Airline Pilots & Engineers vs Air Traffic Controllers
Median pay is about $84k higher for Airline Pilots & Engineers. The usual entry education is bachelor's plus flight hours for Airline Pilots & Engineers and associate's plus FAA academy for Air Traffic Controllers.
marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.
| Measure | Airline Pilots & Engineers | Air Traffic Controllers |
|---|---|---|
| Pay | ||
| Median pay | $232,140, higher | $148,080 |
| Entry pay 25th percentile | $182,280, higher | $104,520 |
| Experienced pay 75th percentile | $384,440, higher | $190,570 |
| Outlook, 2025 to 2035 | ||
| Projected growth | +8.3% Growing fast, higher | +1.7% Growing |
| Openings a year | 11,200 | 2,100 |
| Getting in | ||
| Typical education | Bachelor's plus flight hours | Associate's plus FAA academy |
| Difficulty modeled | 4.2 / 5 | 4 / 5 |
| AI | ||
| Displacement risk modeled | Low | Low |
| AI exposure modeled, percentile | 35th pct | 54th pct |
Skills
Both lean on the same top skills: active listening, critical thinking, monitoring, reading comprehension, speaking, active learning.
More comparisons
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Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.