BLS metro-level wage data places Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service pay in Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA at a median of $49,840 per year ($23.96/hr/hour), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared to the national median of $38,630, Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura pays +29% above, signaling either concentrated employer demand, a cost-of-living premium, or both. Approximately 60 switchboard operators, including answering services are employed across the Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA in SOC 43-2011.

The Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura pay distribution spans from $36,920 at the 10th percentile to $72,300 at the 90th — a 2.0× spread that reflects experience tenure, specialization, employer size, and the difference between public-sector, nonprofit, and private-sector compensation inside the metro. The 25th percentile sits at $43,870 and the 75th at $62,940, so half of Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura-based switchboard operators, including answering services earn within that middle band.

Metro figures capture where you actually work, not just where you live — which matters for commuters. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. Remember that OEWS wages reflect base pay only: employer-provided health insurance, retirement matches, stock options, signing bonuses, overtime, and tips are excluded and can add 20-40% to real total compensation. Before using this metro median as a negotiation anchor, triangulate against the same occupation's national profile (linked below), its state-wide CA data, and peer-metro comparisons — a median is a starting point, not a ceiling.