Office and Administrative Support Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Peer-group outlier SOC 43-2011

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Median pay sits 34% below the mid peer in Office and Administrative Support Occupations (neighbors include First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers, Cargo and Freight Agents, Postal Service Mail Carriers, Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks).

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service: First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers ($70K) , Cargo and Freight Agents ($52K) , Postal Service Mail Carriers ($61K) , Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks ($60K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 43-2011 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address
  2. 2. Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary
  3. 3. Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts
  4. 4. Monitor alarm systems to ensure that secure conditions are maintained
  5. 5. Contact security staff members when necessary, using radio-telephones
  6. 6. Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location
  7. 7. Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness
  8. 8. Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment
  9. 9. Complete forms for sales orders
  10. 10. Relay or route written or verbal messages
  11. 11. Perform various cash handling tasks, such as collecting payments, making bank deposits, or managing petty cash
  12. 12. Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 43-2011 - lead skill Active Listening at 4.0 ; lead knowledge Customer and Personal Service. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.0
  2. 2. Speaking 3.9
  3. 3. Social Perceptiveness 3.5
  4. 4. Service Orientation 3.1
  5. 5. Reading Comprehension 3.0
  6. 6. Coordination 3.0
  7. 7. Monitoring 2.9
  8. 8. Writing 2.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Customer and Personal Service 4.3
  2. 2. English Language 3.9
  3. 3. Administrative 3.7
  4. 4. Computers and Electronics 3.5
  5. 5. Telecommunications 3.3
  6. 6. Administration and Management 2.8
Pay vs Office and Administrative Support Occupations peers
-34%
vs mid peer median $58,260
This role $38,630/yr
$39K
National median
↓ -26%
Growth 2024-2034
2,800
Annual openings
34,280
Estimated US jobs
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
Highest-pay peer · $70K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

1. Washington $47,800
2. New York $45,330
3. Maine $43,350
4. Massachusetts $43,790
5. Hawaii $59,860
6. New Hampshire $44,210
7. California $48,840
8. Minnesota $47,430
9. District of Columbia $54,700
10. Colorado $43,720

Other Office and Administrative Support Occupations titles

  1. 1. First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $69,500
  2. 2. Postal Service Mail Carriers $60,550
  3. 3. Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks $59,650
  4. 4. Postal Service Clerks $62,130
  5. 5. Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators $58,470
  6. 6. Cargo and Freight Agents $52,260

Among Office and Administrative Support Occupations peers on this card, Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service sits 34% below the mid peer median ($58,260). Its own median is $38,630.

Employment Projections expect -26% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 2,800 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Washington at $47,800. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers at $69,500. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service pay-rank #50 in Office and Administrative Support Occupations

On the Office and Administrative Support Occupations median table (54 detailed occupations with OEWS medians), Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service lands at #50, in the lower third. That rank is a table position, not a statement about individual workers.

Other lower-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

SOC 43-2011 · national median $38,630 · lower third of Office and Administrative Support Occupations (#50/54). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 43-2011

Washington · top state for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

$48K published median

New York · #2 state pay

$45K · behind Washington

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers

Highest-pay peer vs Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service · $70K

Cargo and Freight Agents

Lower-pay peer beside Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service · $52K

Compare Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service with another occupation →

Peer-comparison next reads

Compare Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service

Against another occupation

First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers card

Top peer in this major group

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service land on the Office and Administrative Support Occupations median table? ▼
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service is pay-rank #50 of 54 in this major group, lower third of the median table. Closest lower-third titles: Couriers and Messengers ($39K), Receptionists and Information Clerks ($38K), Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service ($39K), Gambling Cage Workers ($38K). That position is a table rank, not a worker percentile.
What do switchboard operators, including answering service do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. Leading ones include: 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; Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts; Monitor alarm systems to ensure that secure conditions are maintained. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for switchboard operators, including answering service? ▼
For SOC 43-2011, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.0), Speaking (3.9), Social Perceptiveness (3.5), Service Orientation (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Customer and Personal Service, English Language, Administrative. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $38,630 as the national median for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. The published 10th-90th range is $29,990 to $59,470. Beside First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers ($69,500), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service is -26%. Projected annual openings: about 2,800. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service? ▼
Washington ($47,800), New York ($45,330), Maine ($43,350) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 43-2011. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics