Public Safety Telecommunicators pay in the U.S.
$56,740avg. a year
$27.28 an hour · 102,500 employed
Public Safety Telecommunicators in the U.S. earn an average of $56,740 a year and a median of $53,040. Pay is highest in California ($81,520) and lowest in Mississippi ($36,530).
$53,040Median pay
$27.28Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
102,500Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for public safety telecommunicators
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
18,520 jobs
California
$81,520
$39.19 an hour
21,980 jobs
Washington
$76,460
$36.76 an hour
31,110 jobs
Oregon
$72,880
$35.04 an hour
4390 jobs
Alaska
$69,910
$33.61 an hour
51,460 jobs
Minnesota
$69,740
$33.53 an hour
61,800 jobs
Colorado
$65,190
$31.34 an hour
71,820 jobs
Connecticut
$63,870
$30.71 an hour
84,350 jobs
Illinois
$63,570
$30.56 an hour
92,790 jobs
Massachusetts
$62,680
$30.14 an hour
105,470 jobs
New York
$61,970
$29.79 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Public Safety Telecommunicators pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
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Under $48k$48k–$56k$56k–$60k$60k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $116,260 | $55.90 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $102,130 | $49.10 |
| Vallejo, CA | $85,200 | $40.96 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $84,120 | $40.44 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $81,970 | $39.41 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $81,100 | $38.99 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $80,250 | $38.58 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $80,100 | $38.51 |
Related jobs
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Public Safety Telecommunicators pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $41,260 | $38,960 | 2,230 |
| Alaska | $69,910 | $66,660 | 390 |
| Arizona | $57,660 | $56,600 | 1,790 |
| Arkansas | $39,270 | $38,240 | 1,460 |
| California | $81,520 | $80,120 | 8,520 |
| Colorado | $65,190 | $63,520 | 1,800 |
| Connecticut | $63,870 | $62,410 | 1,820 |
| Delaware | $58,710 | $53,140 | 260 |
| District of Columbia | $58,870 | $59,080 | 60 |
| Florida | $54,750 | $50,170 | 6,090 |
| Georgia | $44,570 | $42,790 | 3,480 |
| Hawaii | $58,910 | $57,020 | 170 |
| Idaho | $56,010 | $51,780 | 580 |
| Illinois | $63,570 | $61,260 | 4,350 |
| Indiana | $51,660 | $49,050 | 2,150 |
| Iowa | $57,290 | $56,770 | 980 |
| Kansas | $44,830 | $45,110 | 1,370 |
| Kentucky | $45,400 | $45,670 | 1,350 |
| Louisiana | $42,070 | $38,550 | 1,470 |
| Maine | $57,240 | $57,250 | 730 |
| Maryland | $60,420 | $58,910 | 1,610 |
| Massachusetts | $62,680 | $61,720 | 2,790 |
| Michigan | $54,480 | $53,310 | 2,100 |
| Minnesota | $69,740 | $66,550 | 1,460 |
| Mississippi | $36,530 | $34,510 | 1,430 |
| Missouri | $48,310 | $46,990 | 2,750 |
| Montana | $49,700 | $47,640 | 560 |
| Nebraska | $53,230 | $50,270 | 750 |
| Nevada | $61,580 | $60,040 | 1,010 |
| New Hampshire | $57,580 | $58,240 | 560 |
| New Jersey | $60,860 | $59,240 | 4,010 |
| New Mexico | $49,590 | $49,060 | 640 |
| New York | $61,970 | $61,450 | 5,470 |
| North Carolina | $47,180 | $46,550 | 3,730 |
| North Dakota | $57,710 | $59,940 | 270 |
| Ohio | $55,510 | $58,100 | 4,550 |
| Oklahoma | $43,080 | $39,890 | 1,930 |
| Oregon | $72,880 | $71,980 | 1,110 |
| Pennsylvania | $52,070 | $49,890 | 3,620 |
| Rhode Island | $58,840 | $58,310 | 370 |
| South Carolina | $44,010 | $43,540 | 1,490 |
| South Dakota | $48,560 | $47,900 | 420 |
| Tennessee | $48,500 | $46,390 | 1,840 |
| Texas | $51,580 | $50,040 | 7,730 |
| Utah | $57,920 | $54,120 | 880 |
| Vermont | $59,460 | $59,470 | 280 |
| Virginia | $53,370 | $50,490 | 3,050 |
| Washington | $76,460 | $78,850 | 1,980 |
| West Virginia | $41,650 | $40,490 | 880 |
| Wisconsin | $59,040 | $60,000 | 1,820 |
| Wyoming | $54,590 | $50,600 | 350 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$62,990
5,760 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$69,800
2,730 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$80,250
2,140 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$57,710
1,870 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$57,780
1,750 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$60,560
1,710 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$49,480
1,670 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$64,760
1,660 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do public safety telecommunicators make?
The average is $56,740 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $53,040 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $27.28, and the median is $25.50 an hour.
Which state pays public safety telecommunicators the most?
California, with an average of $81,520 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $116,260.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $37,320 a year, and the top 10% earn over $79,830.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 43-5031. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.