SOC 53-2021 · Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro

Air Traffic Controllers Salary in Salt Lake City, UT

The average salary for air traffic controllers in Salt Lake City, Utah is $151,280 a year ($72.73 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $161,640: half of the 330 people in this job in the Salt Lake City-Murray, UT metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 3% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($156,724).

$151,280average per year

$72.73 / hourMedian $161,640Take-home ≈ $107,934

  • $77K10th
  • $142K25th
  • $162KMedian
  • $173K75th
  • $192K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

330people in this job
-3%vs U.S. metro average
101cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Air Traffic Controllers pay range in Salt Lake City

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $76,560 a year or less, while the top 10% make $191,670 or more. The middle half of air traffic controllers in Salt Lake City earn between $142,380 and $173,120.

  • $77K10th
  • $142K25th
  • $162KMedian
  • $173K75th
  • $192K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$151,280$12,607$72.73
Median$161,640$13,470$77.71
Entry level (25th percentile)$142,380$11,865$68.45
Experienced (75th percentile)$173,120$14,427$83.23

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Air Traffic Controllers salary after taxes in Salt Lake City

On the average salary of $151,280, a single filer in Salt Lake City takes home about $107,934 a year, or $8,994 a month and $4,151 every two weeks. Taxes take 29% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Utah's taxpayer credit is estimated with the Tax Commission's withholding formula.

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Is Salt Lake City a good place for air traffic controllers? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Salt Lake City area are in line with the U.S. average (BEA price parity 100.9), so the average $151,280 buys what about $149,978 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.9 times the median wage of all jobs in Salt Lake City ($55,240). A typical home costs $568,656, or 3.8 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $151,280 is worth in another city

Air Traffic Controllers salary in nearby metro areas

Highest-paying cities for air traffic controllers

San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($179,320).

Air Traffic Controllers salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Air Traffic Controllers in Salt Lake City, UT.

Air Traffic Controllers salary in Salt Lake City: questions

How much do air traffic controllers make an hour in Salt Lake City?

$72.73 an hour on average, and $77.71 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level air traffic controllers salary in Salt Lake City?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $76,560 a year and the 25th percentile is $142,380, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the air traffic controllers take-home pay in Salt Lake City?

About $107,934 a year ($8,994 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $151,280. Utah's taxpayer credit is estimated with the Tax Commission's withholding formula.

Do air traffic controllers earn more in Salt Lake City than elsewhere?

The average here is 3% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($156,724).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 53-2021; area Salt Lake City-Murray, UT (41620). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 0.1%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2026 rules). Utah's taxpayer credit is estimated with the Tax Commission's withholding formula.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 2.77, this job is 2.8 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.

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