Control Tower Operator
Control Tower Operator Salary
$31K - $32.5K
4% of jobs
$32.5K - $34K
9% of jobs
$34K - $35.5K
10% of jobs
$35.8K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$35.5K - $37K
10% of jobs
$37K - $38.5K
10% of jobs
The median wage is $40K / yr.
$38.5K - $40K
7% of jobs
$40K - $41.5K
10% of jobs
$41.5K - $43K
10% of jobs
$43.8K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$43K - $44.5K
10% of jobs
$44.5K - $46K
10% of jobs
$46K - $47.5K
10% of jobs
$31K
$40K
$47K
$39,999
/year
$19.23
/hour
Control Tower Operator Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$39,999
Columbus
Ohio
$38,635
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How much does a Control Tower Operator make?
As of Jul 15, 2026, the average annual pay for a Control Tower Operator in the United States is $39,999 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $19.23 an hour. This is the equivalent of $769/week or $3,333/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $47,000 and as low as $31,000, the majority of Control Tower Operator salaries currently range between $36,000 (25th percentile) to $44,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $46,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Control Tower Operator varies little (about 8000), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Control Tower Operator in your area makes on average $38,635 per year, or $1,364 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $39,999. Ohio ranks number 41 out of 50 states nationwide for Control Tower Operator salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Control Tower Operator jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Control Tower Operator on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Control Tower Operator Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Control Tower Operator job is above the national average. Topping the list is Pennington County, SD, , with Beverly, MA, and Glenwood Springs, CO, close behind in the second and third positions. Glenwood Springs, CO, beats the national average by $41,744 (104.4%), and Pennington County, SD, furthers that trend with another $44,746 (111.9%) above the $39,999 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Control Tower Operator appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Additionally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies as much as 52% between Pennington County, SD, and Nome, AK, , suggesting a strong potential for positive wage variance in a Control Tower Operator role. Cost of living should also be factored in when balancing location and salary.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Pennington County, SD | $84,745 | $40.74 |
Beverly, MA | $83,181 | $39.99 |
Glenwood Springs, CO | $81,743 | $39.30 |
Midland, MI | $77,781 | $37.39 |
Spearfish, SD | $76,105 | $36.59 |
Burleigh County, ND | $70,818 | $34.05 |
Douglas County, NE | $70,723 | $34.00 |
Bridgeport, WV | $69,523 | $33.42 |
Jefferson County, KY | $66,362 | $31.90 |
Nome, AK | $49,619 | $23.86 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Control Tower Operator Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Control Tower Operator category.
For example Senior Plant Engineer jobs pay as much as $68,398 (171.0%) more than the average Control Tower Operator salary of $39,999. If you're qualified, finding work as a Senior Plant Engineer may help you make more money than that of the average Control Tower Operator position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Senior Plant Engineer | $108,397 | $52.11 |
Digital Banking Analyst | $98,397 | $47.31 |
Air Traffic Control Equipment Repairer | $65,322 | $31.40 |
Entry Level Warehouse Manager | $58,310 | $28.03 |
Air Traffic Control Radar Technician | $31,625 | $15.20 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
