SOC 43-2011 · Office and Administrative Support Occupations

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service wages by metro

National median annual wage

$38,630

10th percentile: $29,990
25th percentile: $34,820
Median: $38,630
75th percentile: $46,530
90th percentile: $59,470
Mean: $42,300

Annual wage from the May 2025 OEWS estimates.

National employment in May 2025: 34,280.

That median is 24.2% lower than the all-occupations national median of $50,980.

The metro and state figures below are the same May 2025 release. A blank wage means BLS did not publish it. See when a wage is not published.

Warehouse workers driving forklifts loaded with goods — Forklift operators in a Miami warehouse, 2011. Photograph by U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Highest published medians

Metros with the highest published annual medians for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	440	$47,730	$79,260	$79,260
Urban Honolulu, HI	240	$42,720	$63,190	$67,070
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	700	$41,280	$61,780	$81,090
Kahului-Wailuku, HI	70	$45,800	$60,420	$73,170
Stockton-Lodi, CA	170	$35,290	$59,360	$78,130
Barnstable Town, MA	40	$39,190	$57,030	$67,550
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI	110	$42,510	$51,950	$62,300
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	190	$41,040	$50,470	$63,420
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	60	$36,920	$49,840	$72,300
Napa, CA	50	$39,340	$49,460	$61,230
Bend, OR	40	$40,480	$48,880	$62,060
Salinas, CA	90	$38,130	$48,840	$60,620
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	420	$37,170	$47,380	$76,680
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,470	$38,200	$47,350	$81,140
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	90	$38,070	$46,330	$74,280
Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA	90	$35,650	$46,160	$58,090
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	570	$38,110	$46,080	$68,160
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	2,110	$37,740	$45,870	$66,350
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	540	$37,750	$45,760	$58,120
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	580	$35,810	$45,750	$61,580

Where employment is largest

Metros with the most Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service jobs in the May 2025 tables.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	2,110	$37,740	$45,870	$66,350
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	1,470	$38,200	$47,350	$81,140
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	1,270	$29,770	$35,080	$41,980
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	1,200	$27,200	$35,390	$40,660
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	860	$35,310	$44,540	$56,750
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	740	$25,860	$34,330	$46,130
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	700	$41,280	$61,780	$81,090
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD	590	$30,350	$38,410	$51,630
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	580	$35,810	$45,750	$61,580
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	570	$38,110	$46,080	$68,160
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV	560	$31,600	$38,190	$49,220
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	540	$37,750	$45,760	$58,120
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	500	$35,580	$44,130	$63,780
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR	480	$21,840	$27,540	$37,660
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	440	$47,730	$79,260	$79,260
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	420	$37,170	$47,380	$76,680
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	400	$29,440	$36,830	$40,910
Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	350	$29,230	$35,830	$45,860
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD	340	$31,990	$36,260	$48,440
St. Louis, MO-IL	310	$34,300	$37,870	$44,290

States and territories

State estimates for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service, May 2025.
Occupation	Employment	10th	Median	90th
Hawaii	410	$42,720	$59,860	$67,270
District of Columbia	230	$47,140	$54,700	$63,420
California	6,680	$37,380	$48,840	$79,260
Washington	430	$36,850	$47,800	$60,590
Minnesota	200	$39,890	$47,430	$57,840
New York	1,760	$36,970	$45,330	$72,500
New Hampshire	100	$37,850	$44,210	$49,660
Massachusetts	830	$36,680	$43,790	$57,980
Colorado	320	$35,490	$43,720	$46,920
Maine	100	$38,190	$43,350	$48,100
Illinois	1,240	$34,450	$42,660	$55,180
Vermont	70	$37,700	$42,630	$47,360
New Jersey	660	$35,780	$40,430	$51,890
Arizona	380	$35,060	$40,380	$50,200
Wisconsin	550	$36,040	$40,030	$57,420
Rhode Island	130	$33,860	$39,850	$55,440
Georgia	780	$30,880	$39,490	$46,390
Kansas	180	$30,940	$38,760	$46,130
North Carolina	690	$30,510	$38,520	$46,340
Iowa	210	$30,060	$38,400	$45,570
Connecticut	180	$34,370	$38,380	$55,170
Nevada	650	$31,600	$38,070	$48,400
Idaho	70	$23,000	$38,000	$47,380
New Mexico	220	$31,270	$37,710	$50,590
Alaska	Not available	$33,860	$37,690	$51,630
Kentucky	370	$30,550	$37,590	$44,390
Nebraska	180	$32,370	$37,570	$46,560
West Virginia	110	$26,630	$37,430	$46,080
Michigan	370	$31,220	$37,390	$47,200
Missouri	640	$32,380	$37,130	$45,570
Maryland	650	$31,990	$37,080	$47,790
Pennsylvania	1,350	$22,270	$36,890	$46,590
Indiana	380	$28,220	$36,860	$56,540
Virginia	610	$31,200	$36,730	$45,320
Ohio	990	$29,800	$36,350	$44,100
Montana	110	$30,960	$36,270	$47,150
Delaware	180	$31,200	$35,980	$46,720
Louisiana	Not available	$21,240	$35,890	$50,060
Tennessee	680	$27,020	$35,550	$46,700
Florida	3,090	$29,410	$35,410	$43,360
Arkansas	260	$29,360	$35,290	$42,870
Oklahoma	480	$29,100	$35,280	$42,470
South Carolina	480	$29,940	$34,010	$43,730
Texas	3,640	$24,140	$33,620	$44,100
Alabama	680	$27,640	$32,210	$38,260
Mississippi	200	$23,170	$30,520	$39,360
Puerto Rico	560	$21,840	$24,960	$37,000
Utah	50	Not available	Not available	Not available

Other office and administrative support occupations

Questions this page answers

What is the national median wage for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?

In the May 2025 OEWS estimates, the national median annual wage for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service is $38,630. Employment is 34,280.

How does Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service pay compare with all occupations?

The national median for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service is 24.2% lower than the all-occupations median of $50,980.

Which metro has the highest published median for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?

Among metros with a published annual median in the May 2025 tables, San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA is highest on this page's list at $79,260.