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 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at FAA?

71% of FAA employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated FAA 3.6 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) , ATC Specialist (29) , Aerospace Engineer (29) , ATSS FG-2101 (28) , 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 197 reviews)); "Pay is good but not great unless you are a controller or have been in for a while." ((in 162 reviews)); "Great people that care about aviation and the work they do." ((in 66 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 44 reviews)); "you make a good salary" ((in 26 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 56 reviews)); "Initial training could be great or it could be terrible depending on your location." ((in 26 reviews)); "Shift work and rotating schedules" ((in 17 reviews)); "bureaucracy Upper management is on their own power trip, often forget to do their actual JOB." ((in 16 reviews)); "Rotating shifts are brutal, stressful, low staffing, no standards, heavy workload at busy facilities." ((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

Compare reviews

3.8

71% would recommend to a friend

(1,455 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

3.6

Work/Life balance

3.3

Senior management

FAA has an employee rating of 3.8 out of 5 stars, based on 1,455 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

2.0

Sep 26, 2016

No Advancement Opportunity for Technical People

Computer specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good Benefits package Stable job - low risk of layoffs Easy work for good pay Not much else that I can think of

Cons

Management does not listen to employee needs If you are not on management track, the opportunities for advancement are nonexistent Unless you live in one of the core cities, you get left behind and forgotten about.

4.0

Sep 21, 2016

Operations Manager

Operations manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great co-workers for the most part, most are ex military. Good but not great benefits (401K matched to only 5%) but also a retirement. Lots of room for advancement if you don't mind relocating. Pay is good but not great unless you are a controller or have been in for a while. Engineers don't engineer so they are paid appropriately they more or less manage contractors.

Cons

Terrible managers, Dunning–Kruger effect is in full gear in the FAA. I had seen where other reviews pointed out poor leadership caused by people being promoted due to poor performance. I would agree with that reviewer especially in the Central Service Area. I can not speak to other service areas.

3.0

Nov 12, 2015

A job that pays well and demands results for every penny they invest in you

Airway transportation systems specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Locality pay, per diem in OKC, working with electronics, wonderful health benefits, retirement, TSP (max it out if you can), you will meet amazing characters with interesting stories,

Cons

Bureaucracy; 1st level management can be hard to deal with; being asked to do more with less; paperwork can be overwhelming; the buck always stops with tech-ops, if someone dropped the ball somewhere in the chain, its usually up to the techs to do the clean up.

Viewing 10 - 12 of 1,455 Reviews

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FAA

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No Advancement Opportunity for Technical People

Operations Manager

A job that pays well and demands results for every penny they invest in you

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