Public Safety Telecommunicators
Median $53,040
Occupation · SOC 43-5032
Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance: pay and where the jobs are
What dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$50,340 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $54,740
- Median hourly wage
- $24.20
- Mean hourly wage
- $26.32
- Employment
- 202,810
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5032.
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See where your pay falls among dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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How much do dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance make?
The median annual wage for dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance was $50,340 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $36,030 and the highest-paid 10% more than $78,140. As an hourly rate, the median is $24.20. About 202,810 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in District of Columbia ($72,260), Washington ($59,330) and Minnesota ($59,220). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in North Dakota.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $36,030 | $17.32 | $3,003 | $2,594 |
| 25th percentile | $42,750 | $20.56 | $3,563 | $3,044 |
| Median | $50,340 | $24.20 | $4,195 | $3,552 |
| 75th percentile | $62,450 | $30.02 | $5,204 | $4,363 |
| 90th percentile | $78,140 | $37.57 | $6,512 | $5,317 |
Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance: pay by state
54 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$54,458 take-home in national prices
2
$51,332 take-home in national prices
3
$48,723 take-home in national prices
Where a median dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 300 | $72,260 | $45,000 | $99,870 | $56,415 | $51,332 |
| Washington | 4,920 | $59,330 | $44,050 | $88,000 | $49,029 | $45,816 |
| Minnesota | 2,760 | $59,220 | $39,420 | $82,360 | $46,999 | $47,656 |
| North Dakota | 600 | $57,580 | $38,560 | $82,030 | $48,446 | $54,458 |
| Illinois | Not published | $57,240 | $37,380 | $83,600 | $45,484 | $45,503 |
| Delaware | 670 | $57,170 | $37,710 | $68,640 | $45,391 | $45,479 |
| Alaska | 570 | $56,730 | $39,530 | $96,920 | $47,492 | $46,397 |
| Vermont | 260 | $56,360 | $40,430 | $73,780 | $46,011 | $46,970 |
| New York | 11,160 | $55,810 | $36,720 | $105,780 | $44,334 | $41,080 |
| Massachusetts | 3,510 | $55,690 | $42,460 | $84,150 | $44,106 | $41,705 |
| Maine | 670 | $55,150 | $39,530 | $81,700 | $44,172 | $45,515 |
| Oregon | 3,290 | $54,980 | $40,630 | $77,470 | $42,439 | $41,059 |
| New Jersey | 6,420 | $54,590 | $39,730 | $79,890 | $44,155 | $40,582 |
| Colorado | 3,470 | $54,070 | $40,430 | $79,420 | $43,717 | $42,422 |
| Nebraska | 1,500 | $53,880 | $38,790 | $95,260 | $43,901 | $48,723 |
| New Hampshire | 710 | $52,770 | $37,440 | $74,280 | $44,581 | $42,798 |
| Hawaii | 950 | $52,570 | $37,760 | $88,250 | $41,947 | $38,151 |
| California | 23,970 | $52,350 | $39,520 | $81,070 | $42,382 | $38,279 |
| Wisconsin | 3,240 | $52,350 | $36,090 | $75,910 | $42,551 | $45,221 |
| Missouri | 4,340 | $51,410 | $36,720 | $101,750 | $42,009 | $46,257 |
| Maryland | 3,310 | $51,350 | $36,740 | $80,320 | $41,367 | $39,412 |
| Utah | 2,040 | $51,010 | $36,550 | $74,870 | $41,436 | $41,912 |
| Virginia | 5,830 | $50,710 | $38,370 | $71,910 | $40,824 | $40,378 |
| Ohio | 5,720 | $50,320 | $35,540 | $76,430 | $41,672 | $44,918 |
| Indiana | 4,090 | $50,060 | $35,740 | $74,960 | $40,956 | $43,883 |
| Kentucky | 2,440 | $49,990 | $34,880 | $77,330 | $40,715 | $45,159 |
| Pennsylvania | 6,670 | $49,960 | $36,090 | $76,180 | $40,754 | $41,768 |
| Idaho | 1,430 | $49,660 | $30,630 | $78,630 | $40,558 | $42,472 |
| Tennessee | 4,190 | $49,660 | $34,850 | $69,420 | $42,082 | $45,806 |
| Michigan | 5,390 | $49,490 | $34,880 | $80,650 | $40,093 | $41,669 |
| Rhode Island | 530 | $49,320 | $37,070 | $83,390 | $40,033 | $39,141 |
| Georgia | 6,190 | $49,180 | $32,770 | $74,700 | $39,991 | $41,530 |
| Alabama | 1,780 | $48,790 | $34,490 | $72,740 | $39,367 | $44,321 |
| Wyoming | 240 | $48,690 | $32,130 | $82,330 | $41,302 | $44,559 |
| North Carolina | 5,740 | $48,230 | $35,930 | $71,010 | $39,517 | $41,894 |
| Connecticut | 2,220 | $47,960 | $41,600 | $80,370 | $38,568 | $37,224 |
| Nevada | 2,840 | $47,920 | $34,860 | $77,600 | $40,684 | $40,692 |
| Arizona | 5,690 | $47,880 | $37,450 | $68,900 | $39,848 | $39,580 |
| South Carolina | 2,440 | $47,550 | $32,110 | $74,070 | $39,549 | $42,186 |
| Texas | 23,920 | $47,320 | $32,130 | $74,760 | $40,202 | $41,421 |
| Kansas | 1,670 | $47,170 | $32,400 | $72,480 | $38,249 | $42,466 |
| Montana | 810 | $47,140 | $36,230 | $67,440 | $38,598 | $40,782 |
| Arkansas | 1,780 | $47,130 | $30,020 | $65,160 | $38,793 | $44,622 |
| Louisiana | 2,980 | $47,050 | $32,350 | $73,820 | $38,959 | $44,168 |
| Iowa | 1,460 | $47,000 | $36,960 | $75,280 | $38,810 | $44,222 |
| West Virginia | 880 | $46,620 | $28,600 | $71,970 | $38,338 | $42,837 |
| Florida | 12,550 | $45,880 | $35,350 | $69,490 | $39,045 | $37,756 |
| Mississippi | 2,000 | $45,660 | $28,620 | $71,930 | $37,773 | $43,441 |
| Oklahoma | 2,180 | $44,950 | $31,170 | $71,760 | $36,820 | $41,916 |
| New Mexico | 1,350 | $43,960 | $31,740 | $70,720 | $36,579 | $39,668 |
| South Dakota | 860 | $43,920 | $30,510 | $55,900 | $37,470 | $42,298 |
| Guam | 130 | $39,630 | $24,960 | $66,260 | — | — |
| Virgin Islands | 30 | $33,870 | $32,130 | $59,300 | — | — |
| Puerto Rico | 740 | $24,750 | $22,020 | $32,350 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 43-5032. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.