Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2007

43-2021 Telephone Operators

Provide information by accessing alphabetical and geographical 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.

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area 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)
23,840 3.6 % $15.72 $32,690 1.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.17 $10.38 $15.18 $21.21 $23.54
Annual Wage (2) $16,990 $21,590 $31,570 $44,120 $48,970

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 Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Wired Telecommunications Carriers 13,290 $17.51 $36,420
Business Support Services 3,690 $10.20 $21,220
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,560 $14.90 $31,000
Telecommunications Resellers 1,340 $18.21 $37,870
Local Government (OES designation) 430 $16.30 $33,900

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage
Telecommunications Resellers 1,340 $18.21 $37,870
Wired Telecommunications Carriers 13,290 $17.51 $36,420
Local Government (OES designation) 430 $16.30 $33,900
Traveler Accommodation 160 $15.31 $31,840
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,560 $14.90 $31,000

State profile for this occupation: Top

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

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
Alaska 200 $14.79 $30,760 0.066%
North Dakota 140 $13.26 $27,580 0.041%
Pennsylvania 2,290 $16.26 $33,830 0.040%
Alabama 670 $14.34 $29,830 0.035%
Missouri 940 $17.46 $36,320 0.034%

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment
New York 1,590 $20.07 $41,750 0.019%
Indiana 460 $20.06 $41,730 0.016%
West Virginia 220 $19.39 $40,330 0.031%
Michigan 370 $19.08 $39,690 0.009%
Rhode Island 140 $19.01 $39,530 0.029%

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

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

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Birmingham-Hoover, AL 350 $19.55 $40,660 0.068%
Kansas City, MO-KS 590 $20.62 $42,900 0.059%
Providence-Fall River-Warwick, RI-MA 330 $18.56 $38,600 0.057%
Fresno, CA 190 $21.82 $45,390 0.057%
Orlando-Kissimmee, FL 540 $14.95 $31,090 0.051%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Fresno, CA 190 $21.82 $45,390 0.057%
Austin-Round Rock, TX (8) $21.10 $43,890 (8)
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos, CA 150 $20.91 $43,490 0.011%
Kansas City, MO-KS 590 $20.62 $42,900 0.059%
Warren-Troy-Farmington Hills, MI Metropolitan Division 200 $20.25 $42,110 0.017%

About May 2007 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files (XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(8) Estimate not released.

Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2007 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2007 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2007 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: April 3, 2008