Air Traffic Controller.
Anchorage.
$150,000
median salary, 17% above the national average
$108,000 to $202,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Air Traffic Controller pay in Anchorage ranges from $108,000 to $202,000 in 2026. The median is $150,000, 17% above the national average. Anchorage is Alaska's economic center, driven by oil and gas, military spending, and healthcare. Every dollar in that range is negotiable if you come prepared. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Air Traffic Controller in Anchorage, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $160,970 for Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021) in the Anchorage, AK metropolitan area, based on 280 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$86,570
25th percentile
$119,270
Median
$160,970
75th percentile
$191,590
90th percentile
$213,530
Workers surveyed
280
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021) rather than Air Traffic Controller specifically. The Anchorage range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 53-2021Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $135,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$98,000
to $120,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$128,000
to $158,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$165,000
to $195,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$188,000
to $233,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $31,000 to the total package.
Base
$150,000
Equity
$17,000
Bonus
$11,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $181,000
How Anchorage compares.
Anchorage, AK
$150,000
Cost of living: 13% above average
National Average
$128,000
Anchorage is $22,000 above
Air Traffic Controller salary by city.
Salary by role in Anchorage.
What you should know.
If you are interviewing for Air Traffic Controller roles in Anchorage, here is what you are walking into. Anchorage is Alaska's economic center, driven by oil and gas, military spending, and healthcare. The city offers premium pay to offset its remote location and high cost of goods. Federal and state government roles dominate, with growing demand in telehealth and energy technology. Facility level is the dominant factor, with controllers at high-traffic terminals and en-route centers earning significantly more than those at smaller towers. Geographic locality pay adjustments and overtime availability also create meaningful variance across positions.
Trainees at the FAA Academy earn $40,000 to $55,000. Certified professional controllers at lower-level facilities make $92,000 to $110,000. Moving to a high-level facility pushes pay to $140,000 to $172,000, with supervisory roles reaching $180,000 or more. In Anchorage, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.
Base salary is not the full picture. Federal controllers receive FERS retirement, Thrift Savings Plan matching up to 5%, and locality-adjusted pay. Premium pay for night shifts, holidays, and overtime can add 10 to 25% above base salary. And on the tax side: alaska has no state income tax and no state sales tax. Anchorage charges no local income tax either. The result is one of the lowest overall tax burdens in the nation. When someone quotes you $150,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Negotiate relocation packages and cost of living adjustments. Anchorage employers expect to pay 10 to 20% premiums over Lower 48 salaries for comparable roles. The range for Air Traffic Controllers in Anchorage runs from $108,000 to $202,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Computer Vision Engineer in Anchorage earns $149,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Anchorage is CTO at $329,000
Common questions.
Air Traffic Controller salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Anchorage.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Air Traffic Controllers in Anchorage.
Related tools.
Do you work as an air traffic controller in Anchorage?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Air Traffic Controller Salary in Anchorage, AK." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/air-traffic-controller/anchorage
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools