Telephone operators

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2019 Workforce

37.5k

Average Age

40.4

Estimated Job Growth

−28%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$28,078

Average Male Salary

$33,854

Average Female Salary

$26,039

About

Telephone operators are most often employed by the Business support services industry. The average yearly wage for Telephone operators was $28,078 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Telephone operators by wage are Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers, Bartenders, and Food batchmakers.

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 Paradise (South) & Enterprise PUMA, NV. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Telephone operators are Paradise (South) & Enterprise PUMA, NV.

Sales & Office Occupations Office & Administrative Support Occupations

Employment

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 Executive offices & legislative bodies. Telephone operators are paid most in Paradise (South) & Enterprise PUMA, NV but are relatively concentrated in Paradise (South) & Enterprise PUMA, NV.

Wages

Yearly Wage

$28,078

AVERAGE SALARY

± $3,583

In 2019, Telephone operators earned an average of $28,078, $27,446 less than than the average national salary of $55,524.

Food batchmakers make somewhat more than Telephone operators while Veterinary assistants & laboratory animal caretakers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Telephone operators as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.306

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Telephone operators had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.306, 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

Paradise (South) & Enterprise PUMA, NV

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

Paradise (South) & Enterprise PUMA, NV

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.

Industries

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, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, Traveler accommodation, Insurance carriers, Electronics stores, Elementary & secondary schools, Banking & related activities, Investigation & security services, and Executive offices & legislative bodies.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Telephone operators, by average wage, are Executive offices & legislative bodies, Investigation & security services, and Banking & related activities.

Industries by Share

37.5k

2019 Workforce

± 4,751

10.7%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 16.6%

The number of people employed as Telephone operators has been growing at a rate of 10.7%, from 33,820 people in 2018 to 37,453 people in 2019.

This graphic shows the share of Telephone operators employed by various industries. Business support services employs the largest share of Telephone operators at 25.5%, followed by General medical and surgical hospitals, and specialty (except psychiatric and substance abuse) hospitals with 11.8% and Wired telecommunications carriers with 7.77%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Telephone operators in the US. The average age of male Telephone operators in the workforce is 39.1 and of female Telephone operators is 40.9, and the most common race/ethnicity for Telephone operators is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

9.77k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 2,427

27.7k

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 4,084

73.9% 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)

51.2% of Telephone operators are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 27.7% 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

39.1

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 3.98

40.9

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 2.51

The median age of Telephone operators is 40.4, and Male employees are generally 1.83 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 Business.

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.