Telephone Operators Salary
In Virginia, telephone operators earn $42,350 at the median, or about $20.36 an hour. The range runs from $37K at the entry level to $49K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.79), which stretches that salary to about $44,678 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,646/month, about 57% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. This is an aggregate across all of Virginia. BLS does not publish metro-level data for this occupation in this state.
So what does $42K get you in Virginia?
About telephone operators
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Virginia
Telephone operators pay in Virginia tracks closely to the national median, $42K locally vs. $42K nationwide, a 1% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,646/month, which is 57.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.79 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Virginia
Entry-level telephone operators (10th percentile) start around $37K. Mid-career wages sit at $42K. Top earners bring in $49K or more, a $11K spread from bottom to top.
Compare to other states
Track telephone operators salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Virginia numbers change.
Related careers in Office & Admin
Frequently asked questions
Can a telephone operator afford a 2BR apartment alone in Virginia?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $42K, rent takes 57.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,646/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $900/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for telephone operators in Virginia?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new telephone operators typically earn — is $37K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,233/month. At HUD’s $1,646/month FMR, rent would take 74% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is telephone operator a high-paying job in Virginia?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $42K locally vs. $42K nationally, a 1% difference.
How does Virginia compare to the national average for telephone operators?
Virginia pays $42K median vs. the U.S. average of $42K — that’s +1%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.79), the purchasing-power equivalent is $45K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do telephone operators make in Virginia?
The median is $42,350 a year, that works out to about $20 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,220, and experienced telephone operators can clear $48,710. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $42K enough to live in Virginia?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,846/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,646/month, which eats 57.8% 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.
How far does a telephone operators salary go in Virginia?
Virginia has a Regional Price Parity of 94.79 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median telephone operators salary is worth about $44,678 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do telephone operators get paid the most?
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.