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The national median salary for Telephone Operators is $41,746 per year ($20.07/hr) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025. The middle 50% of earners make between $36,920 and $51,501 annually. Top earners at the 90th percentile reach $62,962 per year. There are approximately 3,430 telephone operators employed in the United States.
About This Role
BLS Standard Occupational Classification 2018
Provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories. Assist customers with special billing requests, such as charges to a third party and credits or refunds for incorrectly dialed numbers or bad connections. May handle emergency calls and assist children or people with physical disabilities to make telephone calls.
Career Outlook
BLS Employment Projections · 2024-2034
10-year growth
-27.5%
Much slower than average
Annual openings
300
per year, on avg
Workforce today
4K
as of 2024
Why those openings exist
0% from new growth100% from people leaving the role
Most openings come from replacement, not growth. Retention matters more than recruiting here.
Typical entry requirements
Education
High school diploma or equivalent
Experience
None
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Industry Wage Breakdown
Top 5 industries by employment · median annual wage, sector-specific
Industry
Workforce
Median Pay
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
NAICS 622100
1K
$45,150
Offices of Physicians
NAICS 621100
560
$37,840
Traveler Accommodation
NAICS 721100
350
$42,730
Telecommunications
NAICS 517000
270
$46,970
Elementary and Secondary Schools
NAICS 611100
230
$44,790
Wage range across top 5 industries: $37,840 to $46,970 (24% spread)
Wage Percentiles
Hourly & annualized (2,080 hours)
Percentile
Hourly Rate
Annual Salary
P10
$15.15
$31,512
P25
$17.75
$36,920
P50MEDIAN
$20.07
$41,746
P75
$24.76
$51,501
P90
$30.27
$62,962
Market Context Signal
JOLTS · other sector
Active
Openings Rate
3.4%
Quits Rate
2.0%
The labor market rebounded in March: hires jumped to 5.6M (+655K) and separations rose to 5.4M (+356K), both more than offsetting February's drop. Job openings held at 6.9M. Quits ticked to 2.0%.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average telephone operators salary?
The national median salary for Telephone Operators is $41,746 per year ($20.07/hr) according to BLS OEWS May 2025 data. The middle 50% earn between $36,920 and $51,501 annually.
How much do top-earning telephone operators make?
The 90th percentile salary for Telephone Operators is $62,962 per year ($30.27/hr). The 75th percentile is $51,501 per year.
What is the entry-level salary for telephone operators?
Entry-level Telephone Operators (10th percentile) earn approximately $31,512 per year ($15.15/hr). The 25th percentile is $36,920 per year.
Wage figures on this page come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. OEWS surveys roughly 1.1 million establishments annually. It is the most comprehensive employer-reported wage dataset in the United States.
P10 through P90 percentiles represent the wage distribution across all surveyed employers (not self-reported by workers). Geographic adjustments use BLS-derived cost multipliers calibrated from regional wage variation.
Wages are estimates. Individual compensation depends on experience, education, employer size, industry, and negotiation. Use this as benchmark context, not absolute ground truth.
CompSignal is a free labor market intelligence tool built for HR, compensation, and talent acquisition teams. We make BLS data, the same primary source Mercer and Radford cross-reference in their paid surveys, searchable and actionable without an enterprise subscription.
Built and maintained by Falcon Incentives, a compensation strategy and incentive design consultancy.