Does FAA pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, FAA employees rate their compensation and benefits as 4.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at FAA. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at FAA?

72% of FAA employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated FAA 3.5 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.7 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at FAA?

Air Traffic Control Specialist (153) , Air Traffic Controller (122) , Airway Transportation Systems Specialist (47) , Aviation Safety Inspector (40) , Management and Program Analyst (33) , Aerospace Engineer (30) , ATC Specialist (29) , ATSS FG-2101 (29) , Intern (24) , Engineer (23) , Civil Engineer (20) , Program Manager (20) , Manager (17) , Air Traffic Controller Trainee (14) , Computer Specialist (14)

What are the pros of working at FAA according to real employee reviews?

"benefits are great and day to day work is great" ((in 191 reviews)); "Pay is good but not great unless you are a controller or have been in for a while." ((in 154 reviews)); "Great people that care about aviation and the work they do." ((in 70 reviews)); ""Job security" is great and once you know what you are supposed to do you can then explore other areas or job functions." ((in 53 reviews)); "Good work environment and welfare place." ((in 32 reviews))

What are the cons of working at FAA according to real employee reviews?

"Management is incompetent and often take the path of least resistance to progress their own careers." ((in 55 reviews)); "Initial training could be great or it could be terrible depending on your location." ((in 23 reviews)); "bureaucracy Upper management is on their own power trip, often forget to do their actual JOB." ((in 16 reviews)); "rotating shifts, poor management, stress" ((in 13 reviews)); "Shift work, midnight shifts, w" ((in 12 reviews))

What are employees saying about FAA layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about FAA layoffs and their outlook for job security at FAA in 2026.

FAA reviews

3.8

72% would recommend to a friend

(1,458 total reviews)

Pete Buttigieg | Michael G. Whitaker | Kathryn “Katie” Thomson

68% approve of CEO

50% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Compensation and benefits

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Culture & values

3.5

Work/Life balance

3.3

Senior management

FAA has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 1,458 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The FAA employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Gobierno y administración pública industry (3.6 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

1K reviews

4.0

Feb 10, 2023

Strong Organization that Makes an Important Contribution

Medical officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Portfolio of work focused on "here and now" airspace challenges Reasonable salary Implementing strategies to make a hybrid work environment successful Favorable work-life balance Visionary Senior Leaders

Cons

External aviator groups struggle with our slow pace of change Good ideas can take a long time to get traction Workload is overwhelming traditional paradigms and legacy IT systems

5.0

Feb 5, 2023

Excellent career

Air traffic control specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Well paid, fun job. Unique experience

Cons

Working hours can be all over the place Training can take many years

4.0

Feb 4, 2023

Important Job, Varied Work

Aviation safety inspector

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

There's always something to do. Renew a CFI certificate, investigate an accident, approve an airspace waiver for an aerobatic practice box, remove a restriction on an ATP certificate, investigate a pilot deviation and perform a corrective action, observe a DPE on a check ride, evaluate a Part 135 manual, take a complaint for a low-flying plane, "counsel" someone for flying their drone improperly, audit a pilot school's student records and pass rate. And that's just one week! It takes a careers' worth of knowledge to be qualified for this job.

Cons

There's a lot to learn, and it takes a careers' worth to be qualified for this job. Fortunately, there are government benefits and pay to make it worth your while--not to mention retirement pension and credit for prior military service.

Viewing 430 - 432 of 1,458 Reviews

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Public Notice for Air Traffic Control Specialist (Direct Hire)

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FAA

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Strong Organization that Makes an Important Contribution

Excellent career

Important Job, Varied Work

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