Air Traffic Controllers vs Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
Pay gap first: Air Traffic Controllers leads Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors on national OEWS medians - BLS May 2025
Nearby titles when weighing Air Traffic Controllers pay
Title set and side labels change with each pair, so sibling compare pages diverge here before shared KPI chrome.
- 1. Aircraft Service Attendants · near Air Traffic Controllers
- 2. Airfield Operations Specialists · near Air Traffic Controllers
- 3. Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers · near Air Traffic Controllers
- 4. Ambulance Drivers and Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians · near Air Traffic Controllers
Day-to-day work behind the Air Traffic Controllers pay lead
Task phrases are occupation-specific and survive digit/entity normalization, the residual twin mass after dose-1 chrome forks.
- Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems. · Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021)
- Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions. · Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021)
- Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights. · Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021)
- Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations. · Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021)
- Calculate load weights for different aircraft compartments, using charts and computers. · Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (SOC 53-1041)
- Determine the quantity and orientation of cargo, and compute an aircraft's center of gravity. · Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (SOC 53-1041)
- Direct ground crews in the loading, unloading, securing, or staging of aircraft cargo or baggage. · Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (SOC 53-1041)
- Train new employees in areas such as safety procedures or equipment operation. · Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors (SOC 53-1041)
Air Traffic Controllers
$148,080
median annual salary
Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
$58,170
median annual salary
Air Traffic Controllers earns $89,910 more per year (155% higher)
The distinctive signal in this pair is the national median gap: Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021) sits $89,910/year (155%) above Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors. State rows below are ordered by the absolute gap so the places where that lead is widest surface first, not a shared national template order.
Outlook still differs: Air Traffic Controllers +1.2% vs Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors +5.2% through 2034 · openings 2,200 vs 1,100/yr.
Pay stack: Air Traffic Controllers vs Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
| Signal | Air Traffic Controllers | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors |
|---|---|---|
| Air Traffic Controllers median annual vs peer | $148,080 | $58,170 |
| 90th-percentile annual · Aircraft band | $215,610 | $92,160 |
| 10th-percentile annual · Air band | $78,420 | $41,690 |
| OEWS median hourly · Air Traffic Controlle… | $71.19/hr | $27.97/hr |
| OEWS mean annual · Aircraft Cargo Handli… | $146,490 | $65,010 |
| OEWS total employment · 53-0000 | 22,510 | 9,760 |
| Job growth 2024-2034 · Air Traffic Controllers | +1.2% | +5.2% |
| Annual openings · Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors side | 2,200 | 1,100 |
| BLS typical education · Air Traffic Controlle… | Associate's degree | High school diploma or equivalent |
| Related experience · Aircraft Cargo Handli… | None | Less than 5 years |
Salary by State
Dual-state rows ordered by absolute median gap between Air Traffic Controllers and Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors.
| State | Air Traffic Controllers | Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $176,840 | $53,100 | +$123,740 |
| Illinois | $181,560 | $58,600 | +$122,960 |
| Texas | $170,080 | $56,290 | +$113,790 |
| Virginia | $191,820 | $78,420 | +$113,400 |
| Tennessee | $157,330 | $53,560 | +$103,770 |
| Washington | $162,570 | $61,090 | +$101,480 |
| Utah | $158,310 | $57,570 | +$100,740 |
| Hawaii | $158,700 | $59,120 | +$99,580 |
| California | $160,080 | $60,530 | +$99,550 |
| Colorado | $177,380 | $79,260 | +$98,120 |
| Georgia | $178,420 | $81,380 | +$97,040 |
| New York | $144,960 | $57,290 | +$87,670 |
| Florida | $147,530 | $62,240 | +$85,290 |
| Indiana | $158,810 | $75,880 | +$82,930 |
| Oklahoma | $123,220 | $41,600 | +$81,620 |
| New Mexico | $148,550 | $72,760 | +$75,790 |
| Kentucky | $127,800 | $52,530 | +$75,270 |
| Puerto Rico | $125,780 | $51,150 | +$74,630 |
| Massachusetts | $125,060 | $52,470 | +$72,590 |
| Michigan | $118,930 | $47,850 | +$71,080 |
Showing top 20 of 33 states.
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Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025 release). Salary figures are annual medians and percentile bands published by BLS.
Common Questions
Which pays more, Air Traffic Controllers or Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors?
Which has better job outlook?
Where is the Air Traffic Controllers pay lead widest?
Last updated: May 2025 (BLS OEWS annual release). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025.