Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Salary: $55,888 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 35,730 switchboard operators, including answering service nationally earn a mean of $55,888. Employment in the series shown fell about 19% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 6.7% annual decline.
Key Statistics
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service: what the data shows
Common questions about switchboard operators, including answering service careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a switchboard operators, including answering service?
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 43-2011.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 35,730 workers.
What does a switchboard operators, including answering service do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Working with Computers, Performing Administrative Activities, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a switchboard operators, including answering service make?
BLS national median annual wage: $38,370 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $55,888 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,072 |
| 25th percentile | $40,902 |
| Median (50th) | $50,525 |
| 75th percentile | $70,844 |
| 90th percentile | $81,447 |
What education do you need?
For Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Coordination, Reading Comprehension, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Computers and Electronics. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is switchboard operators, including answering service in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 6.7% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -29.4%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -50.2%.
Current U.S. headcount: 35,730.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do switchboard operators, including answering services work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 35,730 | 17.6% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 32,140 | 15.8% |
| Hospitals | 22,520 | 11.1% |
| General Medical and Surgical Hospitals | 21,730 | 10.7% |
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 17,860 | 8.8% |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 8,250 | 4.1% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service workforce.
Employment Over Time
35,730 Workforce in 2023
The Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$55,888 Average Wage
In 2023, Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service earned an average of $55,888.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Salary distribution for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Employment Growth Projections
-6.7% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
17,894 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -29.4%
12,626 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -50.2%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Wage Trends by Industry
7.0% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 7,170 employees, $54,710 avg wage
- FL: 2,940 employees, $35,570 avg wage
- TX: 2,860 employees, $33,240 avg wage
- NY: 2,070 employees, $49,450 avg wage
- IL: 1,830 employees, $43,080 avg wage
- PA: 1,240 employees, $37,110 avg wage
- MA: 1,010 employees, $43,860 avg wage
- MO: 880 employees, $36,870 avg wage
- LA: 870 employees, $36,210 avg wage
- TN: 870 employees, $32,970 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,320 employees, $48,160 avg wage
- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 1,740 employees, $51,060 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 1,140 employees, $43,880 avg wage
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL: 1,020 employees, $35,800 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 870 employees, $58,260 avg wage
- Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV: 700 employees, $38,000 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 660 employees, $45,500 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 650 employees, $35,050 avg wage
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX: 650 employees, $35,020 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 590 employees, $40,990 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Diversity
Demographic information on Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in the US.
Gender and Age
The workforce of Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in 2023 was 35,730 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
Gender and age distribution for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.
Common majors for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service workers.
Education level distribution for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Skills
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Coordination.
Required skills for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service include Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative, Computers and Electronics, Telecommunications.
Knowledge areas required for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service include Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Speech Clarity, Speech Recognition, Near Vision.
Required abilities for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
Daily Activities
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service spend their time on activities such as Getting Information, Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Performing for or Working Directly with the Public, Working with Computers.
Most important work activities for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
About
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
The average yearly wage for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service was $55,888 in 2023.
SOC Code
43-2011 - Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
Insights and Analysis
Compensation snapshot: Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service reports an average salary of $55,888.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 35,730 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -6.7%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.