Telephone Operators in Illinois

Get the information you need to know about working as a Telephone Operator.

While jobs for Telephone Operators in Illinois are decreasing, those who do work in these jobs get paid higher than average.

• Employment for Telephone Operators in Illinois is expected to decrease.

• Telephone Operators in Illinois earn lower salaries than the typical U.S. wage earner.

How Many Telephone Operators Work in Illinois?

In 2018, there were 210 Telephone Operators working in the state.

There were 390 Telephone Operators employed in this state in 2017.

That’s a decline of 180 jobs between 2017 and 2018.

The typical state has 145 Telephone Operators working in it, which means Illinois has more Telephone Operators than average.

Job Projections for Illinois

Jobs for Telephone Operators in this state are declining at a rate of 26.7% which is a faster decline than the nationwide estimated projection of -23.1%.

Illinois Annual Job Openings

The BLS estimates 60 annual job openings, and a total of 440 jobs for Illinois Telephone Operators in 2026.

Nationwide, the prediction is 900 annual jobs and 7,000 total jobs in 2026.

What do Telephone Operators Make in Illinois?

In 2018 wages for Telephone Operators ranged from $22,510 to $62,880 with $35,660 being the median annual salary.

Broken down to an hourly rate, workers in this field made anywhere from $10.82 to $30.23. The median hourly rate was $17.15.

Workers in this field were paid a median of $14.43 an hour in 2017.

The hourly rate grew by $2.72.

The median salary in Illinois is higher than the nationwide median salary.

Top Illinois Metros for Telephone Operators

The table below shows some of the metros in this state with the most Telephone Operators.

Metro	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI	180	$36,490

Top States for Telephone Operators Employment

View the list below to see where most Telephone Operators work.

State	Number Employed	Annual Median Salary
New York	840	$48,360
Minnesota	620	$37,790
California	480	$41,980
Texas	360	$27,950
Ohio	230	$34,660
Georgia	230	$31,700
Illinois	210	$35,660
Florida	180	$29,560
Pennsylvania	180	$37,380
Louisiana	170	$31,630
Massachusetts	150	$35,780
Maryland	140	$34,440
Michigan	120	$28,020
Virginia	110	$40,670
Missouri	80	$30,400
New Jersey	80	$0
Iowa	80	$30,130
Tennessee	70	$27,300
District of Columbia	60	$43,140
Connecticut	60	$36,890

Below are the states where Telephone Operators get paid the most:

State	Annual Median Salary
New York	$48,360
Hawaii	$46,330
District of Columbia	$43,140
California	$41,980
Virginia	$40,670
Minnesota	$37,790
Indiana	$37,670
Pennsylvania	$37,380
Connecticut	$36,890
Massachusetts	$35,780

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online

More about our data sources and methodologies.