 2023 the local median hourly wage was $86.85. There are 600 workers employed locally today.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, May 2024 estimates for Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (metro area).

No annual salary published for this location. BLS does not publish an annual wage estimate for air traffic controllers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. This is common for occupations where most work is project-based, hourly, or on irregular schedules (actors, athletes, musicians, dancers). No wage figures were published at all for this location in the latest release.

Local employment

Workers tracked locally: 600
How common this job is here: 1.28×; More concentrated here than nationally — this metro area is unusually strong in this occupation.

The last time BLS reported wages here

The latest release does not include a wage figure for air traffic controllers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, but earlier releases did. Here is the most recent year with a published wage.

Last reporting year: 2023
Median hourly wage (2023): $86.85/hr
Median annual wage (2023): $180,650
Employment (2023): 590

This data is from the 2023 BLS release. Recent figures may differ — small-sample suppression is common for this occupation.

Where air traffic controllers earn the most per hour

Locations where BLS did publish hourly wage data for air traffic controllers this release, ranked highest to lowest.

By hourly wage

Top-paying states

Virginia: $89.37/hr
Minnesota: $84.63/hr
Illinois: $84.18/hr
Georgia: $83.94/hr
Colorado: $82.84/hr
Texas: $80.63/hr
Washington: $78.88/hr
Kansas: $75.30/hr

By hourly wage

Top-paying metros

Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: $92.55/hr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: $90.83/hr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: $88.91/hr
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: $87.93/hr
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: $87.65/hr
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: $87.12/hr
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: $86.58/hr
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI: $86.02/hr

National job outlook

BLS publishes national employment projections for air traffic controllers from 2024 to 2034. These projections are national and not broken down by state.

Projected growth: +1.2%; 300 net jobs over the projection period
Annual openings: 2,200; Includes growth plus replacements
Typical entry education: Associate's degree

Related occupations

Other jobs in the same field. Many of these follow similar hourly or project-based pay patterns.