SalaryExplorer

SOC 43-2021 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Telephone Operators — Atlanta

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

$40,400 /year
$19.42per hour
40jobs in area
−3.2%vs US median

At $40,400, median pay for Telephone Operators in Atlanta, GA tracks the national median of $41,740 closely.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $41,74010TH$36,920MEDIAN$40,40075TH$50,36090TH$53,700

How pay has moved

$44,525$32,0152019202020212022202320242025$40,400
$34,100 in 2019 to $40,400 in 2025, +18.5% 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 decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-27.5%
Openings per year
300
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Short-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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, 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

At $40,400, median pay for Telephone Operators in Atlanta, GA tracks the national median of $41,740 closely. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $39,850 and $50,360. The lowest tenth earn under $36,920, while the highest tenth earn more than $53,700.

Employment stands at 40, or 0.0 jobs per thousand held locally. Set against every other occupation measured in the same area, it ranks 567th of 687 by median pay.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$36,920−11.5%
25th$39,850−4.5%
Median (50th)$40,400−3.2%
75th$50,360+20.7%
90th$53,700+28.7%
Mean$44,500+6.6%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Atlanta sit close to the national average, so $40,400 is worth roughly its face value against pay elsewhere.

Published median

$40,400as reported by BLS

Local price level

100.1US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$40,360US average = 100 · BEA 2024

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

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $40,400 a year, 3.2% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $36,920 to $53,700 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 40 jobs in this occupation.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Telephone Operators in Atlanta, GA?

The median annual wage is $40,400, or $19.42 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 $41,740, so pay in Atlanta, GA is 3.2% 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 Atlanta, GA earns more than $53,700 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $36,920 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.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 40 jobs in this occupation in Atlanta, 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.