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
EDR 11 - 7 County Twin Cities	480	75	$17.78/hr	$0.38/hr	$13.15/hr	$14.70/hr	$17.58/hr	$20.66/hr	$23.47/hr
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 290 $17.18/hr Education and Health Services 90 $19.66/hr Leisure and Hospitality 40 $16.40/hr Trade, Transportation and Utilities 40 $13.44/hr Financial Activities 10 $18.01/hr

Other Regional Data For Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service Geography (click title for details) OES Projections Employment Median Wage % Change  -  EDR 11 - 7 County Twin Cities 480 $17.58/hr N/A EDR 3 - Arrowhead 70 $17.30/hr N/A EDR 7W- Central 30 $15.87/hr N/A EDR 9 - South Central 20 $17.50/hr N/A EDR 5 - North Central 10 N/A N/A EDR 4 - West Central 10 $14.78/hr N/A EDR 1 - Northwest N/A N/A N/A EDR 6W- Upper Minnesota Valley N/A N/A N/A EDR 6E- Southwest Central N/A N/A N/A EDR 8 - Southwest N/A N/A N/A EDR 10 - Southeast N/A $17.00/hr N/A EDR 7E- East Central N/A N/A N/A EDR 2 - Headwaters N/A N/A N/A

Related Occupations

Occupation (click title for details)	OES		Projections
	Employment	Median Wage	% Change  -
Receptionists and Information Clerks	11,280	$15.35/hr	N/A
Medical Secretaries	8,900	$21.19/hr	N/A
Insurance Claims and Policy Processing Clerks	5,900	$22.73/hr	N/A
Billing and Posting Clerks and Machine Operators	5,380	$21.83/hr	N/A
Court, Municipal, and License Clerks	3,680	$23.05/hr	N/A
Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks	1,970	$23.80/hr	N/A
Interviewers, Except Eligibility and Loan	1,830	$20.89/hr	N/A

• 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.