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Also called 411 directory assistance operator, central office operator, change number operator and charge operator.
Pay and headcount are from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lines are written from what the US Department of Labor records about this work.
An example
Every line below comes from the same public record as the rest of this page. The greyed parts are the ones only you can answer.
Telephone Operator
Telephone operator providing information and assistance to customers, connecting calls, handling special billing requests, and supporting those in emergency situations or with disabilities
Where you worked
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The line
Monitored signal lights on switchboards every few minutes during shifts to manage call connections
Add how often you monitored the signal lights.
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Adding it to the line…
The line
Operated telephone switchboards to connect calls and assist customers with their requests
Show what improved for customers because you assisted them.
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The work itself
The public record of what this job is, in one paragraph.
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 it pays
Annual pay across the United States. The middle figure is the median: half earn less than that, and half earn more.
| 25th percentile | $36,920 |
|---|---|
| Median | $41,740 |
| 75th percentile | $51,510 |
| State | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | $45,950 | $57,170 | $63,510 |
| DC | $40,300 | $49,330 | $58,510 |
| FL | $36,410 | $37,180 | $37,180 |
| GA | $35,640 | $36,920 | $40,940 |
| LA | $27,850 | $31,400 | $37,380 |
| MA | $45,150 | $47,940 | $47,940 |
| MD | $41,730 | $42,460 | $45,790 |
| MI | $35,760 | $37,550 | $43,520 |
| NC | $36,980 | $40,360 | $43,380 |
| NJ | $39,600 | $41,960 | $47,710 |
| NY | $39,140 | $50,220 | $58,170 |
| OH | $34,320 | $36,970 | $39,570 |
| OK | $37,320 | $37,320 | $37,320 |
| TX | $37,150 | $41,250 | $50,120 |
| VA | $37,250 | $42,350 | $46,870 |
| WI | $44,470 | $46,590 | $47,820 |
Other names
411 directory assistance operator, central office operator, change number operator, charge operator, communications operator, directory assistance operator, directory operator, emergency operator, information operator, inward toll operator, ld operator, live source operator.
local operator, local telephone operator, long distance operator, long lines operator, operator, pbx operator, phone operator, post box exchange operator, rate quoting operator, relief operator, switchboard operator, telecommunications operator, telephone exchange operator, toll operator, toll relief operator, trouble operator, 411 directory assistance op, change number op, charge op, co op, communications op, customer service assistant, directory assistance op, directory op, emergency op, information op, information specialist, inward toll op, live source op, local op, local phone op, long lines op, phone exchange op, phone secretary, rate quoting op, relief op, switchboard op, telecom op, telephone secretary, toll op, toll relief op, toll service observer, trouble op.
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Other work in Office and admin
This page is about the occupation Telephone Operators. What this job involves and what it is made of come from O*NET 30.3, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, refreshed July 2026; Rung writes those records into the plain sentences you see. Pay comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS release for 2025. Rung is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either agency. How Rung handles accuracy is on the accuracy page, and the full data credits are on the credits page.