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Telephone Operators in New York

Thinking about a career as a Telephone Operators in New York? Below are the key facts. Provide information by accessing alphabetical, geographical, or other directories. Assist customers with special billing requests, such as charges to a third party and credits or refunds for incorrectly dialed numbers or bad connections. May handle emergency calls and assist children or people with physical disabilities to make telephone calls.

What do Telephone Operators Make in New York?

For telephone operators working in New York, the median annual wage is $53,510 per year (or about $25.72/hour).Earnings range from $38,420 at the 10th percentile to $78,060 at the 90th percentile.

Wage Statistic	Annual	Hourly
10th percentile	$38,420	$18.47
25th percentile	$48,580	$23.36
Median (50th)	$53,510	$25.72
75th percentile	$72,600	$34.91
90th percentile	$78,060	$37.53

Location quotient — how concentrated this career is in New York relative to the national average — is 1.43, suggesting that telephone operators are more concentrated here than the national average.

National Wage Comparison

Nationally, telephone operators earn a median of $53,949 per year ($25.94/hour), below the New York median.

Employment Outlook

National employment for 886,197 telephone operators in the U.S.. In New York alone, around 350 people work in this role. That puts the state above the typical state, which employs around 100 telephone operators.

Top New York Metros for Telephone Operators

These are the New York metros with the most telephone operators in New York.

Metro Area	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	380	$51,390

Top States for Telephone Operators Employment

These states have the highest employment of telephone operators work.

State	Number Employed
Texas	640
Pennsylvania	400
New York	350
New Jersey	230
California	190
Ohio	190
Georgia	140
Maryland	110
Kentucky	100
Louisiana	80
South Carolina	70
Michigan	60
Hawaii	40
Oklahoma	40
Nevada	30
Connecticut	30
Puerto Rico	30

Highest-Paying States for Telephone Operators

These states pay the most for telephone operators.

State	Annual Median Salary
California	$56,770
New York	$53,510
Hawaii	$52,160
District of Columbia	$47,890
Massachusetts	$46,370
Maryland	$41,220
New Jersey	$40,770
Connecticut	$40,620
Michigan	$40,300
Ohio	$38,110

Skills

Top telephone operators skills, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Knowledge Areas

Important knowledge areas for this occupation, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Abilities

The abilities that matter most for telephone operators, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Daily Tasks

Day-to-day, telephone operators typically:

• Observe signal lights on switchboards, and dial or press buttons to make connections.
• Operate telephone switchboards and systems to advance and complete connections, including those for local, long distance, pay telephone, mobile, person-to-person, and emergency calls.
• Listen to customer requests, referring to alphabetical or geographical directories to answer questions and provide telephone information.
• Update directory information.
• Suggest and check alternate spellings, locations, or listing formats to customers lacking details or complete information.
• Perform clerical duties such as typing, proofreading, and sorting mail.
• Offer special assistance to persons such as those who are unable to dial or who are in emergency situations.
• Operate paging systems or other systems of bells or buzzers to notify recipients of incoming calls.
• Monitor automated systems for placing collect calls and intervene for a callers needing assistance.
• Interrupt busy lines if an emergency warrants.
• Provide assistance for customers with special billing requests.
• Provide relay service for users who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Work Activities

• Getting Information
• Working with Computers
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public
• Processing Information
• Documenting/Recording Information
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships
• Communicating with People Outside the Organization
• Training and Teaching Others
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Tools & Technology

Common tools and software used in this occupation include: Hot technologies: Microsoft Excel In-demand technologies: Microsoft Office software

Related Careers

Careers similar to telephone operators include:

• Computer Network Support Specialists
• Cashiers
• Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
• Telemarketers
• Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
• Billing and Posting Clerks

Also Known As

411 Directory Assistance Operator (411 Directory Assistance Op), Central Office Operator (CO Op), Change Number Operator (Change Number Op), Charge Operator (Charge Op), Communications Operator (Communications Op), Customer Service Assistant, Directory Assistance Operator (Directory Assistance Op), Directory Operator (Directory Op), Emergency Operator (Emergency Op), Information Operator (Information Op), Information Specialist, Inward Toll Operator (Inward Toll Op), Live Source Operator (Live Source Op), Local Operator (Local Op), Local Telephone Operator (Local Phone Op).

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — https://www.bls.gov/oes/
• O*NET Online — https://www.onetonline.org/
• BLS Employment Projections — https://www.bls.gov/emp/
• O*NET-SOC code: 43-2021.00