occupation · 43-2011 · detailed
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service — wages and employment
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service earned a median annual wage of $38,370 in the United States in May 2024, with 35,730 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
What stands out
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service earned a median annual wage of $38,370 in the United States in May 2024, with 35,730 people employed, according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The lowest-paid tenth earned $29,820 or less, the best-paid tenth $60,940 or more. Since May 2023 the median moved from $36,750 to $38,370, +4.4 %. The best-paying state is Hawaii at $57,220; the lowest Puerto Rico at $23,970. Among metropolitan areas, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA pays the highest median, $73,220. Wages are as published by BLS for May of each year; '≥ $239,200' is BLS's top code. Every value links to its fact record.
United States, year by year
Annual wages at the median, mean and four percentiles; employment is the May estimate.
| Reference | Employment | Median | Mean | 10th | 25th | 75th | 90th | Median hourly | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2024 | 35,730 | $38,370 | $42,130 | $29,820 | $34,250 | $46,330 | $60,940 | $18.45 | evidence → |
| May 2023 | 43,830 | $36,750 | $40,020 | $28,030 | $31,600 | $43,840 | $58,810 | $17.67 | evidence → |
By state
Median annual wage, May 2024, highest first. Each state has its own record with the full series.
| State | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $57,220 | 370 |
| District of Columbia | $55,140 | 200 |
| California | $49,460 | 7,170 |
| Oregon | $49,440 | 360 |
| Minnesota | $48,280 | 340 |
| Washington | $46,470 | 360 |
| New York | $45,030 | 2,070 |
| Colorado | $42,740 | 490 |
| Maine | $42,090 | 110 |
| Montana | $41,880 | 40 |
| Utah | $41,290 | 110 |
| New Hampshire | $40,860 | 150 |
| Massachusetts | $40,730 | 1,010 |
| Illinois | $40,230 | 1,830 |
| Wisconsin | $39,910 | 480 |
| Maryland | $39,750 | 530 |
| Vermont | $39,500 | 110 |
| Arizona | $39,030 | 560 |
| Rhode Island | $38,350 | 140 |
| Georgia | $38,080 | 680 |
| Michigan | $38,070 | 430 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,930 | 1,240 |
| New Jersey | $37,920 | 730 |
| Idaho | $37,650 | 70 |
| New Mexico | $37,430 | 220 |
| Nevada | $37,260 | 850 |
| Iowa | $37,160 | 260 |
| Delaware | $36,930 | 160 |
| Kansas | $36,900 | 180 |
| Nebraska | $36,880 | 220 |
| Alaska | $36,600 | 60 |
| Connecticut | $36,560 | 370 |
| Kentucky | $36,500 | 350 |
| Ohio | $36,490 | 800 |
| North Carolina | $36,190 | 740 |
| Missouri | $35,640 | 880 |
| Virgin Islands | $35,620 | 50 |
| Virginia | $35,540 | — |
| Louisiana | $35,260 | 870 |
| Oklahoma | $35,170 | 360 |
| Florida | $35,080 | 2,940 |
| Indiana | $34,720 | 500 |
| West Virginia | $34,600 | 150 |
| Arkansas | $33,680 | 290 |
| South Carolina | $33,640 | 630 |
| Tennessee | $33,280 | 870 |
| Texas | $31,780 | 2,860 |
| Mississippi | $31,560 | 300 |
| Alabama | $31,450 | 820 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,970 | 690 |
Highest-paying metropolitan areas
Top 20 by median annual wage.
| Metro area | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $73,220 | 410 |
| Modesto, CA | $61,760 | 60 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $61,350 | 240 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $59,810 | 30 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $59,500 | 50 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $58,750 | 150 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $54,850 | 870 |
| Bend, OR | $50,310 | 40 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $49,690 | 240 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $49,320 | 190 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $48,820 | 170 |
| Napa, CA | $47,860 | 40 |
| Salinas, CA | $47,250 | 90 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $47,120 | 70 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $46,810 | 2,320 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $46,730 | 420 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $46,030 | 1,740 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $45,530 | 660 |
| Salem, OR | $45,190 | 30 |
| Fresno, CA | $45,080 | 150 |
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