Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2016

43-2011 Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
Geographic profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3) 		Mean hourly
wage		 Mean annual
wage (2) 		Wage RSE (3)
90,910 1.9 % $14.29 $29,720 0.5 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median) 		75% 90%
Hourly Wage $9.60 $11.05 $13.47 $16.60 $20.23
Annual Wage (2) $19,960 $22,970 $28,030 $34,530 $42,090

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest published employment and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all industries with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Business Support Services 17,110 1.86 $12.94 $26,920
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 15,260 0.28 $14.63 $30,440
Automobile Dealers 7,430 0.58 $12.76 $26,540
Offices of Physicians 7,060 0.28 $14.11 $29,350
Traveler Accommodation 5,840 0.30 $15.23 $31,680

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Business Support Services 17,110 1.86 $12.94 $26,920
Taxi and Limousine Service 630 0.76 $14.22 $29,580
Automobile Dealers 7,430 0.58 $12.76 $26,540
Traveler Accommodation 5,840 0.30 $15.23 $31,680
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 15,260 0.28 $14.63 $30,440

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Building Equipment Contractors (8) (8) $19.30 $40,150
Automotive Equipment Rental and Leasing (8) (8) $19.23 $40,010
Local Government (OES Designation) 3,180 0.06 $18.86 $39,220
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution 30 0.01 $18.50 $38,470
Other Financial Investment Activities 200 0.04 $18.08 $37,600

Geographic profile for this occupation: Top

States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for this occupation are provided. For a list of all areas with employment in this occupation, see the Create Customized Tables function.





States with the highest employment level in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 11,710 0.73 1.13 $16.24 $33,780
Texas 7,260 0.62 0.95 $13.42 $27,900
Florida 5,940 0.72 1.12 $12.77 $26,560
New York 5,580 0.61 0.95 $16.87 $35,090
Pennsylvania 4,060 0.71 1.09 $13.92 $28,940




States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Nevada 1,710 1.35 2.08 $14.96 $31,130
Louisiana 2,430 1.27 1.96 $12.65 $26,300
Hawaii 790 1.25 1.94 $18.39 $38,250
Rhode Island 560 1.17 1.81 $14.31 $29,770
Mississippi 1,100 0.99 1.52 $11.57 $24,070




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
District of Columbia 300 0.43 0.66 $19.10 $39,730
Hawaii 790 1.25 1.94 $18.39 $38,250
Connecticut 630 0.38 0.58 $17.58 $36,570
Washington 1,740 0.57 0.88 $16.96 $35,280
New York 5,580 0.61 0.95 $16.87 $35,090





Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New York-Jersey City-White Plains, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 3,590 0.55 0.84 $17.94 $37,310
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 3,310 0.78 1.21 $15.96 $33,200
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA 2,360 0.92 1.43 $13.68 $28,450
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 2,020 0.83 1.28 $12.87 $26,760
Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights, IL Metropolitan Division 1,850 0.51 0.78 $16.10 $33,480
Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 1,480 0.50 0.78 $17.05 $35,470
Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV 1,420 1.52 2.35 $15.33 $31,880
Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 1,360 0.87 1.34 $14.75 $30,670
Kansas City, MO-KS 1,180 1.14 1.75 $13.43 $27,920
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA NECTA Division 1,070 0.59 0.92 $16.74 $34,830