Air Traffic Controllers in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin

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/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $148,080, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin pays +28% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 850 air traffic controllerss 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× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $145,310 and the 75th at $209,440, so half of Chicago-Naperville-Elgin-based air traffic controllerss earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live, which matters for commuters. 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. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide IL data, and peer-metro comparisons, a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.