Start with the answer
Air Traffic Controllers pay in Utah and Virginia
The May 2025 BLS OEWS median for Air Traffic Controllers is $158,310 per year in Utah. It is $191,820 per year in Virginia. Utah is 17.5% below Virginia on the published median.
Both rows use SOC 53-2021 and the same annual wage metric. Median means the middle of each area's published wage spread. It is not one worker's pay. The larger median is not proof that one place gives a better job or a better result. It is one wage fact from one source period.
BLS lists 360 wage and salary jobs in Utah and 1,120 in Virginia. Those are survey job counts, not open posts. Read pay, job scale, local share, and price level as separate facts before you make a choice.
Evidence: bls-oews-may-2025 · Rule: same-soc-same-metric-pair · nominal-median-gap · employment-not-openings