Air Traffic Controller.
St. Louis.
$114,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$82,000 to $153,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Air Traffic Controller pay in St. Louis ranges from $82,000 to $153,000 in 2026. The median is $114,000, 11% below the national average. St. 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 St. Louis, 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 $127,630 for Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021) in the St. Louis, MO-IL metropolitan area, based on 140 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$92,600
25th percentile
$110,260
Median
$127,630
75th percentile
$147,530
90th percentile
$166,800
Workers surveyed
140
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 St. Louis 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 $103,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$74,000
to $91,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$97,000
to $120,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$125,000
to $148,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$143,000
to $177,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $24,000 to the total package.
Base
$114,000
Equity
$13,000
Bonus
$9,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $138,000
How St. Louis compares.
St. Louis, MO
$114,000
Cost of living: 10% below average
National Average
$128,000
St. Louis is $14,000 below
Air Traffic Controller salary by city.
Salary by role in St. Louis.
What you should know.
Before you negotiate an Air Traffic Controller offer in St. Louis, understand the terrain. St. Louis offers one of the most affordable major metro areas in the country, with a strong base in healthcare, financial services, and manufacturing. The region's anchor employers include Boeing, Centene, and Washington University's medical campus. A growing biotech and plant sciences corridor centered on the Cortex Innovation District is attracting new investment and talent. 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 St. Louis, 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: missouri's top income tax rate is about 4.8%, and St. Louis City adds a 1% earnings tax. The low base cost of living means your after tax salary still stretches further than in most metros. When someone quotes you $114,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Emphasize your willingness to work in person at Cortex or the BJC campus. St. Louis employers offer higher packages for candidates who commit to the local innovation hubs. The range for Air Traffic Controllers in St. Louis runs from $82,000 to $153,000. 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
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Common questions.
Air Traffic Controller salary in other cities.
Other salaries in St. Louis.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Air Traffic Controller Salary in St. Louis, MO." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/air-traffic-controller/st-louis
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