Home › Office and Administrative Support Occupations › Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service salary in the U.S.

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in the U.S. earn a median of $38,630 a year ($18.57 an hour), based on BLS data for 34,280 workers.

Median salary
$38,630
Hourly
$18.57
Average
$42,300
Top 10% earn
$59,470
Workers
34,280

Pay ranges from $29,990 for the lowest-paid 10% to $59,470 for the top 10%. The average (mean) salary is $42,300, above the median because a few high earners pull it up.

Pay range for switchboard operators, including answering service in the U.S.

$0$70,000
Pay levelYearlyHourly
10th percentile (entry level)$29,990$14.42
25th percentile$34,820$16.74
Median$38,630$18.57
75th percentile$46,530$22.37
90th percentile (top earners)$59,470$28.59
Average (mean)$42,300$20.34

Half of switchboard operators, including answering service earn more than the median and half earn less. Percentiles show the spread: 10% earn less than the 10th percentile, and 10% earn more than the 90th.

Median paycheck, before taxes

Pay periodAmount
Monthly$3,219.17
Semi-monthly (24 a year)$1,609.58
Biweekly (26 a year)$1,485.77
Weekly$742.88
Hourly$18.57

Based on a full-time year of 2,080 hours. Convert any amount with the hourly to salary converter.

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service salary by state

StateMedian salaryWorkers
Hawaii$59,860410
District of Columbia$54,700230
California$48,8406,680
Washington$47,800430
Minnesota$47,430200
New York$45,3301,760
New Hampshire$44,210100
Massachusetts$43,790830
Colorado$43,720320
Maine$43,350100
Illinois$42,6601,240
Vermont$42,63070
New Jersey$40,430660
Arizona$40,380380
Wisconsin$40,030550
Rhode Island$39,850130
Georgia$39,490780
Kansas$38,760180
North Carolina$38,520690
Iowa$38,400210
Connecticut$38,380180
Nevada$38,070650
Idaho$38,00070
New Mexico$37,710220
Alaska$37,690n/a
Kentucky$37,590370
Nebraska$37,570180
West Virginia$37,430110
Michigan$37,390370
Missouri$37,130640
Maryland$37,080650
Pennsylvania$36,8901,350
Indiana$36,860380
Virginia$36,730610
Ohio$36,350990
Montana$36,270110
Delaware$35,980180
Louisiana$35,890n/a
Tennessee$35,550680
Florida$35,4103,090
Arkansas$35,290260
Oklahoma$35,280480
South Carolina$34,010480
Texas$33,6203,640
Alabama$32,210680
Mississippi$30,520200
Puerto Rico$24,960560

Best-paying metro areas for switchboard operators, including answering service

Metro areaMedian salaryWorkers
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$79,260440
Urban Honolulu, HI$63,190240
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$61,780700
Kahului-Wailuku, HI$60,42070
Stockton-Lodi, CA$59,360170
Barnstable Town, MA$57,03040
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$51,950110
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$50,470190
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$49,84060
Napa, CA$49,46050
Bend, OR$48,88040
Salinas, CA$48,84090
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$47,380420
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ$47,3501,470
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$46,33090

Metro areas with the most switchboard operators, including answering service

Metro areaWorkersMedian salary
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA2,110$45,870
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ1,470$47,350
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL1,270$35,080
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX1,200$35,390
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN860$44,540
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX740$34,330
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA700$61,780
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD590$38,410
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV580$45,750
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA570$46,080
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV560$38,190
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH540$45,760
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA500$44,130
San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR480$27,540
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA440$79,260

Related jobs in the U.S.

JobMedian salaryHourly
Telephone Operator$41,740$20.07
Communications Equipment Operators, All Other$54,680$26.29
Customer Service Representative$44,770$21.53
Office Clerks, General$45,010$21.64
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540$22.86
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers$69,500$33.41
Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks$50,670$24.36
Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants$45,930$22.08
Receptionists and Information Clerks$38,010$18.27
Shipping, Receiving, and Inventory Clerks$45,260$21.76
Executive Secretaries and Executive Administrative Assistants$76,590$36.82
Billing and Posting Clerks$48,500$23.32
Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks$59,650$28.68
Teller$43,030$20.69

More: Office and Administrative Support Occupations

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates, occupation code 43-2011. Wages include base pay, tips, commissions and shift pay, but not overtime, bonuses or benefits, and exclude the self-employed.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a switchboard operators, including answering service make in the U.S.?

The median salary for switchboard operators, including answering service in the U.S. is $38,630 a year, or $18.57 an hour. Pay ranges from $29,990 for the lowest-paid 10% to $59,470 for the top 10%.

How much do the highest-paid switchboard operators, including answering service make in the U.S.?

The top 10% of switchboard operators, including answering service in the U.S. earn at least $59,470 a year. The top 25% earn $46,530 or more.

What is the starting pay for switchboard operators, including answering service in the U.S.?

Entry-level pay (the 10th percentile) is about $29,990 a year, and a quarter of switchboard operators, including answering service earn $34,820 or less.

How many switchboard operators, including answering service work in the U.S.?

About 34,280 switchboard operators, including answering service are employed in the U.S., not counting the self-employed.