Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Salary
Office and Administrative Support Occupations · 34K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$38,630
Median hourly
$19
Average annual
$42,300
Typical range
$29,990–$59,470
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service is $38,630 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $19 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages..
Most earn between $29,990 and $59,470 a year. There are roughly 34K people employed as switchboard operators, including answering service in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service.
- Hourly
- $18.57
- Daily
- $149
- Weekly
- $743
- Bi-weekly
- $1,486
- Monthly
- $3,219
- Annual
- $38,630
$38,630 a year is around the 50th percentile for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Services. The median is $38,630.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1Hawaii$59,860
- 2District of Columbia$54,700
- 3California$48,840
- 4Washington$47,800
- 5Minnesota$47,430
- 6New York$45,330
- 7New Hampshire$44,210
- 8Massachusetts$43,790
- 9Colorado$43,720
- 10Maine$43,350
- 11Illinois$42,660
- 12Vermont$42,630
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$79,260
- 2Urban Honolulu, HI$63,190
- 3San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$61,780
- 4Kahului-Wailuku, HI$60,420
- 5Stockton-Lodi, CA$59,360
- 6Barnstable Town, MA$57,030
- 7Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$51,950
- 8Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA$50,470
- 9Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA$49,840
- 10Napa, CA$49,460
- 11Bend, OR$48,880
- 12Salinas, CA$48,840
Related job titles
Employers advertise Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service roles under these titles.
- Answering Service Telephone Operator
- CBX Operator (Computerized Branch Exchange Operator)
- Central Communications Specialist
- Combination Operator
- Command and Control Specialist
- Communication Center Operator
- Complaint Operator
- Desk Operator
- Exchange Operator
- PBX Operator (Private Branch Exchange Operator)
- Switchboard Operator (SB Operator)
- Switchboard Receptionist (SB Receptionist)
- Tandem Operator
- Telecommunications Clerk
- Telegraph Office Telephone Clerk
- Telephone Answering Service Operator
Related occupations
- Telephone Operators$41,740
- Receptionists and Information Clerks$38,010
- Office Clerks, General$45,010
- Customer Service Representatives$44,770
- Public Safety Telecommunicators$53,040
- Telemarketers$35,450
- Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance$50,340
- Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive$47,540
What a Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service does
- Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
- Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.
- Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment.
- Relay or route written or verbal messages.
- Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts.
- Perform various cash handling tasks, such as collecting payments, making bank deposits, or managing petty cash.
- Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed.
- Perform various data entry or word processing tasks, such as updating phone directories, typing or proofreading documents, or creating schedules.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service make?
- The median annual wage for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service is $38,630 ($19 per hour). Pay ranges from about $29,990 at the 10th percentile to $59,470 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $42,300, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Services the most?
- Hawaii has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $59,860.
- Is Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 34K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service do?
- Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.; Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.; Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment..