Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2011

43-5031 Police, Fire, and Ambulance Dispatchers

Operate radio, telephone, or computer equipment at emergency response centers. Receive reports from the public of crimes, disturbances, fires, and medical or police emergencies. Relay information to law enforcement and emergency response personnel. May maintain contact with caller until responders arrive.


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)
97,100 1.0 % $18.01 $37,460 0.4 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $10.91 $13.58 $17.27 $21.69 $26.75
Annual Wage (2) $22,700 $28,240 $35,930 $45,120 $55,640


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)
Local Government (OES Designation) 80,610 1.46 $18.17 $37,790
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 6,030 2.35 $15.48 $32,200
State Government (OES Designation) 4,870 0.21 $19.80 $41,190
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 1,610 0.06 $17.11 $35,580
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals 1,410 0.03 $16.12 $33,520

Industries with the highest concentration of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services 6,030 2.35 $15.48 $32,200
Local Government (OES Designation) 80,610 1.46 $18.17 $37,790
State Government (OES Designation) 4,870 0.21 $19.80 $41,190
Other Support Services 350 0.12 $16.60 $34,520
Investigation and Security Services 590 0.07 (8) (8)

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment (1) Percent of industry employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
Outpatient Care Centers 100 0.02 $20.92 $43,500
State Government (OES Designation) 4,870 0.21 $19.80 $41,190
Business Support Services (8) (8) $19.01 $39,550
Elementary and Secondary Schools 80 (7) $18.50 $38,480
Local Government (OES Designation) 80,610 1.46 $18.17 $37,790


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)
Texas 7,710 0.75 0.99 $15.72 $32,690
California 6,330 0.45 0.60 $26.48 $55,070
Florida 6,290 0.88 1.16 $18.41 $38,290
New York 5,470 0.65 0.86 $20.07 $41,750
Ohio 4,220 0.85 1.12 $18.10 $37,640




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)
Wyoming 380 1.38 1.83 $17.59 $36,600
Alabama 2,410 1.33 1.76 $13.89 $28,890
Mississippi 1,340 1.25 1.65 $11.63 $24,200
New Hampshire 740 1.22 1.61 $18.26 $37,980
West Virginia 850 1.21 1.60 $11.54 $24,000




Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment (1) Employment per thousand jobs Location quotient (9) Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage (2)
California 6,330 0.45 0.60 $26.48 $55,070
Nevada 630 0.56 0.75 $25.37 $52,770
Oregon 980 0.62 0.81 $23.23 $48,320
Washington 1,660 0.61 0.81 $22.77 $47,350
Illinois 3,530 0.63 0.84 $22.32 $46,430





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 2,610 0.52 0.68 $19.82 $41,220
Chicago-Joliet-Naperville, IL Metropolitan Division 1,810 0.51 0.67 $24.96 $51,920
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX 1,360 0.53 0.71 $17.10 $35,570
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta, GA 1,340 0.60 0.79 $16.43 $34,170
Philadelphia, PA Metropolitan Division 1,280 0.70 0.93 $19.12 $39,770
Nassau-Suffolk, NY Metropolitan Division 1,270 1.05 1.39 $21.83 $45,400
Dallas-Plano-Irving, TX Metropolitan Division 1,200 0.59 0.78 $18.20 $37,850
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA NECTA Division 1,160 0.69 0.91 $20.54 $42,720
St. Louis, MO-IL 1,150 0.90 1.19 $16.97 $35,290
Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor, OH 1,020 1.04 1.38 $19.59 $40,750




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)
Ocean City, NJ 90 2.60 3.43 $17.17 $35,700
Morristown, TN 110 2.41 3.19 $12.66 $26,330
Rochester, MN 210 2.17 2.87 $20.16 $41,940
Dothan, AL 100 1.85 2.44 $13.33 $27,730
Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL 90 1.83 2.42 $12.35 $25,680
Wheeling, WV-OH 110 1.77 2.34 $13.29 $27,630
Gary, IN Metropolitan Division 460 1.77 2.34 $14.39 $29,930
Anderson, SC 100 1.75 2.32 $14.82 $30,820
College Station-Bryan, TX 160 1.73 2.29 $14.64 $30,450
Anniston-Oxford, AL 80 1.73 2.28 $13.35 $27,760




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 Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 500 0.57 0.75 $36.62 $76,170
Oakland-Fremont-Hayward, CA Metropolitan Division 380 0.40 0.52 $31.79 $66,130
Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Goleta, CA (8) (8) (8) $29.63 $61,620
San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City, CA Metropolitan Division 460 0.48 0.64 $29.24 $60,820
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA (8) (8) (8) $28.07 $58,390
Santa Ana-Anaheim-Irvine, CA Metropolitan Division 490 0.35 0.47 $27.99 $58,220
Sacramento--Arden-Arcade--Roseville, CA 330 0.41 0.54 $27.16 $56,490
Reno-Sparks, NV 80 0.43 0.57 $26.91 $55,980
Las Vegas-Paradise, NV 400 0.50 0.66 $26.35 $54,820
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 130 0.46 0.61 $26.25 $54,600

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 690 1.82 2.41 $12.91 $26,850
Central Missouri nonmetropolitan area 440 2.61 3.44 $12.46 $25,920
Northwestern Texas nonmetropolitan area 430 1.74 2.30 $12.65 $26,320
Other Ohio nonmetropolitan area 380 1.42 1.87 $15.18 $31,580
Southeast Missouri nonmetropolitan area 360 2.33 3.07 $12.16 $25,290

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)
Southwestern Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area 210 3.19 4.22 $11.84 $24,620
Southeast Alabama nonmetropolitan area 270 3.19 4.22 $10.89 $22,650
North Arizona nonmetropolitan area 170 2.76 3.65 $13.95 $29,010
Other New Hampshire nonmetropolitan area 260 2.66 3.52 $17.91 $37,250
Central Montana nonmetropolitan area 100 2.66 3.51 $13.49 $28,050

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)
Northwestern Washington nonmetropolitan area 40 0.75 1.00 $24.39 $50,740
North Coast Region of California nonmetropolitan area 70 0.79 1.05 $24.26 $50,460
Western Central Nevada nonmetropolitan area 50 1.37 1.80 $22.09 $45,950
Southern Oregon and Linn County nonmetropolitan area 70 0.70 0.92 $21.70 $45,130
Mother Lode Region of California nonmetropolitan area 40 1.11 1.46 $21.66 $45,060


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.

(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.

(8) Estimate not released.

(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