Post Job

Communications Dispatcher salary

Average communications dispatcher salary

$35,153

$16.9 hourly rate

Entry-level communications dispatcher salary
$26,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

How much does a communications dispatcher make?

The average communications dispatcher salary in the United States is $35,153. Communications dispatcher salaries typically range between $26,000 and $47,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for communications dispatchers is $16.9 per hour.

Communications dispatcher salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Communications dispatchers earn the highest average salary in California.

On This Page
Communications dispatcher salary by: 

For less than a Netflix subscription, get a new job.

Floating question marks illustration

For less than a Netflix subscription, get a new job.

Floating question marks illustration

Where can a Communications Dispatcher earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
75k
55k
35k
15k
-5k
California$54,736
Atlanta, GA$25,290
Compare salary by company
Vs
65k
45k
25k
5k
City of Richmond$44,548
Tenet Healthcare$35,102

Communications Dispatcher Salaries By Experience Level

Communications Dispatcher salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com and Glassdoor, the average salary for a communications dispatcher typically falls between $32,445 and $55,216.
zippia
$35,153yearly
glassdoor[1]
$55,216yearly
Salary.com[2]
$32,445yearly

Average communications dispatcher salary by state

The highest-paying states for communications dispatchers are California, Oregon, and Illinois. The lowest average communications dispatcher salary states are South Carolina, Kentucky, and Louisiana.

  • State View
  • County View
Average Salary:

Highest paying states for communications dispatchers

RankStateAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1Maine$46,250$22.24
2California$50,927$24.48
3Wyoming$40,641$19.54
4Oregon$49,261$23.68
5West Virginia$42,689$20.52
6Delaware$39,961$19.21
7Vermont$40,210$19.33
8Illinois$46,935$22.56
9New Hampshire$40,886$19.66
10North Dakota$38,682$18.60
11Rhode Island$40,610$19.52
12Washington$40,629$19.53
13Minnesota$43,862$21.09
14Connecticut$41,523$19.96
15District of Columbia$38,790$18.65
16Colorado$39,542$19.01
17New York$37,934$18.24
18Nevada$36,397$17.50
19New Jersey$37,929$18.24
20Kansas$38,380$18.45
21Massachusetts$37,122$17.85
22Alaska$34,670$16.67
23South Dakota$33,047$15.89
24Wisconsin$38,291$18.41
25Montana$33,008$15.87
26Maryland$35,157$16.90
27Virginia$34,615$16.64
28Michigan$34,396$16.54
29Iowa$34,383$16.53
30Nebraska$32,838$15.79
31Idaho$30,457$14.64
32New Mexico$30,941$14.88
33Pennsylvania$32,677$15.71
34Arizona$31,574$15.18
35Indiana$31,724$15.25
36Hawaii$27,425$13.19
37Utah$28,918$13.90
38Missouri$31,323$15.06
39North Carolina$28,882$13.89
40Mississippi$26,980$12.97
41Texas$28,031$13.48
42Ohio$28,437$13.67
43Florida$27,443$13.19
44Louisiana$25,614$12.31
45Alabama$26,636$12.81
46Kentucky$25,725$12.37
47Tennessee$26,400$12.69
48Georgia$25,148$12.09
49South Carolina$25,784$12.40
50Arkansas$19,906$9.57
51Oklahoma$24,788$11.92

Highest paying cities for communications dispatchers

The highest-paying cities for communications dispatchers are Santa Rosa, CA, Portland, OR, and Castle Rock, CO.

RankCityAvg. SalaryHourly Rate
1Santa Rosa, CA$54,736$26.32
2Portland, OR$49,139$23.62
3Castle Rock, CO$39,421$18.95
4Garden City, KS$37,898$18.22
5Rochester, NY$37,701$18.13
6Framingham, MA$37,159$17.86
7Cedar Rapids, IA$34,698$16.68
8Dearborn, MI$34,438$16.56
9Lynchburg, VA$33,728$16.22
10Allentown, PA$32,937$15.84
11Maricopa, AZ$31,533$15.16
12Kansas City, MO$31,423$15.11
13El Paso, TX$29,668$14.26
14Boynton Beach, FL$27,401$13.17
15Enterprise, AL$25,946$12.47
16Memphis, TN$25,627$12.32
17Atlanta, GA$25,290$12.16

Communications Dispatcher salary details

A communications dispatcher's salary ranges from $26,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $47,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average Communications Dispatcher Salary Graph
Average Communications Dispatcher Salary Graph, Trends, and Summary

What is a communications dispatcher's salary?

PercentileAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly Rate
90th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23
75th Percentile$41,000$3,417$20
Average$35,153$2,929$17
25th Percentile$30,000$2,500$14
10th Percentile$26,000$2,167$13

Highest paying communications dispatcher jobs

The highest paying types of communications dispatchers are supervisor of communications, emergency dispatch operator, and communications officer.

Job TitleAnnual SalaryMonthly SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
Call Taker$38,776$3,231$18.6411,539
Supervisor Of Communications$63,064$5,255$30.3216,853
Telecommunicator$39,327$3,277$18.914,083
Dispatcher$35,328$2,944$16.985,818
Fire Dispatcher$37,441$3,120$18.007,959
Security Dispatcher$33,347$2,779$16.0382,349

Which companies pay communications dispatchers the most?

Communications dispatcher salaries at City of Richmond and City of Redwood City are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average communications dispatcher salary at companies like City of Atlanta and Bunker Hill Community College are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1City of Richmond$44,548$21.42
2City of Redwood City$43,878$21.10
3City of Atlanta$43,214$20.78
4Bunker Hill Community College$43,000$20.67
5City of Center$41,401$19.90
6CityofBeverlyHills$40,843$19.64
7City of Dearborn$40,820$19.63
8City of Garden City$40,759$19.60
9City of Maricopa$40,743$19.59
10San Bernardino County$40,523$19.48
11Salem State University$40,504$19.47
12County of Riverside$40,296$19.37
13Boynton Beach City Manager$40,144$19.30
14Monroe County$39,733$19.10
15Iowa Department of Transportation$39,700$19.09
16East Bay Regional Park District$39,532$19.01
17MCLA$38,879$18.69
18Framingham State University$37,998$18.27
19City of Menlo Park$36,372$17.49
20Tenet Healthcare$35,102$16.88

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$37,000$36,600$36,200$35,800$35,400$35,000
MaleFemale

Communications Dispatcher salary by industry

The average communications dispatcher salary varies across industries:

  • The average communications dispatcher salary in the government industry is $37,886, the highest of any industry.
  • The average communications dispatcher salary in the finance industry is $33,850.
  • Communications dispatchers in the utilities industry earn an average salary of $31,935, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for communications dispatchers

RankIndustryAverage SalaryHourly Rate
1Government$37,886$18.21
2Manufacturing$33,850$16.27
3Health Care$33,390$16.05
4Education$32,169$15.47
5Utilities$31,935$15.35

High Paying Communications Dispatcher Jobs

Communications Dispatcher salary trends

The average communications dispatcher salary has risen by $5,977 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average communications dispatcher earned $29,176 annually, but today, they earn $35,153 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for communications dispatchers over the last decade.

Compare communications dispatcher salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average communications dispatcher salary over time

Compare communications dispatcher salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

    Communications Dispatcher salary by year

    YearAvg. SalaryHourly Rate% Change
    2025$35,200$16.90+3.2%
    2024$34,000$16.36+3.0%
    2023$33,000$15.87+2.5%
    2022$32,200$15.48+1.9%
    2021$31,600$15.17+2.2%

    Recently added communications dispatcher salaries

    CompanyJobLocationDate AddedSalary
    City of Bowling GreenCertified Communications Dispatcher-OnlyKentucky12/13/2024$55,748
    DSI Security ServicesCommunications Dispatcher (South Carolina Area Branch)Woodruff, SC12/11/2024$38,610
    Fitchburg State UniversityCommunications Dispatcher II (Internal Applications Only)-Fitchburg State UniversityFitchburg, MA12/10/2024$51,740
    TeamhcsoDigital Communications DispatcherIone, OR12/10/2024$47,208
    Marathon County911 Communications DispatcherWausau, WI12/06/2024$48,084
    Rockhurst UniversityCommunications DispatcherKansas City, MO12/05/2024$41,740
    Westfield State UniversityCommunication Dispatcher II-Westfield State UniversityWestfield, MA12/02/2024$94,093
    APU College of Nursing and Health SciencesCommunications Dispatcher-Campus SafetyAzusa, CA12/01/2024$40,676
    The City of Menlo ParkCommunications Dispatcher-Lateral (PER Diem) (19915117)Menlo Park, CA11/29/2024$111,488
    City of South San Francisco, CaCommunications Dispatcher, Lateral-Transfer (20566509)South San Francisco, CA11/27/2024$91,208

    Communications Dispatcher salary FAQs

    Search for communications dispatcher jobs

    Browse office and administrative jobs