Tower Controller Salary in the United States

How much does a Tower Controller make in the United States?

As of April 01, 2026, the average salary for a Tower Controller in the United States is $98,858 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $48.

However, a Tower Controller's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $115,223
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $91,495 to $107,424
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $84,792
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View as table View as graph 25% $91,495 10% $84,792 90% $115,223 75% $107,424 $98,858 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Tower Controller Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $107,424 $8,952 $2,066 $52
Average $98,858 $8,238 $1,901 $48
25th Percentile $91,495 $7,625 $1,760 $44
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Key Factors That Influence Tower Controller Salaries

A Tower Controller's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Tower Controller Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Tower Controller's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $73,791
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $86,846
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $98,228
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $122,136
  • Expert (over 8 years): $146,557
Levels Salary
Quality A... Level Tower Controller$73,791
Quality A... Level Tower Controller$86,846
Tower Con... Level Tower Controller$98,228
Quality A... Level Tower Controller$122,136
Quality A... Level Tower Controller$146,557
$73,791 0 yr
$86,846 < 2 yrs
$98,228 2-4 yrs
$122,136 5-8 yrs
$146,557 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Tower Controllers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $124,689
  • San Francisco: $123,463
  • Oakland: $120,725

What Skills Can Increase a Tower Controller's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Team Development (Mentioned in 3.93% Job Postings): Building and developing effective teams to achieve a common goal or to complete a task in the most effective and efficient way.
  • Software Development (Mentioned in 2.98% Job Postings): Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development is a process of writing and maintaining the source code, but in a broader sense, it includes all that is involved between the conception of the desired software through to the final manifestation of the software, sometimes in a planned and structured process. Therefore, software development may include research, new development, prototyping, modification, reuse, re-engineering, maintenance, or any other activities that result in software products. Software can be developed for a variety of purposes, the three most common being to meet specific needs of a specific client/business (the case with custom software), to meet a perceived need of some set of potential users (the case with commercial and open source software), or for personal use (e.g. a scientist may write software to automate a mundane task). Embedded software development, that is, the development of embedded software, such as used for controlling consumer products, requires the development process to be integrated with the development of the controlled physical product. System software underlies applications and the programming process itself, and is often developed separately.
  • JavaScript (Mentioned in 1.84% Job Postings): Using JavaScript in the development and maintenance of Web-based application systems.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Team Development 3.93%
Software Development 2.98%
JavaScript 1.84%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Tower Controller's salary.
  • Python: Can increase your salary by up to 6%.
  • Android: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
  • Linux: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Python
 $104,789
6%
Android
 $103,800
5%
Linux
 $103,800
5%
Debugging
 $103,800
5%
Networking
 $102,812
4%
Computer Science
 $102,812
4%
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How Education impacts a Tower Controller's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Tower Controllers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Tower Controller with a Bachelor's Degree is between $102,178 and $106,839).

Tower Controller Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Tower Controller
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 0.6%
High School 2.8%
Associates 6.1%
Bachelors 52.6%
Masters 36.4%
Doctorate 1.4%
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Tower Controller Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Tower Controller's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Hourly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Yearly
  • Table View
Last Updated on April 01, 2026
$91,495
Average $98,858/year
$107,424
$7,625
Average $8,238/month
$8,952
$1,760
Average $1,901/week
$2,066
$44
Average $48/hour
$52
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $107,424 $8,952 $2,066 $52
Average $98,858 $8,238 $1,901 $48
25th Percentile $91,495 $7,625 $1,760 $44

Salaries of jobs related to Tower Controller

Salary Trends for Tower Controller

Salaries for a Tower Controller can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary increased from $99,877 in 2023 to around $100,330 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Tower Controller salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Tower Controller Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$99,877
2024
$100,511
2025
$100,330
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $99,877
2024 $100,511
2025 $100,330
2026
View More
2027
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Most common benefits for Tower Controller

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Tower Controller

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

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