What are the main factors that influence a Tower Controller's salary?

The primary factors are: 1) Experience Level, 2) Geographic Location, 3) Education/Skills, 4) Company Size & Industry

What industry pays the highest salary for Tower Controller?

The Aerospace & Defense industry offers the highest average compensation for Tower Controller roles, with salaries approximately 50% above the market median.

How does experience change A Tower Controller's salary?

A Tower Controller's salary grows with experience: a Quality Assurance Engineer I (0-2 years)earns $73,069, a Quality Assurance Engineer II (2-4 years)earns $86,001, a Tower Controller (4-7 years)earns $97,272, a Quality Assurance Engineer IV (7+ years)earns $120,981, a Quality Assurance Engineer V (7-10 years)earns $145,152,

What are the highest paying cities for a Tower Controller?

Tower Controller salary varies significantly by city. The top 3 highest paying cities in Colorado for Tower Controller roles are San Jose $124,677, San Francisco $123,312, Oakland $120,713.

How much do different types of Tower Controller roles make?

Salaries for Tower Controller level roles vary by specialization: Controller: $253,957; Tower Lead: $121,526; Tower Foreman: $89,273; Tower Technician: $88,857; Cell Tower Technician: $87,709.

What specialized skills increase a Tower Controller's salary?

Skills with high demand and low supply, such as Python (up to 6% premium), Android (up to 5% premium), Linux (up to 5% premium), directly translate to higher compensation. Employers pay more for these capabilities to gain a competitive edge.

Tower Controller Salary in Ignacio, CO

How much does a Tower Controller make in Ignacio, CO?

As of August 01, 2026, the average salary for a Tower Controller in Ignacio, CO is $97,896 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $47.

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

Top Earners (90th percentile): $114,111
Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $90,608 to $106,384
Entry-Level (10th percentile): $83,972

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Tower Controller Salaries by Percentile

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$106,384	$8,865	$2,046	$51
Average	$97,896	$8,158	$1,883	$47
25th Percentile	$90,608	$7,551	$1,742	$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, skills 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): $73,069
Early Career (1-2 years): $86,001
Mid-Level (2-4 years): $97,272
Senior-Level (5-8 years): $120,981
Expert (over 8 years): $145,152

Levels	Salary
Quality A... Level Tower Controller	$73,069
Quality A... Level Tower Controller	$86,001
Tower Con... Level Tower Controller	$97,272
Quality A... Level Tower Controller	$120,981
Quality A... Level Tower Controller	$145,152

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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: $124,677
San Francisco: $123,312
Oakland: $120,713

San Jose, CA $124,677

San Francisco, CA $123,312

Oakland, CA $120,713

New York, NY $113,813

Paramus, NJ $112,429

Queens Village, NY $112,424

Passaic, NJ $112,330

Bergenfield, NJ $112,321

Stamford, CT $112,104

Huntington, NY $112,063

Newark, NJ $111,333

Bridgeport, CT $111,124

Vallejo, CA $110,927

New Brunswick, NJ $110,888

Petaluma, CA $110,828

Middlesex, NJ $110,641

Somerset, NJ $110,571

Santa Cruz, CA $110,443

Boston, MA $109,840

Monterey, CA $109,493

Seattle, WA $109,267

Santa Rosa, CA $109,247

Los Angeles, CA $109,217

Juneau, AK $108,960

Washington, DC $108,852

Orange, CA $108,500

Santa Ana, CA $108,239

Long Beach, CA $108,140

Anaheim, CA $108,120

Anchorage, AK $108,071

Santa Maria, CA $107,774

Everett, WA $107,754

Danbury, CT $107,406

Bremerton, WA $107,270

Tacoma, WA $106,914

New Suffolk, NY $106,912

Sacramento, CA $106,884

Santa Barbara, CA $106,776

Trenton, NJ $106,667

San Diego, CA $106,667

Brockton, MA $106,558

Fairbanks, AK $106,316

Lompoc, CA $106,064

Lowell, MA $105,984

Ventura, CA $105,965

Nashua, NH $105,945

Stockton, CA $105,936

Modesto, CA $105,214

Poughkeepsie, NY $104,996

Olympia, WA $104,809

Kennewick, WA $104,809

New Haven, CT $104,769

Lawrence, MA $104,413

Hartford, CT $104,314

Riverside, CA $104,295

New Bedford, MA $104,196

Richland, WA $104,196

Bakersfield, CA $104,057

San Bernardino, CA $104,018

New Britain, CT $104,008

Atlantic City, NJ $104,008

New London, CT $103,968

Norwich, CT $103,939

Portsmouth, NH $103,919

Boulder, CO $103,709

Portland, OR $103,573

Worcester, MA $103,563

Minneapolis, MN $103,257

Philadelphia, PA $103,118

Honolulu, HI $102,792

Saint Paul, MN $102,745

Vineland, NJ $102,723

Providence, RI $102,436

Chicago, IL $102,150

Bellingham, WA $102,031

Springfield, MA $101,952

Baltimore, MD $101,922

Chico, CA $101,675

Pittsfield, MA $101,408

Manchester, NH $101,220

Spokane, WA $100,786

Denver, CO $100,776

Albany, NY $100,311

Troy, NY $100,272

Nassau, NY $100,166

Schenectady, NY $100,064

Wilmington, DE $99,985

Burlington, VT $99,846

Salem, OR $99,807

Portland, ME $99,500

Yakima, WA $99,402

Rochester, MN $99,095

Reno, NV $99,046

Fresno, CA $99,046

Milwaukee, WI $98,957

Detroit, MI $98,858

Ann Arbor, MI $98,841

Allentown, PA $98,828

Colorado Springs, CO $98,660

Syracuse, NY $98,611

Carson City, NV $98,611

Houston, TX $98,472

Eugene, OR $98,423

Gary, IN $98,304

Springfield, OR $98,225

Bismarck, ND $98,206

Galveston, TX $98,136

Medford, OR $97,988

Fort Collins, CO $97,949

Concord, NH $97,899

Austin, TX $97,870

Mesa, AZ $97,662

Reading, PA $97,652

Phoenix, AZ $97,642

Dallas, TX $97,612

Saint Cloud, MN $97,518

Madison, WI $97,385

Utica, NY $97,118

Rochester, NY $96,960

Des Moines, IA $96,950

Raleigh, NC $96,940

Atlanta, GA $96,792

Battle Creek, MI $96,762

Salt Lake City, UT $96,733

Lancaster, PA $96,584

Harrisburg, PA $96,446

Kansas City, MO $96,347

Champaign, IL $96,327

Kansas City, KS $96,327

Fort Worth, TX $96,318

Columbus, OH $96,301

Boca Raton, FL $96,278

Pittsburgh, PA $96,239

Richmond, VA $96,199

Indianapolis, IN $96,179

Cleveland, OH $96,169

Las Vegas, NV $96,051

Cincinnati, OH $96,051

Petersburg, VA $95,902

Huntsville, AL $95,754

Lansing, MI $95,688

Lebanon, PA $95,675

Pueblo, CO $95,665

Appleton, WI $95,636

Buffalo, NY $95,596

Dayton, OH $95,566

Racine, WI $95,547

Charlotte, NC $95,537

Saint Louis, MO $95,507

York, PA $95,448

Elkhart, IN $95,448

Gastonia, NC $95,429

Billings, MT $95,405

Beaumont, TX $95,379

Lorain, OH $95,359

Benton Harbor, MI $95,339

Toledo, OH $95,319

Binghamton, NY $95,270

Rock Hill, SC $95,260

Rockford, IL $95,210

Springfield, IL $95,171

Elyria, OH $95,161

Fargo, ND $95,161

Flagstaff, AZ $95,092

Fort Lauderdale, FL $95,033

Duluth, MN $94,973

Miami, FL $94,973

Cheyenne, WY $94,904

Grand Forks, ND $94,904

Bangor, ME $94,687

Cedar Rapids, IA $94,578

Durham, NC $94,536

Louisville, KY $94,528

Grand Rapids, MI $94,509

Hialeah, FL $94,499

Casper, WY $94,360

Scranton, PA $94,242

New Orleans, LA $94,212

Virginia Beach, VA $94,202

Akron, OH $94,153

Peoria, IL $94,024

Sarasota, FL $94,005

Nashville, TN $93,935

Omaha, NE $93,935

Green Bay, WI $93,935

Baton Rouge, LA $93,886

Charleston, SC $93,866

Jamestown, NY $93,817

Davenport, IA $93,817

Tucson, AZ $93,767

Saint Petersburg, FL $93,708

Tampa, FL $93,688

Evansville, IN $93,629

Port Arthur, TX $93,629

Bradenton, FL $93,589

Santa Fe, NM $93,411

Orlando, FL $93,234

Clearwater, FL $93,204

Canton, OH $92,996

La Crosse, WI $92,996

Albuquerque, NM $92,937

Newport News, VA $92,927

High Point, NC $92,897

Ogden, UT $92,858

Corpus Christi, TX $92,779

Norfolk, VA $92,720

Laramie, WY $92,720

Rock Island, IL $92,660

Saginaw, MI $92,640

Jacksonville, FL $92,631

Salisbury, NC $92,611

Boise, ID $92,591

Moline, IL $92,542

Fort Myers, FL $92,512

Memphis, TN $92,492

Tulsa, OK $92,443

Waterloo, IA $92,383

Spartanburg, SC $92,285

Lincoln, NE $92,235

Fort Wayne, IN $92,215

Provo, UT $92,206

Cedar Falls, IA $92,087

San Antonio, TX $92,047

Greensboro, NC $92,008

South Bend, IN $91,998

Savannah, GA $91,889

Muskegon, MI $91,850

Birmingham, AL $91,840

Winston Salem, NC $91,791

Lake Charles, LA $91,553

Anderson, IN $91,533

Lexington, KY $91,504

Augusta, GA $91,474

Greenville, SC $91,474

Lima, OH $91,395

Wichita, KS $91,385

Tuscaloosa, AL $91,385

Columbia, SC $91,296

Springfield, OH $91,276

Asheville, NC $91,118

Bloomington, IN $91,049

Knoxville, TN $90,693

Shreveport, LA $90,683

Wilmington, NC $90,555

Roanoke, VA $90,555

Topeka, KS $90,377

Frankfort, KY $90,366

Oklahoma City, OK $90,298

Chillicothe, OH $90,258

Longview, TX $90,248

Melbourne, FL $90,238

Sioux Falls, SD $90,080

Mobile, AL $90,070

Terre Haute, IN $90,031

Altoona, PA $89,972

Amarillo, TX $89,902

Killeen, TX $89,873

Fayetteville, AR $89,794

Chattanooga, TN $89,764

Sioux City, IA $89,675

Idaho Falls, ID $89,655

Lynchburg, VA $89,576

Gainesville, FL $89,448

Portsmouth, OH $89,398

Little Rock, AR $89,378

Lafayette, LA $89,339

Youngstown, OH $89,339

Daytona Beach, FL $89,280

Clarksville, TN $89,270

Pensacola, FL $89,260

Temple, TX $89,253

Hopkinsville, KY $88,963

Erie, PA $88,944

Florence, SC $88,904

Charleston, WV $88,746

Great Falls, MT $88,696

Macon, GA $88,558

Tallahassee, FL $88,548

Fayetteville, NC $88,528

Waco, TX $88,509

Helena, MT $88,439

Pine Bluff, AR $88,402

Vincennes, IN $88,281

Lubbock, TX $88,242

Alamogordo, NM $88,182

Twin Falls, ID $88,093

Rapid City, SD $88,064

Jackson, MS $87,886

Huntington, WV $87,879

Greenville, MS $87,876

Parkersburg, WV $87,775

Montgomery, AL $87,757

Wichita Falls, TX $87,658

Springfield, MO $87,658

Biloxi, MS $87,609

Monroe, LA $87,510

Johnstown, PA $87,441

Sumter, SC $87,401

Columbus, GA $87,392

Pascagoula, MS $87,204

Abilene, TX $87,204

Kingsport, TN $86,947

Albany, GA $86,947

Gulfport, MS $86,917

Alexandria, LA $86,591

Fort Smith, AR $86,344

El Paso, TX $86,077

Las Cruces, NM $85,632

Harlingen, TX $85,381

Pocatello, ID $85,365

Florence, AL $85,237

Brownsville, TX $85,217

Mcallen, TX $85,009

Dothan, AL $84,871

Columbus, MS $84,284

Altus, OK $83,823

Lawton, OK $83,635

Pierre, SD $83,280

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	$103,770	6%
Android	$102,791	5%
Linux	$102,791	5%
Debugging	$102,791	5%
Networking	$101,812	4%
Computer Science	$101,812	4%

Get Latest Data

Tower Controller Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Tower Controller roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 100% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Aerospace & Defense and Biotechnology sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 50% above the average. In contrast, Tower Controller positions in Transportation or Telecom typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Tower Controller as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Tower Controller

Industry Sector	Average Annual Salary	Average Hourly Rate	Pay vs.Avg
Aerospace & Defense	$146,844	$71.0	50%

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.

Last Updated on August 01, 2026

$90,608

Average $97,896/year

$106,384

$7,551

Average $8,158/month

$8,865

$1,742

Average $1,883/week

$2,046

$44

Average $47/hour

$51

	Annual Salary	Monthly Pay	Weekly Pay	Hourly Wage
75th Percentile	$106,384	$8,865	$2,046	$51
Average	$97,896	$8,158	$1,883	$47
25th Percentile	$90,608	$7,551	$1,742	$44

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