DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
Wages Updated to First Quarter, 2020

					Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	Mean SE*	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Minnesota	760	112	$17.45/hr	$0.26/hr	$13.19/hr	$14.70/hr	$17.20/hr	$19.73/hr	$22.97/hr
U S	68,050	1,905	$16.07/hr	$0.16/hr	$10.64/hr	$12.49/hr	$14.90/hr	$18.39/hr	$23.34/hr
*SE = Standard error, a measure of the statistical reliability of the estimate.

Leading Industries for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Industry OES Employment OES Median Wage Professional and Business Services 320 $17.08/hr Education and Health Services 300 $17.49/hr Leisure and Hospitality 50 $15.50/hr Trade, Transportation and Utilities 40 $13.46/hr Financial Activities 20 $17.94/hr

Other Regional Data For Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Geography (click title for details) OES Projections Employment Median Wage % Change 2020 - 2030 Minnesota 760 $17.20/hr -27.5% Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA 480 $17.60/hr N/A Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN 480 $17.58/hr -27.9% Duluth MN-WI MSA 80 $18.03/hr N/A Northeast Minnesota 70 $17.30/hr N/A Fargo ND-MN MSA 60 $14.41/hr N/A Southeast Balance of State 50 $16.75/hr N/A Northwest Minnesota 40 $14.55/hr -18.2% Central Minnesota 40 $15.20/hr N/A Northwest Balance of State 30 $14.62/hr N/A Southwest Balance of State N/A N/A N/A La Crosse WI-MN MSA N/A N/A N/A St Cloud MN MSA N/A $16.12/hr N/A Southeast Minnesota N/A $17.00/hr N/A Rochester MN MSA N/A N/A N/A Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA N/A N/A N/A Southwest Minnesota N/A N/A N/A Grand Forks ND-MN MSA N/A N/A N/A Northeast Balance of State N/A N/A N/A

Related Occupations

Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
	Employment	Median Wage	% Change 2020 - 2030
Receptionists and Information Clerks	16,900	$14.83/hr	-0.1%
Medical Secretaries	13,790	$20.63/hr	7.1%
Billing and Posting Clerks and Machine Operators	7,770	$20.91/hr	-0.3%
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks	7,290	$22.84/hr	3.3%
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks	6,790	$22.52/hr	-1.3%
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan	3,400	$18.91/hr	-9.3%
Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks	2,430	$23.52/hr	5.4%

• Operates communication system, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
• Places telephone calls as instructed.
• Greets caller, furnishes information to caller or visitor, and relays calls.
• Relays and routes messages.
• Keeps records of calls placed and charges incurred, if any.
• Date stamps and files messages.
• Receives visitors and obtains name and nature of business.
• Performs clerical duties, such as typing, proofreading, accepting orders, scheduling appointments, and sorting mail.
• Records messages, suggesting rewording for clarity and conciseness.