Operate telephone business systems equipment or switchboards to relay incoming, outgoing, and interoffice calls. May supply information to callers and record messages.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
State licensing. CareerOneStop's licensing data records no state license for Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service, which usually means it is not a licensed occupation. Requirements can still vary by employer and state.
Working conditions. On average, workers stand or walk about 0.3 hours and sit about 7.5 hours per day. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (over 99.5%), have a consistently fast work pace (34.1%), cannot pause their work (75.8%), and are exposed to the outdoors (under 5%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round switchboard operators, including answering service ages 25 to 64, median yearly pay is $42,600 with a high school diploma or GED and $40,600 with some college or an associate's degree (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of switchboard operators, including answering service work in Health Care and Social Assistance (38%), Administrative, Support and Waste Management (16%), Public Administration (9%) and Accommodation and Food Services (8%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most switchboard operators, including answering service are General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (35% of the jobs counted, median pay $39,550), Business Support Services (21% of the jobs counted, median pay $35,430), Offices of Physicians (11% of the jobs counted, median pay $38,570), Traveler Accommodation (7% of the jobs counted, median pay $44,760) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Outpatient Care Centers ($66,530), Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals ($45,310), Traveler Accommodation ($44,760). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
Union membership. In the broad group "Office and administrative support", which includes this career, 8.7% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,145 for union members and $963 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to switchboard operators, including answering service.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Office and administrative support", which includes this career, 78% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 80% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 88% had paid sick leave, 88% paid vacation and 90% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to switchboard operators, including answering service, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $38.27 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Office and administrative support" in June 2026 ($25.47 in wages and salaries and $12.80 in benefits, 33.5% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for switchboard operators, including answering service are: telephone conversations (100%), contact with others (99%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (87%), dealing with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous people (85%), indoors, environmentally controlled (83%), deal with external customers or the public in general (78%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (39% of 25 respondents) was "over 1 year, up to and including 2 years"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (57% of 25 respondents) was "up to and including 1 month". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to switchboard operators, including answering service in the work done and the skills used: Receptionists and Information Clerks, Office Clerks, General, Telephone Operators, Customer Service Representatives, Public Safety Telecommunicators, Telemarketers, Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance, Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare switchboard operators, including answering service with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →