SalaryExplorer

SOC 43-5031 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Public Safety Telecommunicators — Valdosta

Valdosta, GA · 10 metro areas compared

$39,400 /year
$18.94per hour
50jobs in area
−25.7%vs US median

The median wage for Public Safety Telecommunicators in Valdosta, GA is $39,400 per year, substantially below the national median of $53,040 — a gap of 25.7%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $53,04010TH$34,440MEDIAN$39,40075TH$46,04090TH$61,930

How pay has moved

$42,200$25,40020192022202320242025$39,400
$32,270 in 2019 to $39,400 in 2025, +22.1% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.5%
Openings per year
10,700
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Valdosta, GA.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

The median wage for Public Safety Telecommunicators in Valdosta, GA is $39,400 per year, substantially below the national median of $53,040 — a gap of 25.7%. Half of workers earn between $38,340 and $46,040. Beyond that band, the tenth percentile sits at $34,440 and the ninetieth at $61,930.

The area has 50 jobs in this occupation, which works out to 0.9 of every thousand jobs. Within the state, Dalton records the highest median at $49,720. Of the 233 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 151st.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Valdosta, GA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$34,440−35.1%
25th$38,340−27.7%
Median (50th)$39,400−25.7%
75th$46,040−13.2%
90th$61,930+16.8%
Mean$43,540−17.9%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Georgia

Median annual wage for Public Safety Telecommunicators, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Dalton$49,72060
2Atlanta$49,1701,670
3Warner Robins$48,600100
4Savannah$46,420110
5Augusta$45,650150
6Gainesville$43,07050
7Brunswick$40,56030
8Columbus$37,910120
9Macon$37,29090
10Albany$33,47070

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Valdosta run 11.7% below the national average, so the median of $39,400 goes as far as $44,621 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 15.9% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$39,400as reported by BLS

Local price level

88.3US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$44,621US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $39,400 a year, 25.7% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $34,440 to $61,930 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 50 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Dalton, at $49,720.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Public Safety Telecommunicators in Valdosta, GA?

The median annual wage is $39,400, or $18.94 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $53,040, so pay in Valdosta, GA is 25.7% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Valdosta, GA earns more than $61,930 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $34,440 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Dalton, at $49,720 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 50 jobs in this occupation in Valdosta, GA. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.