SalariesWhat the occupation covers
Provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories. Assist customers with special billing requests, such as charges to a third party and credits or refunds for incorrectly dialed numbers or bad connections. May handle emergency calls and assist children or people with physical disabilities to make telephone calls.
Official definition from the Standard Occupational Classification, code 43-2021.
The pay range
Pay differs a lot inside one occupation, with experience, employer and place. The table shows where the lines fall.
| Share of workers | A year | A month* | A week* | An hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earn less than | $31,510 | $2,626 | $606 | $15.15 |
| Lowest 25% earn less than | $36,920 | $3,077 | $710 | $17.75 |
| Median (half earn less, half more) | $41,740 | $3,478 | $803 | $20.07 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $51,510 | $4,292 | $991 | $24.76 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $62,950 | $5,246 | $1,211 | $30.27 |
* Month and week are the yearly figure divided by 12 and by 52, worked out here for convenience. BLS publishes the yearly and hourly figures.
How it compares
The median for all occupations in the United States was $50,980 a year. The median for Telephone Operators is $41,740, which is 18% lower. Among the 54 occupations of the field Office and Administrative Support, it ranks number 45 by median pay. With 3,430 jobs, it makes up about 0.2 of every 10,000 jobs in the country.
Telephone Operators pay by state
The highest median pay was in California ($57,170), New York ($50,220) and District of Columbia ($49,330). The lowest was in Louisiana ($31,400), Georgia ($36,920) and Ohio ($36,970). The most jobs were in Texas (280), California (230) and Ohio (220). The occupation is most concentrated in South Carolina, where its share of all jobs is 3.2 times the national share.
No state matches.
| State | Jobs | Median a year | Average a year | Median an hour |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 230 | $57,170 | $55,910 | $27.49 |
| New York | not published | $50,220 | $52,290 | $24.15 |
| District of Columbia | 50 | $49,330 | $50,960 | $23.71 |
| Massachusetts | not published | $47,940 | $50,890 | $23.05 |
| Wisconsin | 60 | $46,590 | $45,260 | $22.40 |
| Maryland | 110 | $42,460 | $44,290 | $20.41 |
| Virginia | not published | $42,350 | $43,100 | $20.36 |
| New Jersey | 190 | $41,960 | $44,130 | $20.17 |
| Texas | 280 | $41,250 | $43,060 | $19.83 |
| North Carolina | 40 | $40,360 | $39,850 | $19.40 |
| Michigan | 80 | $37,550 | $40,590 | $18.05 |
| Oklahoma | 40 | $37,320 | $37,570 | $17.94 |
| Florida | 70 | $37,180 | $40,730 | $17.88 |
| Ohio | 220 | $36,970 | $38,730 | $17.77 |
| Georgia | 160 | $36,920 | $39,210 | $17.75 |
| Louisiana | 50 | $31,400 | $32,390 | $15.09 |
| South Carolina | 170 | not published | not published | not published |
| Tennessee | 150 | not published | not published | not published |
Sorted by median pay, highest first. "Not published" means BLS did not release that figure for the state, usually because too few employers were surveyed. "$239,200 or more" is the highest value BLS reports in the state tables.
Similar occupations by pay
- Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks$44,390 a year
- File Clerks$43,600 a year
- Tellers$43,030 a year
- Data Entry Keyers$41,340 a year
- Office Machine Operators, Except Computer$40,960 a year
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service$39,280 a year
Common questions
How much do Telephone Operators earn in the United States?
The median pay was $41,740 a year in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $31,510 and the highest-paid 10% more than $62,950.
How many people work as Telephone Operators?
About 3,430 jobs in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay and benefits. They are official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; see bls.gov/oes for the original tables.