Telephone Operators Salary in the US
A telephone operators earns a national median of $41,740 a year (mean $44,970) — BLS OEWS May 2025, ranked #706 of 825.
How much does a telephone operators earn in the US?
A telephone operators in the United States earns a median of $41,740 a year (mean $44,970), per BLS OEWS May 2025. That is 18% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980. About 3,430 people work in this occupation (SOC 43-2021), ranked #706 of 825 by national median pay. Updated annually from BLS OEWS.
Median
$41,740
per year
Mean
$44,970
per year
Employment
3,430
US workers
National rank
#706
of 825 by median
What a telephone operators earns in the US
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 national estimates, a telephone operators (SOC 43-2021) earns a median annual wage of $41,740 and a mean (average) of $44,970. The median is the midpoint — half of telephone operators earn more and half earn less — and is 18% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980. The mean is higher than the median when a minority of very high earners pull the average up.
Note: BLS top-codes any annual wage at or above $239,200/year, so occupations at that ceiling share the same figure.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the average salary for a telephone operators in the US?
- The BLS OEWS May 2025 national annual median wage for telephone operators is $41,740, and the mean (average) is $44,970. The median is the midpoint — half of telephone operators earn more and half earn less.
- How does telephone operators pay compare to the US average?
- At $41,740, a telephone operators earns 18% below the US all-occupations median of $50,980 (BLS OEWS May 2025). The all-occupations US median is $50,980.
- How many telephone operators are employed in the US?
- BLS OEWS May 2025 estimates about 3,430 telephone operators employed nationally (SOC 43-2021), across all industries.
- Where does this telephone operators salary data come from?
- From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2025 national release — cross-industry, all-ownership estimates, SOC code 43-2021. As US federal government work it is public domain. GeraJobs publishes the figures verbatim; suppressed cells are shown as "—", never estimated.
Compare nearby occupations
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- Material Moving Workers, All Other$41,800
- Agricultural Equipment Operators$41,730
- Substitute Teachers, Short-Term$41,670
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- Food Cooking Machine Operators and Tenders$41,590
Find telephone operators jobs with salary ranges
GeraJobs lists live US vacancies with employer-stated salary ranges — see which telephone operators roles pay above the BLS benchmark.
Data source
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) · May 2025 national estimates · SOC 43-2021 · Public domain (U.S. federal government work)
Published verbatim by GeraJobs. Last updated: 2026-06-27. ← All US salaries