Dispatchers

Detailed Occupation

Add Comparison

2017 Workforce

286k

Average Age

40.9

Average Salary

$40,323

Average Male Salary

$45,376

Average Female Salary

$36,222

About

Dispatchers are most often employed by the Justice, public order, & safety activities industry. The average yearly wage for Dispatchers was $40,323 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Dispatchers by wage are Paper goods machine setters, operators, & tenders, Miscellaneous office & administrative support workers, including desktop publishers, and Meter readers, utilities.

Dispatchers 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 Dispatchers are Rancho Cucamonga City PUMA, CA, Orland (West & Central), Palos & Lemont Townships PUMA, IL, and Grand Rapids City Area PUMA, MI. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Dispatchers are Carr 156-Carr 164 PUMA, PR, Between Loop I-610 & Beltway TX-8 PUMA, TX (79500US4804607), and Logan, Polk, Franklin, Sevier, Howard & Scott Counties PUMA, AR.

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Dispatchers and on wages and locations for those in the field. Justice, public order, & safety activities is the industry that employs the most Dispatchers, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Dispatchers, by average wage, is Metal ore mining. Dispatchers are paid most in Sullivan & Ulster (West) Counties PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Carr 156-Carr 164 PUMA, PR.

Yearly Wage

$40,323

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,267

In 2017, Dispatchers earned an average of $40,323, $15,631 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Paper goods machine setters, operators, & tenders make somewhat more than Dispatchers while Meter readers, utilities make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Dispatchers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.308

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Dispatchers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.308, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Dispatchers (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 Dispatchers.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Dispatchers

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

Most Common

The most common industries employing Dispatchers, by number of employees, are Justice, public order, & safety activities , Truck transportation, Services incidental to transportation, Construction, Bus service & urban transit, Taxi & limousine service, Investigation & security services, Other health care services, Couriers & messengers, Executive offices & legislative bodies, and Hospitals.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Dispatchers, by average wage, are Metal ore mining, Pulp, paper, & paperboard mills , and Electric & gas, and other combinations.

Industries by Share

286k

2017 Workforce

± 13,108

1.15%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 6.43%

The number of people employed as Dispatchers has been growing at a rate of 1.15%, from 282,384 people in 2016 to 285,626 people in 2017.

This graphic shows the share of Dispatchers employed by various industries. Justice, public order, & safety activities employs the largest share of Dispatchers at 28.1%, followed by Truck transportation with 13.8% and Services incidental to transportation with 6.06%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Dispatchers in the US. The average age of male Dispatchers in the workforce is 41.5 and of female Dispatchers is 40.4, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dispatchers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

128k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 8,778

158k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 9,744

55.2% of Dispatchers are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Dispatchers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Dispatchers

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

67.3% of Dispatchers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 13% of Dispatchers, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Dispatchers.

Age by Sex

41.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.912

40.4

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.764

The median age of Dispatchers is 40.9, and Male employees are generally 1.09 years older than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Dispatchers from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Dispatchers is Business but a relatively high number of Dispatchers hold a major in Protective Services.

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 Dispatchers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Dispatchers need many skills, but most especially Active Listening and Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Dispatchers need more than the average amount of Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, and Service Orientation.