Air Traffic Controller

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    Total Degrees​
    Awarded in 2024
    189
    declining 22.9%
    Median In-State​
    Public Tuition
    $5,400
    declining 12.8%
    Median Out-of-State​
    Private Tuition
    $42,408
    growing 4.25%
    Average Wage
    $131,520
    growing 4.53%
    People in Workforce
    177,392
    growing 3.91%
    Average Employee Age
    43.8
    growing 0.268%

    About

    In 2024, the locations with the highest concentration of Air Traffic Controller degree recipients are Tulsa, OK, Melbourne, FL, and Grand Forks, ND. In 2024, the locations with a relatively high number of Air Traffic Controller degree recipients are Grand Forks, ND, Tulsa, OK, and Melbourne, FL. The most common degree awarded to students studying Air Traffic Controller is a associates degree.

    Institutions

    Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Air Traffic Controller and the types of students that study this field. Tulsa Technology Center awards the most degrees in Air Traffic Controller in the US, but Community College of Beaver County and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Air Traffic Controller.

    Tuition costs for Air Traffic Controller majors are, on average, $5,400 for in-state public colleges, and $42,408 for out of state private colleges.

    The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Air Traffic Controller programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (8 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 2-year (83 completions).

    Institutions

    Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Air Traffic Controller (2024)
    1. 29 degrees awarded
    2. 25 degrees awarded
    3. 23 degrees awarded

    The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Air Traffic Controller, is Public, 2-year (83 completions in 2024).

    The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Air Traffic Controller programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

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    Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

    $5,400
    Median In-State Public
    $42,408
    Median Out of State Private

    Tulsa Technology Center has the most Air Traffic Controller degree recipients, with 29 degrees awarded in 2024.

    The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Air Traffic Controller.

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    Specialized Colleges

    Out of all institutions that offer Air Traffic Controller programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Community College of Beaver County has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Air Traffic Controller, with 5.98%.

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    Degrees Awarded by County

    Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Air Traffic Controller
    1. 41 degrees awarded
    2. 25 degrees awarded
    3. 23 degrees awarded

    This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Air Traffic Controller by year.

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    Employment

    Information on the businesses and industries that employ Transportation graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

    The average salary for Transportation majors is $131,520 and the most common occupations are Aircraft pilots & flight engineers, Other managers, and Air traffic controllers & airfield operations specialists.

    The industry that employs the most Transportation majors is Air transportation, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Used merchandise retailers.

    Yearly Income for Common Jobs

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.
    $131,520
    Average Wage in Workforce
    ± $6,974
    4.53%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 7.23%

    The average salary for Transportation majors is $131,520 and the most common occupations are Aircraft pilots & flight engineers, Other managers, and Air traffic controllers & airfield operations specialists.

    This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Transportation majors.

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    Highest Paying Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Transportation majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Transportation majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.
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    Most Specialized

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.

    Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Transportation majors working as Aircraft pilots & flight engineers, Air traffic controllers & airfield operations specialists, and Ship & boat captains & operators.

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    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.

    The highest paid occupations by median income for Transportation majors are Surgeons, Physicians, and Physician assistants.

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    Occupations by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.
    177,392
    2024 Workforce
    ± 10,335
    3.91%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 8.01%

    The number of Transportation graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.91%, from 170,712 in 2023 to 177,392 in 2024.

    The largest single share of Transportation graduates go on to work as Aircraft pilots & flight engineers (26.6%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Transportation by share of the total number of graduates.

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    Most Common

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.

    The most common industries that employ Transportation majors, by number of employees, are Air transportation, Services incidental to transportation, and Aircraft & parts manufacturing.

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    Highest Paid

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.
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    Industries by Share

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.
    177,392
    2024 Workforce
    ± 10,335
    3.91%
    1 Year Growth
    ± 8.01%

    The number of Transportation graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 3.91%, from 170,712 in 2023 to 177,392 in 2024.

    The industry which employs the most Transportation graduates by share is Air transportation, followed by Services incidental to transportation. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Transportation.

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    Specialty Locations

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.

    This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Transportation majors.

    Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Transportation majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

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    Diversity

    Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Transportation in the United States.

    The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Transportation is 43.8.

    The most common degree type these workers hold is a Associates Degree. Male employees are more likely to hold Transportation degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Transportation (103 students).

    Workforce Age

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.
    43.8
    Average Age in 2024
    ± 0.729 Years
    0.268%
    1 Year Change
    ± 2.37%

    This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Transportation. The most common ages of employees with this major are 37 and 41 years old, which represent 3.19% and 3.03% of the population, respectively.

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    Degrees Awarded

    The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Air Traffic Controller are Associates Degree, Bachelors Degree, and Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years.

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    Workforce Degrees

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.

    The most common degree types held by the working population in Transportation are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

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    Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

    Male (76.2%)
    Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

    This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Air Traffic Controller.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

    Degrees
    Most Common Race or Ethnicity
    1. White
      103 degrees awarded in 2024
    2. Hispanic or Latino
      33 degrees awarded in 2024
    3. Non-resident Alien
      17 degrees awarded in 2024

    This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Air Traffic Controller for each race & ethnicity.

    In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

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    Race & Ethnicity by Sex

    Degrees

    This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Associates Degree recipients in Air Traffic Controller.

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    Global Diversity

    The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Air Traffic Controller is from the 2 Digit Course Transportation.
    Most Common Countries of Origin
    1. Philippines
      2,921 degree recipients
    2. Mexico
      1,233 degree recipients
    3. India
      1,070 degree recipients
    High Relative Number of Students
    1. Switzerland
      10.9 times more than expected
    2. Zambia
      10.4 times more than expected
    3. Northern Ireland
      8.12 times more than expected

    There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Switzerland that hold Transportation degrees (10.9 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Philippines (2,921 degree recipients).

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    Skills

    Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Air Traffic Controller field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Air Traffic Controller majors need many skills, but most especially Monitoring. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Air Traffic Controller majors need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, and Coordination.

    These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Air Traffic Controller majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operation and Control is very distinctive for majors, but the Monitoring, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension are the three most important skills for people in the field.

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    Bar Chart

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