Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

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)
132,680 1.2 % $12.84 $26,710 0.3 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.72 $10.10 $12.18 $14.77 $18.03
Annual Wage (2) $18,130 $21,000 $25,320 $30,730 $37,510


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 19,670 2.41 $11.55 $24,020
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 18,610 0.36 $12.90 $26,830
Automobile Dealers 11,310 1.08 $11.65 $24,240
Offices of Physicians 9,390 0.40 $12.89 $26,810
Traveler Accommodation 6,700 0.39 $13.98 $29,070

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 19,670 2.41 $11.55 $24,020
Automobile Dealers 11,310 1.08 $11.65 $24,240
Insurance and Employee Benefit Funds 400 0.91 $14.72 $30,620
Taxi and Limousine Service 420 0.59 $11.20 $23,290
Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals 1,000 0.43 $12.87 $26,760

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Natural Gas Distribution 40 0.04 $23.24 $48,330
Basic Chemical Manufacturing 60 0.04 $20.31 $42,250
Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events 110 0.12 $16.60 $34,540
Federal Executive Branch (OES Designation) 630 0.03 $16.33 $33,970
Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills 40 0.11 $16.05 $33,390


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 16,000 1.14 1.10 $13.94 $29,000
Texas 10,210 0.99 0.96 $12.07 $25,100
New York 9,510 1.13 1.09 $14.52 $30,200
Illinois 7,860 1.41 1.36 $12.56 $26,120
Florida 6,790 0.95 0.92 $11.60 $24,130




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 2,300 2.06 1.99 $14.16 $29,450
Vermont 530 1.83 1.76 $13.36 $27,780
Louisiana 3,090 1.68 1.63 $11.52 $23,970
Kansas 2,020 1.54 1.49 $12.02 $25,000
New Mexico 1,150 1.48 1.43 $12.05 $25,070




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 650 1.01 0.98 $16.73 $34,800
Hawaii 730 1.27 1.23 $15.49 $32,220
Connecticut 2,230 1.39 1.34 $14.93 $31,060
Alaska 220 0.70 0.67 $14.75 $30,670
Washington 2,220 0.82 0.79 $14.56 $30,270





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-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 4,650 0.92 0.89 $16.34 $33,980
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale, CA Metropolitan Division 4,350 1.14 1.10 $14.31 $29,770
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 4,060 1.13 1.10 $13.72 $28,530
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 2,390 1.07 1.04 $12.97 $26,980
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 2,330 0.91 0.88 $12.81 $26,640
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 2,290 1.65 1.59 $13.00 $27,040
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Division 2,100 0.91 0.88 $13.98 $29,080
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,950 1.07 1.04 $14.04 $29,210
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,880 0.92 0.89 $13.69 $28,480
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 1,850 1.53 1.48 $14.17 $29,460




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

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
New Haven, CT 750 2.82 2.73 $15.89 $33,060
Punta Gorda, FL 90 2.42 2.34 $10.58 $22,010
Spokane, WA 460 2.35 2.27 $12.55 $26,090
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 1,820 2.25 2.18 $14.63 $30,430
Springfield, IL 240 2.24 2.17 $12.05 $25,060
Shreveport-Bossier City, LA 380 2.19 2.12 $10.82 $22,500
Lawton, OK 90 2.02 1.96 $10.58 $22,000
Manchester, NH 200 2.01 1.94 $12.02 $25,000
Elmira, NY 80 2.00 1.94 $12.36 $25,710
Lafayette, LA 290 1.99 1.92 $13.38 $27,830




Top paying metropolitan areas for this occupation:

Metropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 1,300 1.36 1.31 $16.87 $35,090
New York-White Plains-Wayne, NY-NJ Metropolitan Division 4,650 0.92 0.89 $16.34 $33,980
Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, WA Metropolitan Division 960 0.70 0.68 $16.31 $33,920
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 780 0.89 0.87 $16.25 $33,800
Fairbanks, AK 40 1.18 1.14 $16.00 $33,290
New Haven, CT 750 2.82 2.73 $15.89 $33,060
Rochester, MN 70 0.69 0.66 $15.80 $32,860
Yuba City, CA 40 1.15 1.12 $15.68 $32,620
Honolulu, HI 500 1.17 1.13 $15.45 $32,140
Iowa City, IA 50 0.62 0.60 $15.39 $32,010

Nonmetropolitan areas with the highest employment in this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Kansas nonmetropolitan area 390 1.03 1.00 $10.91 $22,700
Hammond nonmetropolitan area 360 7.11 6.88 $9.10 $18,920
Other North Carolina nonmetropolitan area 280 0.96 0.93 $10.79 $22,450
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 270 2.64 2.56 $12.96 $26,950
Northeast Mississippi nonmetropolitan area 250 1.22 1.18 $10.56 $21,970

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

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Hammond nonmetropolitan area 360 7.11 6.88 $9.10 $18,920
Southern Vermont nonmetropolitan area 270 2.64 2.56 $12.96 $26,950
Northeastern Nebraska nonmetropolitan area 140 1.57 1.52 $9.95 $20,700
Southeastern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 250 1.56 1.51 $10.58 $22,000
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 230 1.54 1.49 $15.57 $32,380

Top paying nonmetropolitan areas for this occupation:

Nonmetropolitan area Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Railbelt / Southwest Alaska nonmetropolitan area 30 0.45 0.44 $16.29 $33,890
Hawaii / Maui / Kauai nonmetropolitan area 230 1.54 1.49 $15.57 $32,380
Balance of Lower Peninsula of Michigan nonmetropolitan area 180 0.64 0.62 $14.38 $29,900
Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area 30 0.58 0.57 $14.20 $29,540
Southeast Minnesota nonmetropolitan area 70 0.38 0.37 $14.10 $29,330


About May 2011 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

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

The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall. 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.

(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration. A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.


Other OES estimates and related information:

May 2011 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

May 2011 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2011 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped XLS files

Technical Notes

 

Last Modified Date: March 27, 2012