Occupations · Office and Administrative Support
Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.
O*NET 30.3 Database (USDOL/ETA) · occupation code 43-2011.00
What it pays
A single “average salary” hides the spread. This is the whole distribution — the gap between the bottom and top bar is usually the number that matters.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 · national, cross-industry · annual wage
Pay over time
Median up 80% between 2003 and 2024, before inflation. The band shows the 10th to 90th percentile.
BLS OEWS, one release per year. Before May 2011 only national estimates were published, so geography detail starts there.
Where the jobs are
| Metro area | Median wage | Employed |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $46,810 | 2,320 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA | $46,030 | 1,740 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI | $43,020 | 1,140 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $34,690 | 1,020 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA | $54,850 | 870 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV | $37,110 | 700 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $45,530 | 660 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | $33,370 | 650 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $33,540 | 650 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $42,760 | 590 |
| San Juan-Carolina-Caguas, PR | $26,970 | 550 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $40,380 | 500 |
BLS OEWS May 2024, metropolitan estimates · the 12 areas with the most people in this occupation
Typical education to enter: High school diploma or equivalent · BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
What people in this job actually do
Ordered by how important the work is rated.
- Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
- Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.
- Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts.
- Monitor alarm systems to ensure that secure conditions are maintained.
- Contact security staff members when necessary, using radio-telephones.
- Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location.
- Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.
- Page individuals to inform them of telephone calls, using paging or interoffice communication equipment.
- Complete forms for sales orders.
- Relay or route written or verbal messages.
- Place telephone calls or arrange conference calls as instructed.
- Perform various cash handling tasks, such as collecting payments, making bank deposits, or managing petty cash.
O*NET 30.3 task ratings, importance scale
Skills that matter most
Importance, rated 1 to 5.
O*NET 30.3 skills, importance scale
Software and tools
A dot marks what O*NET flags as in demand.
O*NET 30.3 software skills · hot-technology flag
What this work is actually like
Conditions rated against the average across all occupations — only what makes this job different is listed.
O*NET 30.3 Job Zones
Working conditions that stand out
O*NET 30.3 work context, frequency scale · observed 2022-08
How people actually get in
Share of workers by the education they hold.
O*NET 30.2 education, training and experience · observed 2022-08
What kind of person the work suits
Occupational interest profile, rated 1 to 7.
O*NET 30.2 occupational interests (RIASEC)
What you take with you
Skills rated for how well they transfer into other occupations.
O*NET 30.3 transferable skills, importance scale
Knowledge the work draws on
Abilities it leans on
O*NET 30.3 abilities and knowledge, importance scale
How this job is advertised
The same work is posted under many titles — this is what to search for.
O*NET 30.3 job titles reported for this occupation
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What changed since 2015
Comparing O*NET release 20.1 (2015-10-01) with 30.3 (2026-05-01). Signs, not colour alone, carry the meaning.
Now listed 4
Diff across the O*NET releases held here in full since October 2015, following occupations through merges and retirements. O*NET re-surveys occupations on a rolling cycle, so “no change” can also mean “not re-surveyed”.
Related jobs
O*NET 30.3 related occupations
Also called
O*NET 30.3 alternative titles
The same work in Europe
| ESCO occupation | ISCO | Match |
|---|---|---|
| telephone switchboard operator | 4223.1 | exact |
| receptionist | 4226.2 | close |
| hospitality establishment receptionist | 4224.1 | close |
| emergency medical dispatcher | 4223.1.1 | broader |
| rail switchperson | 8312.2 | broader |
| call centre agent | 5244.1 | broader |
Official ESCO ↔ O*NET crosswalk (ESCO Secretariat with USDOL/ETA)
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