Telephone operators

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2020 Workforce

35.1k

Average Age

40.8

Estimated Job Growth

−28%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$31,317

Average Male Salary

$37,077

Average Female Salary

$29,121

About

Telephone operators are most often employed by the Business support services industry. The average yearly wage for Telephone operators was $31,317 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Telephone operators by wage are Counter & rental clerks, Ambulance drivers & attendants, except emergency medical technicians, and Data entry keyers.

Telephone operators are part of the Office & Administrative Support Occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of office & administrative support workers, Switchboard operators, including answering service, Telephone operators, Communications equipment operators, all other, Bill & account collectors, and 45 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Telephone operators are El Paso City (Southeast) PUMA, TX, San Antonio (Far Northwest) & Helotes Cities PUMA, TX, and Cumberland City PUMA, MD. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Telephone operators are El Paso City (Southeast) PUMA, TX, Cumberland City PUMA, MD, and Webb CountyLaredo City (Central) PUMA, TX.

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Telephone operators and on wages and locations for those in the field. Business support services is the industry that employs the most Telephone operators, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Telephone operators, by average wage, is Scientific research & development services. Telephone operators are paid most in Otsego, Schoharie, Oneida (South) & Herkimer (South) Counties PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in El Paso City (Southeast) PUMA, TX.

Yearly Wage

$31,317

AVERAGE SALARY

± $4,072

In 2020, Telephone operators earned an average of $31,317, $24,637 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Data entry keyers make somewhat more than Telephone operators while Counter & rental clerks make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Telephone operators as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.37

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Telephone operators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.37, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Telephone operators (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Telephone operators.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Telephone operators

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Telephone operators.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Telephone operators, by number of employees, are Business support services, General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals, Wired telecommunications carriers, Banking & related activities, Traveler accommodation, Insurance carriers, Executive offices & legislative bodies, Telecommunications, except wired telecommunications carriers , Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Justice, public order, & safety activities , and Investigation & security services.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Telephone operators, by average wage, are Scientific research & development services, Water, steam, air-conditioning, & irrigation systems, and Amusement & Recreation.

Industries by Share

35.1k

2020 Workforce

± 4,597

−5.39%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 19.3%

The number of people employed as Telephone operators has been declining at a rate of −5.39%, from 37,061 people in 2019 to 35,064 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Telephone operators employed by various industries. Business support services employs the largest share of Telephone operators at 22.7%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 12.8% and Wired telecommunications carriers with 8.58%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Telephone operators in the US. The average age of male Telephone operators in the workforce is 38.7 and of female Telephone operators is 41.6, and the most common race/ethnicity for Telephone operators is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

9.68k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 2,415

25.4k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 3,911

72.4% of Telephone operators are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Telephone operators.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Telephone operators

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

48.8% of Telephone operators are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 25.9% of Telephone operators, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Telephone operators.

Age by Sex

38.7

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 3.67

41.6

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.55

The median age of Telephone operators is 40.8, and Male employees are generally 2.98 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Telephone operators from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Telephone operators is Business but a relatively high number of Telephone operators hold a major in Engineering Technologies.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Telephone operators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Telephone operators need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, and Service Orientation. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Telephone operators need more than the average amount of Programming, Service Orientation, and Speaking.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Telephone Operators from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Telephone Operators are expected to see a growth of −28% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−28%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Telephone Operators. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.