Air Traffic Controller.
Wilmington.
$131,000
median salary, 2% above the national average
$94,000 to $175,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating an Air Traffic Controller offer in Wilmington, DE, here is the reality: $94,000 to $175,000, with $131,000 as the midpoint. 2% above the national average. Facility level is the dominant factor, with controllers at high-traffic terminals and en-route centers earning significantly more than those at smaller towers. Do not accept the first number. 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 Wilmington, 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 $198,590 for Air Traffic Controllers (SOC 53-2021) in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area, based on 220 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$94,310
25th percentile
$133,350
Median
$198,590
75th percentile
$219,160
90th percentile
$225,680
Workers surveyed
220
Why this differs from the estimate above. The Orbyt estimate of $131,000 is 34% lower than this published figure. That is usually not an error in either number: BLS reports by occupation code, and Air Traffic Controllers covers a different population than the Air Traffic Controller title as it is typically advertised. Both are shown, unreconciled, so you can judge which one describes the job you mean.
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 Wilmington range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such. Wilmington is reported by BLS within the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metropolitan area.
View the BLS source for SOC 53-2021Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $118,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$85,000
to $105,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$111,000
to $138,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$144,000
to $170,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$164,000
to $203,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $27,000 to the total package.
Base
$131,000
Equity
$14,000
Bonus
$10,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $158,000
How Wilmington compares.
Wilmington, DE
$131,000
Cost of living: 2% above average
National Average
$128,000
Wilmington is $3,000 above
Air Traffic Controller salary by city.
Salary by role in Wilmington.
What you should know.
Here is what the Air Traffic Controller market actually looks like in Wilmington. Wilmington is a corporate law and financial services hub, home to most U.S. credit card companies thanks to Delaware's favorable incorporation laws. The city's compact size belies its outsized role in banking, legal services, and corporate governance. Chemical and pharmaceutical companies also maintain a strong presence. 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 Wilmington, 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: delaware has a top income tax rate of 6.6% but no state sales tax. Wilmington has a city wage tax of 1.25%. The no sales tax benefit partially offsets the income tax burden. When someone quotes you $131,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Leverage Delaware's corporate density. Banks and legal firms here pay competitively to retain talent that might otherwise commute to Philadelphia or New York. The range for Air Traffic Controllers in Wilmington runs from $94,000 to $175,000. 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 Wilmington.
Related salary pages
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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 Wilmington, DE." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/air-traffic-controller/wilmington
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