Hiring a public safety telecommunicator in Baltimore, MD

Do Baltimore residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area pay?

Baltimore residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $45,158 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $49,220 as the median of the 45 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 8%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole office and administrative support group, not this one role. In the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area the group covers 45 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks at $35,180 to executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants at $78,380 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with public safety telecommunicators at $61,080 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 45 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

The two sit within 10% of each other, so residents of Baltimore and employers across the metro are priced about the same in this field, and pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

Is the talent actually in Baltimore?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma. O*NET OnLine, SOC 43-5031.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 35.4% of Baltimore adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Baltimore aged 25 and over.

The average Baltimore commute runs 29.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 15.9% of Baltimore workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Baltimore.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Baltimore city, administrative and support services employs 24,789 and turns over 15.3% a quarter, with 7,550 hires against 7,547 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $4,307 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 56.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about public safety telecommunicators. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a high-churn market, where speed matters more than a perfect fit.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $61,080 median in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $12,216 to $18,324 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a public safety telecommunicator in Baltimore

What does it cost to hire a public safety telecommunicator in Baltimore?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $61,080 median wage in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $12,216 to $18,324 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a public safety telecommunicator in Baltimore look like?

Employers in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area pay public safety telecommunicators a median of $61,080, with the middle half of the market between $53,650 and $70,900 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $53,650 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Baltimore residents in office and administrative support work earn more than employers in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area pay?

Baltimore residents working in office and administrative support occupations earn a median of $45,158 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $49,220 as the median of the 45 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 8%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Baltimore?

This is a job zone 2 occupation and does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 35.4% of Baltimore adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501).

Related

• Hiring Public Safety Telecommunicators: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Baltimore
• Every Maryland city we cover

Baltimore is the largest of 1 Maryland cities in this dataset.