Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in the Colorado Springs Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service pay in Colorado Springs, CO at a median of $39,650 per year ($19.06/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $38,630, the metro estimate is +3% above. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 80 switchboard operators, including answering service are employed across the Colorado Springs MSA in SOC 43-2011.

The Colorado Springs pay distribution spans from $35,490 at the 10th percentile to $46,920 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 $38,720 and the 75th at $46,920, so half of Colorado Springs-based switchboard operators, including answering service earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Colorado Springs, CO 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 CO estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.