Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Salary in the United States
The median annual wage for switchboard operators, including answering service in the U.S. is $38,630 ($18.57 per hour), according to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, May 2025 estimates.
- Median annual wage
- $38,630
- Mean annual wage
- $42,300
- Median hourly wage
- $18.57
- Employment
- 34,280
34,280 employed
Wage percentiles
| Percentile | Annual wage | Hourly wage |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $29,990 | $14.42 |
| 25th percentile | $34,820 | $16.74 |
| Median (50th) | $38,630 | $18.57 |
| 75th percentile | $46,530 | $22.37 |
| 90th percentile | $59,470 | $28.59 |
Highest-paying states for switchboard operators, including answering service
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $59,860 | 410 |
| District of Columbia | $54,700 | 230 |
| California | $48,840 | 6,680 |
| Washington | $47,800 | 430 |
| Minnesota | $47,430 | 200 |
| New York | $45,330 | 1,760 |
| New Hampshire | $44,210 | 100 |
| Massachusetts | $43,790 | 830 |
| Colorado | $43,720 | 320 |
| Maine | $43,350 | 100 |
Lowest-paying states
- Mississippi: $30,520 median annual wage
- Alabama: $32,210 median annual wage
- Texas: $33,620 median annual wage
- South Carolina: $34,010 median annual wage
- Oklahoma: $35,280 median annual wage
About this occupation
Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.
Typical tasks
- Answer simple questions about clients' businesses, using reference files.
- Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment.
- Process incoming or outgoing mail, packages, or deliveries.
- Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.
- Perform various cash handling tasks, such as collecting payments, making bank deposits, or managing petty cash.
- Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.
Education of the current workforce — typical entry: High school diploma or equivalent
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Less than high school diploma | 3.2% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 38.7% |
| Some college, no degree | 30.0% |
| Associate's degree | 13.8% |
| Bachelor's degree | 9.3% |
| Master's degree | 2.8% |
| Doctoral or professional degree | 2.3% |
Occupation profile data from CareerOneStop, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor.
Related occupations
- Customer Service Representatives$44,770
- Office Clerks, General$45,010
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540
- First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$69,500
- Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$50,670
- Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$45,930
- Receptionists and Information Clerks$38,010
- Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$45,260
About this data
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — data period May 2025, retrieved August 13, 2026.
- CareerOneStop Occupation Profiles — data period 2026-08, retrieved August 14, 2026.
Figures are shown exactly as published by the source or derived by the documented formulas on our methodology page. Where a source suppresses an estimate, we show “—” rather than a substitute value.