Dispatchers

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2017 Workforce

289k

Average Age

40.4

Average Salary

$41,154

Average Male Salary

$46,073

Average Female Salary

$37,177

About

Dispatchers are most often employed by the Justice, public order, & safety activities industry. The average yearly wage for Dispatchers was $41,154 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Dispatchers by wage are Highway maintenance workers, Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, & kettle operators & tenders, and Molders, shapers, & casters, except metal & plastic.

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 Hanover, Powhatan, Goochland, New Kent, King William & Charles City Counties PUMA, VA, Greater Fairbanks, Greater Juneau, Ketchikan Gateway Borough & Road-Connected Alaska PUMA, AK, and Commerce City & Brighton Cities PUMA, CO. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Dispatchers are Phelan, Lake Arrowhead & Big Bear City PUMA, CA, Canton & North Canton Cities PUMA, OH, and Humboldt County PUMA, CA.

Sales & Office Occupations Office & Administrative Support Occupations Office & Administrative Support Occupations

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 Water transportation. Dispatchers are paid most in South Gate & Lynwood Cities PUMA, CA but are relatively concentrated in Phelan, Lake Arrowhead & Big Bear City PUMA, CA.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$41,154

AVERAGE SALARY

± $1,365

In 2017, Dispatchers earned an average of $41,154, $14,370 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, & kettle operators & tenders make somewhat more than Dispatchers while Highway maintenance workers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Dispatchers as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.304

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Dispatchers had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.304, 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.

Industries

Most Common

The most common industries employing Dispatchers, by number of employees, are Justice, public order, & safety activities , Truck transportation, and Services incidental to transportation.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Dispatchers, by average wage, are Water transportation, Rail transportation, and Electric power generation, transmission & distribution.

Industries by Share

289k

2017 Workforce

± 13,187

1.12%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 6.4%

The number of people employed as Dispatchers has been growing at a rate of 1.12%, from 285,847 people in 2016 to 289,058 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 29.3%, followed by Truck transportation with 12.8% and Services incidental to transportation with 6.91%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Dispatchers in the US. The average age of male Dispatchers in the workforce is 40.5 and of female Dispatchers is 40.3, and the most common race/ethnicity for Dispatchers is White (Non-Hispanic).

Gender Composition

129k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 8,821

160k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 9,811

55.3% of Dispatchers are Female, making them the more common gender in the occupation. This chart shows the gender breakdown of Dispatchers.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Dispatchers

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

66.9% of Dispatchers are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 12.2% 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 Gender

40.5

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.921

40.3

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.761

The median age of Dispatchers is 40.4, and Male employees are generally 0.25 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.