Telephone Operators
Median $41,740
Occupation · SOC 43-2011
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service: pay and where the jobs are
What switchboard operators, including answering service earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$38,630 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $42,300
- Median hourly wage
- $18.57
- Mean hourly wage
- $20.34
- Employment
- 34,280
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-2011.
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How much do switchboard operators, including answering service make?
The median annual wage for switchboard operators, including answering service was $38,630 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $29,990 and the highest-paid 10% more than $59,470. As an hourly rate, the median is $18.57. About 34,280 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in Hawaii ($59,860), District of Columbia ($54,700) and California ($48,840). Hawaii also comes out on top after taxes and local prices.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for switchboard operators, including answering service looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29,990 | $14.42 | $2,499 | $2,190 |
| 25th percentile | $34,820 | $16.74 | $2,902 | $2,513 |
| Median | $38,630 | $18.57 | $3,219 | $2,768 |
| 75th percentile | $46,530 | $22.37 | $3,878 | $3,297 |
| 90th percentile | $59,470 | $28.59 | $4,956 | $4,164 |
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service: pay by state
47 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$42,958 take-home in national prices
2
$40,050 take-home in national prices
3
$38,899 take-home in national prices
Where a median switchboard operators, including answering service paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | 410 | $59,860 | $42,720 | $67,270 | $47,233 | $42,958 |
| District of Columbia | 230 | $54,700 | $47,140 | $63,420 | $44,015 | $40,050 |
| California | 6,680 | $48,840 | $37,380 | $79,260 | $39,818 | $35,963 |
| Washington | 430 | $47,800 | $36,850 | $60,590 | $39,924 | $37,308 |
| Minnesota | 200 | $47,430 | $39,890 | $57,840 | $38,362 | $38,899 |
| New York | 1,760 | $45,330 | $36,970 | $72,500 | $36,525 | $33,844 |
| New Hampshire | 100 | $44,210 | $37,850 | $49,660 | $37,703 | $36,195 |
| Massachusetts | 830 | $43,790 | $36,680 | $57,980 | $35,194 | $33,278 |
| Colorado | 320 | $43,720 | $35,490 | $46,920 | $35,901 | $34,838 |
| Maine | 100 | $43,350 | $38,190 | $48,100 | $35,499 | $36,578 |
| Illinois | 1,240 | $42,660 | $34,450 | $55,180 | $34,490 | $34,505 |
| Vermont | 70 | $42,630 | $37,700 | $47,360 | $35,439 | $36,178 |
| New Jersey | 660 | $40,430 | $35,780 | $51,890 | $33,626 | $30,905 |
| Arizona | 380 | $40,380 | $35,060 | $50,200 | $34,010 | $33,781 |
| Wisconsin | 550 | $40,030 | $36,040 | $57,420 | $33,259 | $35,346 |
| Rhode Island | 130 | $39,850 | $33,860 | $55,440 | $32,884 | $32,151 |
| Georgia | 780 | $39,490 | $30,880 | $46,390 | $32,688 | $33,947 |
| Kansas | 180 | $38,760 | $30,940 | $46,130 | $31,961 | $35,485 |
| North Carolina | 690 | $38,520 | $30,510 | $46,340 | $32,103 | $34,034 |
| Iowa | 210 | $38,400 | $30,060 | $45,570 | $32,227 | $36,721 |
| Connecticut | 180 | $38,380 | $34,370 | $55,170 | $31,619 | $30,518 |
| Nevada | 650 | $38,070 | $31,600 | $48,400 | $32,769 | $32,776 |
| Idaho | 70 | $38,000 | $23,000 | $47,380 | $31,807 | $33,308 |
| New Mexico | 220 | $37,710 | $31,270 | $50,590 | $31,826 | $34,514 |
| Alaska | Not published | $37,690 | $33,860 | $51,630 | $32,275 | $31,532 |
| Kentucky | 370 | $37,590 | $30,550 | $44,390 | $31,186 | $34,589 |
| Nebraska | 180 | $37,570 | $32,370 | $46,560 | $31,538 | $35,002 |
| West Virginia | 110 | $37,430 | $26,630 | $46,080 | $31,293 | $34,965 |
| Michigan | 370 | $37,390 | $31,220 | $47,200 | $30,885 | $32,099 |
| Missouri | 640 | $37,130 | $32,380 | $45,570 | $31,206 | $34,362 |
| Maryland | 650 | $37,080 | $31,990 | $47,790 | $30,578 | $29,134 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,350 | $36,890 | $22,270 | $46,590 | $30,663 | $31,426 |
| Indiana | 380 | $36,860 | $28,220 | $56,540 | $30,739 | $32,936 |
| Virginia | 610 | $36,730 | $31,200 | $45,320 | $30,395 | $30,063 |
| Ohio | 990 | $36,350 | $29,800 | $44,100 | $30,838 | $33,240 |
| Montana | 110 | $36,270 | $30,960 | $47,150 | $30,375 | $32,094 |
| Delaware | 180 | $35,980 | $31,200 | $46,720 | $29,626 | $29,683 |
| Louisiana | Not published | $35,890 | $21,240 | $50,060 | $30,327 | $34,382 |
| Tennessee | 680 | $35,550 | $27,020 | $46,700 | $30,744 | $33,465 |
| Florida | 3,090 | $35,410 | $29,410 | $43,360 | $30,632 | $29,621 |
| Arkansas | 260 | $35,290 | $29,360 | $42,870 | $29,717 | $34,183 |
| Oklahoma | 480 | $35,280 | $29,100 | $42,470 | $29,485 | $33,566 |
| South Carolina | 480 | $34,010 | $29,940 | $43,730 | $29,129 | $31,071 |
| Texas | 3,640 | $33,620 | $24,140 | $44,100 | $29,194 | $30,079 |
| Alabama | 680 | $32,210 | $27,640 | $38,260 | $26,783 | $30,154 |
| Mississippi | 200 | $30,520 | $23,170 | $39,360 | $26,214 | $30,147 |
| Puerto Rico | 560 | $24,960 | $21,840 | $37,000 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-2011. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.