48811/Airport Operations
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
142K
employees, 2023
142K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 2,585 US Airport Operations business locations employed 142,448 people and paid $5.5 billion in annual payroll, $38,856 per employee on average. Employment was up 21.1% from 2022. California had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
2,585
+7.3% vs 2022
Employees
142,448
+21.1% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$5.5B
+16.4% vs 2022
Average pay
$38,856
-4.0% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Airport Operations in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 242 | 21,430 | $41,937 | 0.13% |
| Florida | 287 | 19,090 | $38,379 | 0.19% |
| Texas | 263 | 16,616 | $38,911 | 0.14% |
| New York | 119 | 9,384 | $41,755 | 0.11% |
| Illinois | 78 | 7,110 | $41,512 | 0.13% |
| Virginia | 82 | 5,585 | $33,031 | 0.16% |
| New Jersey | 55 | 4,737 | $39,222 | 0.12% |
| Washington | 58 | 4,457 | $46,270 | 0.15% |
| Georgia | 71 | 3,986 | $43,764 | 0.09% |
| Colorado | 57 | 3,565 | $34,788 | 0.14% |
| Nebraska | 19 | 3,182* | $25,224 | 0.34% |
| Nevada | 31 | 2,785 | $28,075 | 0.21% |
| North Carolina | 57 | 2,784 | $30,815 | 0.07% |
| Massachusetts | 40 | 2,680 | $37,193 | 0.08% |
| Michigan | 62 | 2,480 | $33,194 | 0.06% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Airport Operations employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 112 | 12,902 | $41,241 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 86 | 11,665 | $42,974 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 105 | 9,894 | $42,428 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 69 | 7,456 | $39,251 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 53 | 6,568 | $40,346 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 64 | 5,877 | $40,780 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 43 | 5,312 | $43,158 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 66 | 4,936 | $32,987 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 43 | 4,609 | $33,277 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 39 | 4,012 | $46,425 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 38 | 3,452 | $44,453 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | 34 | 2,708 | $37,899 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 29 | 2,666 | $32,596 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 20 | 2,418 | $27,873 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 17 | 2,176 | $34,089 |
Business size
US Airport Operations business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 675 | 26.1% |
| 5 to 9 | 467 | 18.1% |
| 10 to 19 | 372 | 14.4% |
| 20 to 49 | 514 | 19.9% |
| 50 to 99 | 232 | 9.0% |
| 100 to 249 | 204 | 7.9% |
| 250 to 499 | 78 | 3.0% |
| 500 to 999 | 28 | 1.1% |
| 1,000 or more | 15 | 0.6% |
Related industries
Airport Operations and the 2 industries directly below it
Part of Transportation and Warehousing 48-49Support Activities for Transportation 488Support Activities for Air Transportation 4881
| Code | Industry | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 488119 | Other Airport Operations | 140,874 | $38,366 |
| 488111 | Air Traffic Control | 1,574* | $82,656 |
Questions and answers
How many people work in Airport Operations in the US?
142,448 people worked at 2,585 US Airport Operations business locations in 2023, up 21.1% from 2022. That is 0.10% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Airport Operations?
$38,856 a year per employee in 2023, from $5.5 billion in annual payroll (down 4.0% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Airport Operations jobs?
California had the most, with 21,430 employees in 2023, followed by Florida (19,090) and Texas (16,616).
Which metro areas have the most Airport Operations jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (12,902), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (11,665), Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL (9,894) had the most Airport Operations employees in 2023.
Are most Airport Operations businesses small?
58.6% of the 2,585 Airport Operations business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 43 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.