SOC 53-2021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS
Air Traffic Controllers — Detroit
Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI
The median wage for Air Traffic Controllers in Detroit, MI is $178,310 per year, 20.4% above the national median of $148,080.
Wage distribution · annual
Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners
How pay has moved
The next ten years
Projected to grow more slowly than average
- Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
- +1.2%
- Openings per year
- 2,200
- Typical entry-level education
- Associate's degree
- On-the-job training
- Long-term on-the-job training
Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.
Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI.
Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.
Salary overview
The median wage for Air Traffic Controllers in Detroit, MI is $178,310 per year, 20.4% above the national median of $148,080. Pay ranges from under $100,210 at the tenth percentile to more than $214,340 at the ninetieth, with the interquartile range running from $119,240 to $196,810.
The area has 180 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.1 of every thousand jobs. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 14th of 671 by median pay.
Percentile breakdown
| Percentile | Annual | vs US median |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $100,210 | −32.3% |
| 25th | $119,240 | −19.5% |
| Median (50th) | $178,310 | +20.4% |
| 75th | $196,810 | +32.9% |
| 90th | $214,340 | +44.7% |
| Mean | $163,150 | +10.2% |
What the pay is worth locally
Prices in Detroit sit close to the national average, so $178,310 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.
Published median
$178,310as reported by BLSLocal price level
100.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024Adjusted for local prices
$177,777US average = 100 · BEA 2024Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest
Key takeaways
- Median pay is $178,310 a year, 20.4% above the national median.
- Published pay spans $100,210 to $214,340 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
- The area has 180 jobs in this occupation.
Frequently asked questions
What is the median wage for Air Traffic Controllers in Detroit, MI?
The median annual wage is $178,310, or $85.73 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.
Is that higher than the national average?
The national median for this occupation is $148,080, so pay in Detroit, MI is 20.4% higher. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.
What do the top earners make?
The top tenth of this occupation in Detroit, MI earns more than $214,340 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.
What is the starting range?
The tenth percentile wage is $100,210 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.
How many jobs are there in this occupation here?
The survey estimates 180 jobs in this occupation in Detroit, MI. Self-employed workers are not included.
Source and methodology
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.
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