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Hiring a switchboard operator in Spokane, WA

Employers in the Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA area pay switchboard operators, including answering service a median of $46,160, with the middle half of the market between $36,360 and $49,200. Spokane residents working in office and administrative support occupations report a median of $35,781, which is 22% below what the metro pays for this role.

What does a switchboard operator earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$36,360
Median$46,160
75th percentile$49,200

Half of switchboard operators, including answering service in this area earn between $36,360 and $49,200. A band set below $36,360 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Spokane residents earn

$35,781

Median earnings of Spokane residents working in office and administrative support occupations, 12,190 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 22% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The role pays well above the local residential norm, which usually means you can hire from inside Spokane rather than competing for commuters.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Operate communication systems, such as telephone, switchboard, intercom, two-way radio, or public address.
  • Answer incoming calls, greeting callers, providing information, transferring calls or taking messages as necessary.
  • Greet visitors, log them in and out of the facility, assign them security badges, and contact employee escorts.
  • Monitor emergency and code alarms, make emergency announcements, or route emergency calls to the appropriate location.
  • Record messages, suggesting rewording for clarity or conciseness.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 43-2011.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Access, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, SAP software.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in Spokane?

This is a job zone two: some preparation needed occupation. These occupations usually require a high school diploma.

It does not require a degree, which widens the pool considerably. For context, 32.6% of Spokane adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Spokane commute runs 21.2 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 13.8% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Spokane County, administrative and support services employs 12,513 and turns over 14.0% a quarter, with 3,721 hires against 3,581 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $4,266 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 switchboard operators, including answering service. 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 median would bill roughly $9,232 to $13,848 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.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a switchboard operator somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other office and administrative support roles in Spokane

Related

Spokane is the 2th largest of 3 Washington cities in this dataset.