Air Traffic Controllers pay range in Seattle
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $96,640 a year or less, while the top 10% make $215,840 or more. The middle half of air traffic controllers in Seattle earn between $125,340 and $200,780.
- $97K10th
- $125K25th
- $175KMedian
- $201K75th
- $216K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $163,230 | $13,602 | $78.48 |
| Median | $175,280 | $14,607 | $84.27 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $125,340 | $10,445 | $60.26 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $200,780 | $16,732 | $96.53 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Air Traffic Controllers salary after taxes in Seattle
On the average salary of $163,230, a single filer in Seattle takes home about $122,834 a year, or $10,236 a month and $4,724 every two weeks. Taxes take 25% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and no state income tax. Washington's WA Cares (0.58%) and Paid Family and Medical Leave payroll premiums are not included.
Is Seattle a good place for air traffic controllers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the Seattle area are 11% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 111.1), so the average $163,230 buys what about $146,878 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.4 times the median wage of all jobs in Seattle ($72,610). A typical home costs $750,279, or 4.6 years of this average salary before tax.
Air Traffic Controllers salary in nearby metro areas
- Sacramento, CA$173,710
- Salt Lake City, UT$151,280
- San Francisco, CA$179,320
- Las Vegas, NV$152,620
- Riverside, CA$96,750
- Los Angeles, CA$156,650
Highest-paying cities for air traffic controllers
San Francisco, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($179,320).
- San Francisco, CA$179,320
- Philadelphia, PA$177,260
- Atlanta, GA$176,190
- Chicago, IL$174,320
- Sacramento, CA$173,710
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Air Traffic Controllers salary in Seattle: questions
How much do air traffic controllers make an hour in Seattle?
$78.48 an hour on average, and $84.27 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level air traffic controllers salary in Seattle?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $96,640 a year and the 25th percentile is $125,340, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the air traffic controllers take-home pay in Seattle?
About $122,834 a year ($10,236 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $163,230. Washington has no state income tax; Washington's WA Cares (0.58%) and Paid Family and Medical Leave payroll premiums are not included.
Do air traffic controllers earn more in Seattle than elsewhere?
The average here is 4% more 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 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA (42660). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 0.5%.
- 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 no state income tax. Washington's WA Cares (0.58%) and Paid Family and Medical Leave payroll premiums are not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.69, this job is 1.7 times as concentrated as in the U.S. overall.
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