The job market for air traffic controllers in the United States

There are currently an estimated 23,000 air traffic controllers in the United States. The air traffic controller job market is expected to grow by 1.3% between 2022 and 2032.

How employable are air traffic controllers?

CareerExplorer rates air traffic controllers with a D employability rating, meaning this career should provide weak employment opportunities for the foreseeable future. Over the next 10 years, it is expected the US will need 6,400 air traffic controllers. That number is based on 300 additional air traffic controllers, and the retirement of 6,100 existing air traffic controllers.

Are air traffic controllers in demand?

Decreased demand for air controllers stems from budget constraints and limitations on hiring new controllers, but is also due to the Next Generation Air Transportation System. The ongoing implementation of ‘NextGen’ through 2025 will transform air traffic control systems from a radar-based system with radio communication to a satellite-based one. This conversion will allow controllers to handle greater amounts of traffic and thereby reduce the need for new hires. Much of the employment growth in the next decade will subsequently come from replacing retirees from the field. Aspiring controllers must be thirty years of age or younger and have completed an Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI), a Bachelor’s Degree in air traffic management or aviation technology, or have experience as a controller in the military. Successful candidates will be in peak physical health, possess top level proficiency in English, and possess the capacities to concentrate and multi-task in a stressful environment and to process significant amounts of information quickly. They must be articulate and decisive when interacting with pilots. Willingness to relocate will also increase job seekers’ employability. The vast majority of air traffic controllers in the United States are employed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). While most controllers work at airport towers across the country, some work at the FAA’s Air Traffic Control Systems Command Center in Herndon, Virginia or conduct research at the FAA’s national experimental center near Atlantic City, New Jersey. Others are instructors with the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City. A small number of civilian controllers work for the U.S Department of Defense or for private air traffic control companies that provide services to non-FAA towers and contract flight service stations. In the end, only the very best candidates become licensed air traffic controllers, because only the best should be in control of this very sensitive industry.

What’s the supply of air traffic controllers?

The air traffic controller industry is concentrated in California, Florida, Illinois

Air Traffic Controller job market by state