Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Salary by State and Metro Area
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Services in the United States earn a median salary of $38,630/year ($18.57/hr). Salaries range from $29,990 to $59,470 depending on experience. Below, compare salaries across 46 states and 30 metro areas where BLS publishes data.
$30K
10th percentile
$35K
25th percentile
$39K
Median
$47K
75th percentile
$59K
90th percentile
Where Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Services have the most money left over after rent
Median pay minus estimated federal + state + FICA taxes, minus 12 months of rent at HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent. Darker green means more money left over each year. Hover any state for the breakdown.
View map data as a table
| State | Median (nominal) | Rent/mo (2BR) | Left after rent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $47K | $1,384 | $22K |
| Maine | $43K | $1,281 | $20K |
| Hawaii | $60K | $2,240 | $19K |
| Kansas | $39K | $1,066 | $19K |
| New Hampshire | $44K | $1,528 | $19K |
| West Virginia | $37K | $1,008 | $19K |
| Wisconsin | $40K | $1,202 | $19K |
| District of Columbia | $55K | $2,146 | $18K |
| Idaho | $38K | $1,136 | $18K |
| Iowa | $38K | $1,064 | $18K |
| Missouri | $37K | $1,097 | $18K |
| Nebraska | $38K | $1,113 | $18K |
| New Mexico | $38K | $1,119 | $18K |
| Washington | $48K | $1,830 | $18K |
| Illinois | $43K | $1,407 | $17K |
| Indiana | $37K | $1,144 | $17K |
| Kentucky | $38K | $1,110 | $17K |
| Montana | $36K | $1,129 | $17K |
| Ohio | $36K | $1,188 | $17K |
| Vermont | $43K | $1,498 | $17K |
| Arkansas | $35K | $1,021 | $17K |
| Louisiana | $36K | $1,191 | $16K |
| North Carolina | $39K | $1,284 | $16K |
| Oklahoma | $35K | $1,081 | $16K |
| Tennessee | $36K | $1,215 | $16K |
| Arizona | $40K | $1,437 | $16K |
| Georgia | $39K | $1,434 | $15K |
| Michigan | $37K | $1,272 | $15K |
| Nevada | $38K | $1,501 | $15K |
| New York | $45K | $1,917 | $14K |
| Pennsylvania | $37K | $1,351 | $14K |
| Rhode Island | $40K | $1,544 | $14K |
| South Carolina | $34K | $1,263 | $14K |
| Colorado | $44K | $1,832 | $13K |
| Alaska | $38K | $1,643 | $13K |
| Alabama | $32K | $1,085 | $13K |
| Delaware | $36K | $1,448 | $12K |
| Mississippi | $31K | $1,077 | $12K |
| Texas | $34K | $1,415 | $12K |
| Florida | $35K | $1,658 | $11K |
| Connecticut | $38K | $1,679 | $11K |
| Virginia | $37K | $1,646 | $10K |
| California | $49K | $2,471 | $10K |
| Maryland | $37K | $1,795 | $9K |
| New Jersey | $40K | $2,067 | $9K |
| Massachusetts | $44K | $2,347 | $7K |
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service salary by state
| State | Median | Hourly | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawaii | $60K | $28.78/hr | 410 |
| District of Columbia | $55K | $26.3/hr | 230 |
| California | $49K | $23.48/hr | 6,680 |
| Washington | $48K | $22.98/hr | 430 |
| Minnesota | $47K | $22.8/hr | 200 |
| New York | $45K | $21.79/hr | 1,760 |
| New Hampshire | $44K | $21.26/hr | 100 |
| Massachusetts | $44K | $21.05/hr | 830 |
| Colorado | $44K | $21.02/hr | 320 |
| Maine | $43K | $20.84/hr | 100 |
| Illinois | $43K | $20.51/hr | 1,240 |
| Vermont | $43K | $20.5/hr | 70 |
| New Jersey | $40K | $19.44/hr | 660 |
| Arizona | $40K | $19.42/hr | 380 |
| Wisconsin | $40K | $19.24/hr | 550 |
| Rhode Island | $40K | $19.16/hr | 130 |
| Georgia | $39K | $18.99/hr | 780 |
| Kansas | $39K | $18.64/hr | 180 |
| North Carolina | $39K | $18.52/hr | 690 |
| Iowa | $38K | $18.46/hr | 210 |
| Connecticut | $38K | $18.45/hr | 180 |
| Nevada | $38K | $18.3/hr | 650 |
| Idaho | $38K | $18.27/hr | 70 |
| New Mexico | $38K | $18.13/hr | 220 |
| Alaska | $38K | $18.12/hr | , |
| Kentucky | $38K | $18.07/hr | 370 |
| Nebraska | $38K | $18.06/hr | 180 |
| West Virginia | $37K | $18/hr | 110 |
| Michigan | $37K | $17.98/hr | 370 |
| Missouri | $37K | $17.85/hr | 640 |
| Maryland | $37K | $17.83/hr | 650 |
| Pennsylvania | $37K | $17.74/hr | 1,350 |
| Indiana | $37K | $17.72/hr | 380 |
| Virginia | $37K | $17.66/hr | 610 |
| Ohio | $36K | $17.48/hr | 990 |
| Montana | $36K | $17.44/hr | 110 |
| Delaware | $36K | $17.3/hr | 180 |
| Louisiana | $36K | $17.26/hr | , |
| Tennessee | $36K | $17.09/hr | 680 |
| Florida | $35K | $17.03/hr | 3,090 |
| Arkansas | $35K | $16.96/hr | 260 |
| Oklahoma | $35K | $16.96/hr | 480 |
| South Carolina | $34K | $16.35/hr | 480 |
| Texas | $34K | $16.16/hr | 3,640 |
| Alabama | $32K | $15.48/hr | 680 |
| Mississippi | $31K | $14.68/hr | 200 |
Showing 1–10 of 46 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Top paying metro areas
| Metro area | Median | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $79K | 440 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $63K | 240 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $62K | 700 |
| Kahului-Wailuku, HI | $60K | 70 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $59K | 170 |
| Barnstable Town, MA | $57K | 40 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $52K | 110 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $50K | 190 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA | $50K | 60 |
| Napa, CA | $49K | 50 |
| Bend, OR | $49K | 40 |
| Salinas, CA | $49K | 90 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $47K | 420 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $47K | 1,470 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $46K | 90 |
| Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | $46K | 90 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $46K | 570 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $46K | 2,110 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $46K | 540 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $46K | 580 |
| Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $45K | 150 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $45K | 80 |
| Fresno, CA | $45K | 150 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $45K | 70 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $45K | 860 |
| Syracuse, NY | $45K | 90 |
| Visalia, CA | $44K | 40 |
| Modesto, CA | $44K | 70 |
| Manchester-Nashua, NH | $44K | 40 |
| Merced, CA | $44K | 50 |