Air Traffic Controllers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Air Traffic Controllers pay in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN at a median of $189,780 per year ($91.24/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $148,080, the metro estimate is +28% above. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 850 air traffic controllers are employed across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA in SOC 53-2021.

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pay distribution spans from $89,690 at the 10th percentile to $225,680 at the 90th, a 2.5× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $145,310 and the 75th at $209,440, so half of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin-based air traffic controllers earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide IL estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.