How much do Air Traffic Controllers make in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN?

Percentile spread

For Air Traffic Controllers, the published 10th percentile is $89,690 and the 90th percentile is $225,680. The difference is $135,990, which is 71.7% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $145,310 to the 75th at $209,440, covers $64,130.

The mean annual wage is $174,320, which sits below the median of $189,780. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN median is 28.2% higher than the national median of $148,080 for Air Traffic Controllers. In 2024 national prices the local median is $183,194, which is 23.7% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 4.5% higher than the Illinois median of $181,560.

Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Illinois, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN is 103.595, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $189,780 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Air Traffic Controllers at $183,194 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

One other metropolitan area within 200 miles publishes a annual median for Air Traffic Controllers. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN ranks 1st of 2 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN is 163 miles away, with a median of $171,910 and employment of 470. That median is 9.4% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $179,642, against $183,194 here.

Employment share

Air Traffic Controllers accounts for 0.02% of wage-and-salary employment in Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (850 of 4,513,280). Nationally the occupation is 0.01% of employment (22,510 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.30 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.