Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, aged to 2026 using compounded market movement. State selections show BLS state-level figures where published. Actual pay varies with experience, industry, and organization size.
Base salary plus target annual bonus. Target bonus opportunity scales with role level, so a higher base carries a higher target percentage.
Base salary
$58,500
National baseline
Target bonus
$5,500
9.3% of base
Total target cash
$64,000
Base plus target bonus
Bonus percentiles:25th$3,50050th$5,50075th$9,000
Long-term incentive is not shown for this role. Equity awards are only disclosed publicly for the named executive officers of public companies, so no market figure exists for most jobs. See executive pay disclosures.
Typical entry preparation: High School Diploma and up to 1 year of related work experience, per O*NET occupational data. Advancement typically requires additional years in role.
Provide emergency medical instructions to callers.
Question callers to determine their locations and the nature of their problems to determine type of response needed.
Determine response requirements and relative priorities of situations, and dispatch units in accordance with established procedures.
Receive incoming telephone or alarm system calls regarding emergency and non-emergency police and fire service, emergency ambulance service, information, and after-hours calls for departments within a city.
Relay information and messages to and from emergency sites, to law enforcement agencies, and to all other individuals or groups requiring notification.
Top skills:Active ListeningSpeakingSocial PerceptivenessService OrientationCritical ThinkingCoordination
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
Public Safety Telecommunicator pay by experience level
Entry level$38,500
Typical starting pay (about the 10th percentile)
Early career$47,000
A few years in (about the 25th percentile)
Experienced$55,000
Mid-career median pay
Senior$66,500
Seasoned professionals (about the 75th percentile)
Top earners$82,500
Highest earners (about the 90th percentile)
Experience tiers are derived from the BLS wage percentile distribution for this occupation, aged to 2026. Actual pay varies by employer, location, and specialization.
Job outlook
+3.5%
projected change in jobs, 2024–2034
10,700
projected openings per year
Growing about as fast as average
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program (2024–2034). Openings include growth and replacement needs.
Public Safety Telecommunicator salary by industry
Federal, State, and Local Government, excluding State and Local Schools and Hospitals and USPS
86,820 workers
$60,000
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
81,420 workers
$59,500
Ambulatory Health Care Services
5,470 workers
$50,000
State Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation)
5,400 workers
$65,000
Other Ambulatory Health Care Services
5,390 workers
$49,500
Educational Services
3,430 workers
$52,000
Administrative and Support Services
3,220 workers
$57,000
Hospitals
2,650 workers
$54,000
General Medical and Surgical Hospitals
2,580 workers
$54,000
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools
2,540 workers
$52,500
National sector-level figures, BLS OEWS May 2025, aged to 2026.
Who works in this role
About 90,000 people held this occupation in the United States in 2025.
Women
71.3%
White
75.4%
Black or African American
15.7%
Asian
3.5%
Hispanic or Latino
13.9%
Race categories and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity overlap, so shares can sum to more than 100 percent. Figures describe this occupation across the national workforce, not any single employer. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Annual Averages, Table 11, 2025.
Pay trend
National median annual wage, 2020 to 2025: $43,290 to $53,040.
+22.5% over this period
Medians as published each May in the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics national estimates. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS.
Pay by experience level
How annual pay for this occupation spreads from newcomers to the highest paid, aged to 2026.
Entry10th percentile
$38,500
Early career25th percentile
$47,000
Median50th percentile
$55,000
Experienced75th percentile
$66,500
Top earners90th percentile
$82,500
Bands are the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile annual wages for this occupation nationally. Percentiles reflect the full mix of tenure, employer, and location, so they approximate but do not equal years of experience. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS national estimates.
Where this job pays most
Top-paying states for this occupation, average annual wage aged to 2026.
State averages for this occupation from the BLS OEWS state estimates. Cost of living differs by state; a higher wage does not always mean more buying power.
The abilities employers and analysts most associate with this occupation.
Active ListeningSpeakingSocial PerceptivenessService OrientationCritical ThinkingCoordination
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, O*NET occupational database.
Typical duties and FLSA status
Core duties
Provide emergency medical instructions to callers.
Question callers to determine their locations and the nature of their problems to determine type of response needed.
Determine response requirements and relative priorities of situations, and dispatch units in accordance with established procedures.
Receive incoming telephone or alarm system calls regarding emergency and non-emergency police and fire service, emergency ambulance service, information, and after-hours calls for departments within a city.
Relay information and messages to and from emergency sites, to law enforcement agencies, and to all other individuals or groups requiring notification.
FLSA classification (typical)
Typically Non-exempt · Service, trades, or production work
Occupations in this SOC group are typically classified as Non-exempt and eligible for overtime pay under FLSA rules. Actual classification depends on the specific job duties, salary basis, and any applicable state or local rules. The current federal salary threshold for exemption is $684 per week ($35,568 per year), per the 2020 Department of Labor rule; the 2024 rule that would have raised the threshold was struck down by federal court in November 2024.
Pay outlook
Five-year pay outlook for this title
2026$58,500
2027$60,500
2028$62,500
2029$65,000
2030$67,000
2031$69,500
Projection assumes market wages keep rising about 3.5% a year, consistent with recent wage growth measured by the BLS Employment Cost Index. It reflects market movement for the title, not individual raises or promotions, which vary.
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Sources and assumptions
Modeled market estimate, aged to 2026. Underlying source families are BLS OEWS May 2025 for BLS-mapped occupations and the 2018–19 collection for corporate titles. Annual aging is compounded at approximately 3–4%; geographic, industry and company-size repricing are modeled. See the role details and methodology for the applicable source and assumptions.
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How much does a Public Safety Telecommunicator make?
The median market pay for a Public Safety Telecommunicator in the United States is about $58,500 per year in 2026, based on WePayFairly's market model.
What is the salary range for a Public Safety Telecommunicator?
Most Public Safety Telecommunicator pay falls between about $47,000 (25th percentile) and $66,500 (75th percentile), with top earners above $82,500.
What does a Public Safety Telecommunicator do?
Core responsibilities include: provide emergency medical instructions to callers; and question callers to determine their locations and the nature of their problems to determine type of response needed.
Is pay for Public Safety Telecommunicator roles growing?
Yes. The national median wage for this occupation moved from $43,290 in 2020 to $53,040 in 2025, a change of +22.5% in nominal dollars.
How this role compares
Public Safety Telecommunicator pays 8% above the average across 55 roles in the Office and Administrative Support job family (family average $54,000).
Similar-paying roles in Office and Administrative Support
Need Public Safety Telecommunicator pay benchmarked for your organization, or defensible compensation analysis for a dispute or valuation? Grahall builds it from primary sources, backed by an expert who testifies.
