Public Safety Telecommunicators in the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Public Safety Telecommunicators pay in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA at a median of $46,380 per year ($22.30/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $53,040, the metro estimate is 13% below. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 80 public safety telecommunicators are employed across the Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford MSA in SOC 43-5031.

The Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford pay distribution spans from $37,820 at the 10th percentile to $48,160 at the 90th, a 1.3× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $38,870 and the 75th at $46,530, so half of Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford-based public safety telecommunicators earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide VA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.