Communications Equipment Operators, All Other Salary

It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $23K, rent takes 39.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $663/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new communications equipment operators, all others typically earn — is $22K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,310/month. At HUD’s $663/month FMR, rent would take 51% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 58% below the national median — $23K here vs. $55K nationally.

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas pays $23K median vs. the U.S. average of $55K — that’s -58%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 100), the purchasing-power equivalent is $23K — below the national median.

The median is $22,850 a year, that works out to about $11 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $21,840, and experienced communications equipment operators, all others can clear $36,850. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $1,693/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $663/month, which eats 39.2% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.

San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas has a Regional Price Parity of 100 (100 is the national average). That's right at the national average. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median communications equipment operators, all other salary is worth about $22,850 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.