Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service pay in the U.S.
$42,300avg. a year
$20.34 an hour · 34,280 employed
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in the U.S. earn an average of $42,300 a year and a median of $38,630. Pay is highest in Hawaii ($57,030) and lowest in Mississippi ($31,080).
$38,630Median pay
$20.34Average hourly
+24%Avg. pay since 2020
34,280Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for switchboard operators, including answering service
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
1410 jobs
Hawaii
$57,030
$27.42 an hour
2230 jobs
District of Columbia
$56,040
$26.94 an hour
36,680 jobs
California
$54,360
$26.13 an hour
41,760 jobs
New York
$49,950
$24.01 an hour
5200 jobs
Minnesota
$48,220
$23.18 an hour
6430 jobs
Washington
$48,140
$23.14 an hour
7830 jobs
Massachusetts
$45,190
$21.72 an hour
8100 jobs
New Hampshire
$43,860
$21.09 an hour
9100 jobs
Maine
$43,750
$21.03 an hour
101,240 jobs
Illinois
$43,410
$20.87 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.
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service 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 $37k$37k–$39k$39k–$43k$43k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $73,450 | $35.31 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $61,160 | $29.40 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $57,600 | $27.69 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $57,560 | $27.67 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $53,540 | $25.74 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $51,700 | $24.86 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $51,680 | $24.85 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $51,190 | $24.61 |
Related jobs
- Telephone Operators$44,970
- Communications Equipment Operators, All Other$62,130
- Customer Service Representatives$46,590
- Office Clerks, General$46,420
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$49,350
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$73,490
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service 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 | $32,860 | $32,210 | 680 |
| Alaska | $39,850 | $37,690 | – |
| Arizona | $41,380 | $40,380 | 380 |
| Arkansas | $35,360 | $35,290 | 260 |
| California | $54,360 | $48,840 | 6,680 |
| Colorado | $42,720 | $43,720 | 320 |
| Connecticut | $42,960 | $38,380 | 180 |
| Delaware | $37,610 | $35,980 | 180 |
| District of Columbia | $56,040 | $54,700 | 230 |
| Florida | $37,210 | $35,410 | 3,090 |
| Georgia | $40,040 | $39,490 | 780 |
| Hawaii | $57,030 | $59,860 | 410 |
| Idaho | $36,690 | $38,000 | 70 |
| Illinois | $43,410 | $42,660 | 1,240 |
| Indiana | $39,300 | $36,860 | 380 |
| Iowa | $40,010 | $38,400 | 210 |
| Kansas | $38,970 | $38,760 | 180 |
| Kentucky | $38,010 | $37,590 | 370 |
| Louisiana | $35,390 | $35,890 | – |
| Maine | $43,750 | $43,350 | 100 |
| Maryland | $39,300 | $37,080 | 650 |
| Massachusetts | $45,190 | $43,790 | 830 |
| Michigan | $39,320 | $37,390 | 370 |
| Minnesota | $48,220 | $47,430 | 200 |
| Mississippi | $31,080 | $30,520 | 200 |
| Missouri | $37,980 | $37,130 | 640 |
| Montana | $37,950 | $36,270 | 110 |
| Nebraska | $38,620 | $37,570 | 180 |
| Nevada | $38,870 | $38,070 | 650 |
| New Hampshire | $43,860 | $44,210 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $43,320 | $40,430 | 660 |
| New Mexico | $39,790 | $37,710 | 220 |
| New York | $49,950 | $45,330 | 1,760 |
| North Carolina | $38,580 | $38,520 | 690 |
| Ohio | $36,620 | $36,350 | 990 |
| Oklahoma | $35,660 | $35,280 | 480 |
| Pennsylvania | $35,820 | $36,890 | 1,350 |
| Rhode Island | $42,330 | $39,850 | 130 |
| South Carolina | $35,310 | $34,010 | 480 |
| Tennessee | $35,310 | $35,550 | 680 |
| Texas | $33,810 | $33,620 | 3,640 |
| Vermont | $42,940 | $42,630 | 70 |
| Virginia | $37,470 | $36,730 | 610 |
| Washington | $48,140 | $47,800 | 430 |
| West Virginia | $36,810 | $37,430 | 110 |
| Wisconsin | $43,200 | $40,030 | 550 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$49,520
2,110 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$51,680
1,470 jobsMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL
$36,570
1,270 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$34,030
1,200 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$45,230
860 jobsHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$34,790
740 jobsSan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA
$61,160
700 jobsPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD
$41,060
590 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do switchboard operators, including answering service make?
The average is $42,300 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $38,630 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $20.34, and the median is $18.57 an hour.
Which state pays switchboard operators, including answering service the most?
Hawaii, with an average of $57,030 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA at $73,450.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $29,990 a year, and the top 10% earn over $59,470.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 43-2011. 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.