Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
SOC code 43-2011 · Office and Administrative Support Occupations
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29,990 | $14.42 |
| 25th percentile | $34,820 | $16.74 |
| 50th percentile (median) | $38,630 | $18.57 |
| 75th percentile | $46,530 | $22.37 |
| 90th percentile | $59,470 | $28.59 |
See where a wage ranks
Estimate only, based on linear interpolation between this occupation's BLS OEWS reported percentiles above.
Wages by state (May 2024)
State-level employment and wage estimates for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service (SOC 43-2011), from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) State estimates, May 2024. Data available for 48 of 51 states/DC for this occupation.
| State | Employment | Mean annual | Median annual | 10th pctl annual | 25th pctl annual | 75th pctl annual | 90th pctl annual |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 820 | $32,140 | $31,450 | $26,500 | $29,190 | $33,600 | $37,240 |
| Alaska | 60 | $39,010 | $36,600 | $32,870 | $33,450 | $39,450 | $50,610 |
| Arizona | 560 | $39,820 | $39,030 | $35,730 | $37,210 | $41,280 | $45,690 |
| Arkansas | 290 | $34,670 | $33,680 | $27,960 | $31,290 | $38,380 | $40,710 |
| California | 7,170 | $54,710 | $49,460 | $36,290 | $40,040 | $69,350 | $79,730 |
| Colorado | 490 | $41,990 | $42,740 | $36,470 | $38,260 | $45,390 | $47,440 |
| Connecticut | 370 | $40,500 | $36,560 | $33,170 | $34,420 | $48,090 | $52,690 |
| Delaware | 160 | $38,170 | $36,930 | $27,740 | $30,760 | $44,960 | $49,170 |
| District of Columbia | 200 | $57,210 | $55,140 | $44,210 | $50,950 | $59,570 | $69,680 |
| Florida | 2,940 | $35,570 | $35,080 | $30,380 | $32,660 | $36,910 | $41,760 |
| Georgia | 680 | $37,690 | $38,080 | $29,420 | $31,730 | $43,440 | $44,040 |
| Hawaii | 370 | $56,370 | $57,220 | $44,110 | $49,610 | $64,880 | $66,140 |
| Idaho | 70 | $35,010 | $37,650 | $21,330 | $27,780 | $39,440 | $45,400 |
| Illinois | 1,830 | $43,080 | $40,230 | $33,860 | $37,250 | $46,160 | $55,140 |
| Indiana | 500 | $36,300 | $34,720 | $26,520 | $27,750 | $38,120 | $54,020 |
| Iowa | 260 | $37,970 | $37,160 | $28,600 | $35,330 | $40,360 | $45,690 |
| Kansas | 180 | $36,350 | $36,900 | $30,040 | $30,990 | $39,950 | $44,600 |
| Kentucky | 350 | $37,120 | $36,500 | $27,240 | $30,620 | $39,160 | $46,480 |
| Louisiana | 870 | $36,210 | $35,260 | $27,270 | $30,370 | $38,050 | $45,080 |
| Maine | 110 | $42,510 | $42,090 | $33,670 | $40,360 | $44,190 | $51,620 |
| Maryland | 530 | $40,760 | $39,750 | $31,200 | $35,440 | $43,810 | $50,090 |
| Massachusetts | 1,010 | $43,860 | $40,730 | $35,970 | $38,040 | $47,160 | $56,580 |
| Michigan | 430 | $39,400 | $38,070 | $29,950 | $35,350 | $41,950 | $47,620 |
| Minnesota | 340 | $47,930 | $48,280 | $38,660 | $43,240 | $53,960 | $57,630 |
| Mississippi | 300 | $32,270 | $31,560 | $24,040 | $28,310 | $36,170 | $39,660 |
| Missouri | 880 | $36,870 | $35,640 | $29,950 | $32,580 | $39,380 | $44,820 |
| Montana | 40 | $40,550 | $41,880 | $32,650 | $35,820 | $45,780 | $47,450 |
| Nebraska | 220 | $39,160 | $36,880 | $31,430 | $33,930 | $41,070 | $54,430 |
| Nevada | 850 | $37,730 | $37,260 | $30,620 | $35,060 | $39,790 | $45,540 |
| New Hampshire | 150 | $41,250 | $40,860 | $34,880 | $38,790 | $43,590 | $48,200 |
| New Jersey | 730 | $40,830 | $37,920 | $32,880 | $35,260 | $42,670 | $53,790 |
| New Mexico | 220 | $39,310 | $37,430 | $30,360 | $32,450 | $46,490 | $49,230 |
| New York | 2,070 | $49,450 | $45,030 | $36,250 | $38,280 | $54,280 | $78,470 |
| North Carolina | 740 | $36,650 | $36,190 | $29,180 | $32,350 | $39,530 | $44,830 |
| Ohio | 800 | $36,560 | $36,490 | $28,960 | $33,780 | $39,100 | $43,700 |
| Oklahoma | 360 | $35,200 | $35,170 | $27,940 | $31,390 | $37,260 | $41,230 |
| Oregon | 360 | $49,120 | $49,440 | $38,070 | $45,190 | $55,280 | $59,150 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,240 | $37,110 | $37,930 | $26,650 | $32,660 | $41,780 | $44,620 |
| Rhode Island | 140 | $41,100 | $38,350 | $32,870 | $36,200 | $46,350 | $54,810 |
| South Carolina | 630 | $34,460 | $33,640 | $29,070 | $30,680 | $37,480 | $40,120 |
| Tennessee | 870 | $32,970 | $33,280 | $24,590 | $28,480 | $37,030 | $40,320 |
| Texas | 2,860 | $33,240 | $31,780 | $24,860 | $27,930 | $37,300 | $44,640 |
| Utah | 110 | $43,170 | $41,290 | $31,150 | $38,520 | $50,710 | $56,520 |
| Vermont | 110 | $40,250 | $39,500 | $35,690 | $39,500 | $42,310 | $45,800 |
| Virginia | — | $35,480 | $35,540 | $27,100 | $33,650 | $37,060 | $41,980 |
| Washington | 360 | $46,070 | $46,470 | $37,020 | $39,600 | $49,050 | $54,970 |
| West Virginia | 150 | $33,840 | $34,600 | $24,830 | $27,130 | $39,130 | $44,060 |
| Wisconsin | 480 | $42,630 | $39,910 | $31,910 | $37,460 | $46,650 | $56,280 |
Hourly by-state wages are in the source dataset but not rendered here (annual only, to keep this table a manageable width); see the source link below for the full file. BLS suppresses some state-level figures for reliability: an em dash (—) means BLS did not publish that figure for this state and occupation. Per BLS’s own field definitions: "*" = a wage estimate is not available; "**" = an employment estimate is not available; "#" = a wage equal to or greater than $115.00 per hour or $239,200 per year (all three are shown here as —, not guessed). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), State occupational employment and wage estimates, May 2024.
Similar-paying occupations in Office and Administrative Support Occupations
- Couriers and Messengers 43-5021$39,200/yr
- Receptionists and Information Clerks 43-4171$38,010/yr
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service 43-9051$39,280/yr
- Gambling Cage Workers 43-3041$37,580/yr
- Library Assistants, Clerical 43-4121$36,910/yr
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 estimates. Wage figures are BLS OEWS estimates and may not reflect current pay.