How much do Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service make in St. Louis, MO-IL?

Percentile spread

For Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service, the published 10th percentile is $34,300 and the 90th percentile is $44,290. The difference is $9,990, which is 26.4% of the median. Ten percent of measured wages fall below the 10th percentile and ten percent fall above the 90th. How to read a percentile.

The middle half of the distribution, from the 25th percentile at $36,280 to the 75th at $41,080, covers $4,800.

The mean annual wage is $38,830, which sits above the median of $37,870. Median and mean measure different points in the same distribution.

National and state comparison

The St. Louis, MO-IL median is 2% lower than the national median of $38,630 for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. In 2024 national prices the local median is $39,826, which is 3.1% higher than that same national median. The national figure is already in national prices because the United States parity is 100.

It is 2% higher than the Missouri median of $37,130.

St. Louis, MO-IL covers more than one state. The state comparison uses Missouri, the primary state on the BLS area record.

Price-adjusted pay

The 2024 all-items regional price parity for St. Louis, MO-IL is 95.088, with the United States at 100. The Bureau of Economic Analysis released those parities on February 19, 2026. Dividing the May 2025 median of $37,870 by that parity and multiplying by 100 puts Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service at $39,826 in national prices. The wage year and the price year are different. Compare this wage after prices.

Nearby metros

5 other metropolitan areas within 200 miles publish a annual median for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. St. Louis, MO-IL ranks 4th of 6 on that median, counting itself. Distance is the great-circle mileage between Census Bureau internal points (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer Files, Core Based Statistical Areas, internal points (INTPTLAT, INTPTLONG).).

• Springfield, IL is 83 miles away, with a median of $39,450 and employment of 50. That median is 4.2% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $42,536, against $39,826 here.
• Columbia, MO is 122 miles away, with a median of $34,060 and employment of 40. That median is 10.1% lower than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $38,082, against $39,826 here.
• Bloomington, IL is 145 miles away, with a median of $38,480 and employment of 30. That median is 1.6% higher than the median here. In 2024 national prices it is $41,139, against $39,826 here.

Employment share

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service accounts for 0.02% of wage-and-salary employment in St. Louis, MO-IL (310 of 1,341,320). Nationally the occupation is 0.02% of employment (34,280 of 155,495,730). The local share is 1.05 times the national share. That ratio is the location quotient computed from these May 2025 employment counts. It is not copied from the location-quotient column in the BLS bulk file.