State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Customer Service Representative Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
Customer Service Representatives earn a median of $44,770 per year ($21.53/hr) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Employment is projected to fall 5.5% through 2034, with about 341,700 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 43-4051Office and Administrative SupportLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $44,770
- Projected growth
- -5.5%
- Openings a year
- 341,700
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Account Representative, Call Center Representative, Client Services Representative, Customer Care Representative (CCR), Customer Service Agent, Customer Service Representative (CSR).
How much do Customer Service Representatives make?
10th percentile$31,750
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$36,870
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$44,770
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$51,780
Upper quartile
90th percentile$63,590
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $44,770 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $21.53/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $46,590 |
| People employed | 2,595,750 |
Versus all US occupations
At $44,770, Customer Service Representatives earn 12% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $6,210 a year.
Versus office and administrative support occupations
Inside the Office and Administrative Support group, where the middle occupation pays $48,500, this is 8% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $63,590 or more while the bottom 10% earn $31,750, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 16% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Washington posts the highest raw median ($50,330), but once local prices are taken into account Iowa leads at $52,517 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Customer Service Representatives the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $50,330 | $47,032 | 39,760 |
| California | $49,560 | $44,762 | 176,850 |
| Massachusetts | $49,120 | $46,446 | 49,990 |
| Minnesota | $48,800 | $49,482 | 53,340 |
| District of Columbia | $48,250 | $43,903 | 7,550 |
| Delaware | $48,190 | $48,283 | 7,470 |
| Connecticut | $48,090 | $46,414 | 24,490 |
| New York | $48,000 | $44,477 | 141,090 |
| New Jersey | $47,740 | $43,877 | 59,690 |
| Rhode Island | $47,550 | $46,490 | 7,890 |
Is Customer Service Representative a growing career?
Customer Service Representatives-5.5%
All US occupations3.1%
-5.5% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Declining
BLS projects employment of Customer Service Representatives to change -5.5% over 2024–2034, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.1%. That is 153,700 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 341,700 openings are projected each year, 12.1% of the 2,814,000 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
There is expected to be less demand for customer service representatives, especially in retail trade, as their tasks continue to be automated. Self-service systems, social media, and mobile applications enable customers to do simple tasks without interacting with a representative. Advancements in technology will gradually allow these automated systems to do even more tasks. Some companies will continue to use in-house service centers to differentiate themselves from competitors, particularly for complex inquiries such as refunding accounts or confirming insurance coverage.
How to become a Customer Service Representative
Customer service representatives typically need a high school diploma or equivalent to enter the occupation and receive on-the-job training to learn the specific skills needed for the job. They should be good at communicating and interacting with people.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as customer service representatives.
- High School Diploma54.8%
- Some College Courses17.4%
- Bachelor's Degree14.2%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)13.7%
What does a Customer Service Representative do?
Interact with customers to provide basic or scripted information in response to routine inquiries about products and services. May handle and resolve general complaints. Excludes individuals whose duties are primarily installation, sales, repair, and technical support.
Customer service representatives work with customers to resolve complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.
Day-to-day tasks
- Confer with customers by telephone or in person to provide information about products or services, take or enter orders, cancel accounts, or obtain details of complaints.
- Refer unresolved customer grievances to designated departments for further investigation.
- Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems.
- Contact customers to respond to inquiries or to notify them of claim investigation results or any planned adjustments.
- Keep records of customer interactions or transactions, recording details of inquiries, complaints, or comments, as well as actions taken.
- Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.
- Determine charges for services requested, collect deposits or payments, or arrange for billing.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where customer service representatives work
| Retail trade | 17% |
|---|---|
| Insurance carriers and related activities | 12% |
| Business support services | 8% |
| Professional, scientific, and technical services | 7% |
| Wholesale trade | 6% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening4.0/5
- Speaking3.9/5
- Reading Comprehension3.4/5
- Critical Thinking3.3/5
- Writing3.0/5
- Monitoring3.0/5
- Active Learning2.9/5
- Learning Strategies2.6/5
Transferable skills
- Service Orientation4.0/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Time Management3.1/5
- Social Perceptiveness3.0/5
- Persuasion3.0/5
- Negotiation3.0/5
- Coordination2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.9/5
Tools and software
- Accounting software · in demand
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Customer relationship management CRM software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Medical software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Customer Service Representative?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realistic2.0
Investigative1.6
Artistic1.0
Socialprimary3.8
Enterprisingprimary5.1
Conventionalprimary6.3
Day to day this is work built around organising, following procedures and working precisely with data, combined with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Customer Service Representative: frequently asked questions
How much do Customer Service Representatives make?
Customer Service Representatives earn a median of $44,770 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 12% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $21.53/hr. The middle half earn between $36,870 and $51,780. The top 10% earn $63,590 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Customer Service Representative?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Customer Service Representatives. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 54.8% hold high school diploma.
Is Customer Service Representative a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 5.5% over 2024–2034, a loss of 153,700 jobs (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 341,700 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Customer Service Representative do?
Customer service representatives work with customers to resolve complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services. A core O*NET task: confer with customers by telephone or in person to provide information about products or services, take or enter orders, cancel accounts, or obtain details of complaints. Employers most often ask for Accounting software, Cloud-based data access and sharing software, Customer relationship management CRM software.
Which states pay Customer Service Representatives the most?
The highest state medians for Customer Service Representatives are Washington ($50,330), California ($49,560), Massachusetts ($49,120) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Iowa moves to the top at $52,517.
What personality type suits a Customer Service Representative?
O*NET scores Customer Service Representatives highest on the Conventional, Enterprising and Social interest areas, so the work mixes organising, following procedures and working precisely with data with leading, persuading, selling and making decisions. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are ESFJ, ESTJ. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.