Pay by state · 52 states
Public Safety Telecommunicator Salary by State (2026)
Public Safety Telecommunicators earn the most in California at $80,120 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $26,620 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $53,040. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $80,120California
- National median
- $53,040BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $26,620Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Public Safety Telecommunicator salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of public safety telecommunicators OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $80,120 | $64,250 | $96,660 | 8,520 | $72,363 |
| 2 | WAWashington | $78,850 | $66,500 | $84,640 | 1,980 | $73,683 |
| 3 | OROregon | $71,980 | $61,140 | $83,390 | 1,110 | $69,639 |
| 4 | AKAlaska | $66,660 | $57,900 | $83,530 | 390 | $65,124 |
| 5 | MNMinnesota | $66,550 | $62,730 | $77,960 | 1,460 | $67,481 |
| 6 | COColorado | $63,520 | $57,710 | $75,790 | 1,800 | $61,639 |
| 7 | CTConnecticut | $62,410 | $57,700 | $72,360 | 1,820 | $60,235 |
| 8 | MAMassachusetts | $61,720 | $52,510 | $68,090 | 2,790 | $58,360 |
| 9 | NYNew York | $61,450 | $49,710 | $66,960 | 5,470 | $56,940 |
| 10 | ILIllinois | $61,260 | $48,620 | $80,470 | 4,350 | $61,286 |
| 11 | NVNevada | $60,040 | $45,170 | $71,900 | 1,010 | $60,053 |
| 12 | WIWisconsin | $60,000 | $51,360 | $63,910 | 1,820 | $63,765 |
| 13 | NDNorth Dakota | $59,940 | $49,670 | $61,250 | 270 | $67,379 |
| 14 | VTVermont | $59,470 | $49,880 | $64,860 | 280 | $60,710 |
| 15 | NJNew Jersey | $59,240 | $49,230 | $70,920 | 4,010 | $54,446 |
| 16 | DCDistrict of Columbia | $59,080 | $50,650 | $64,940 | 60 | $53,757 |
| 17 | MDMaryland | $58,910 | $50,190 | $66,630 | 1,610 | $56,127 |
| 18 | RIRhode Island | $58,310 | $52,520 | $63,160 | 370 | $57,010 |
| 19 | NHNew Hampshire | $58,240 | $50,630 | $62,680 | 560 | $55,911 |
| 20 | OHOhio | $58,100 | $47,430 | $63,320 | 4,550 | $62,625 |
| 21 | MEMaine | $57,250 | $48,400 | $63,280 | 730 | $58,990 |
| 22 | HIHawaii | $57,020 | $52,070 | $65,380 | 170 | $51,859 |
| 23 | IAIowa | $56,770 | $50,620 | $63,260 | 980 | $64,686 |
| 24 | AZArizona | $56,600 | $49,520 | $62,220 | 1,790 | $56,219 |
| 25 | UTUtah | $54,120 | $50,520 | $63,730 | 880 | $54,742 |
| 26 | MIMichigan | $53,310 | $46,730 | $63,110 | 2,100 | $55,406 |
| 27 | DEDelaware | $53,140 | $48,700 | $66,850 | 260 | $53,242 |
| 28 | IDIdaho | $51,780 | $48,090 | $62,920 | 580 | $54,223 |
| 29 | WYWyoming | $50,600 | $48,690 | $58,660 | 350 | $54,590 |
| 30 | VAVirginia | $50,490 | $44,220 | $60,690 | 3,050 | $49,939 |
| 31 | NENebraska | $50,270 | $47,160 | $60,660 | 750 | $55,792 |
| 32 | FLFlorida | $50,170 | $44,990 | $61,270 | 6,090 | $48,514 |
| 33 | TXTexas | $50,040 | $44,640 | $60,200 | 7,730 | $51,557 |
| 34 | PAPennsylvania | $49,890 | $45,090 | $60,320 | 3,620 | $51,131 |
| 35 | NMNew Mexico | $49,060 | $39,970 | $57,810 | 640 | $53,203 |
| 36 | INIndiana | $49,050 | $44,400 | $58,610 | 2,150 | $52,556 |
| 37 | SDSouth Dakota | $47,900 | $41,570 | $54,290 | 420 | $54,072 |
| 38 | MTMontana | $47,640 | $43,860 | $56,870 | 560 | $50,335 |
| 39 | MOMissouri | $46,990 | $39,190 | $56,250 | 2,750 | $51,741 |
| 40 | NCNorth Carolina | $46,550 | $40,540 | $49,930 | 3,730 | $49,350 |
| 41 | TNTennessee | $46,390 | $39,480 | $57,920 | 1,840 | $50,495 |
| 42 | KYKentucky | $45,670 | $35,770 | $54,390 | 1,350 | $50,655 |
| 43 | KSKansas | $45,110 | $37,450 | $48,540 | 1,370 | $50,084 |
| 44 | SCSouth Carolina | $43,540 | $37,590 | $48,780 | 1,490 | $46,443 |
| 45 | GAGeorgia | $42,790 | $37,290 | $49,670 | 3,480 | $44,437 |
| 46 | WVWest Virginia | $40,490 | $36,790 | $47,650 | 880 | $45,242 |
| 47 | OKOklahoma | $39,890 | $35,060 | $47,620 | 1,930 | $45,411 |
| 48 | ALAlabama | $38,960 | $34,340 | $47,390 | 2,230 | $43,863 |
| 49 | LALouisiana | $38,550 | $31,680 | $48,660 | 1,470 | $43,704 |
| 50 | ARArkansas | $38,240 | $34,580 | $42,970 | 1,460 | $43,986 |
| 51 | MSMississippi | $34,510 | $30,300 | $38,730 | 1,430 | $39,688 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $26,620 | $24,420 | $27,530 | 120 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Public Safety Telecommunicators, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $80,120, while Washington leads once prices are taken into account at $73,683.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Public Safety Telecommunicator pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Public Safety Telecommunicators the most?
California reports the highest median wage for Public Safety Telecommunicators at $80,120 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Washington ($78,850) and Oregon ($71,980).
Which state pays Public Safety Telecommunicators the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Public Safety Telecommunicators at $26,620 a year, $53,500 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Public Safety Telecommunicators earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Washington first at $73,683 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $78,850. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.