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Hiring a telemarketer in Milwaukee, WI

Employers in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI area pay telemarketers a median of $33,230, with the middle half of the market between $29,980 and $44,160. Milwaukee residents working in sales and related occupations report a median of $31,007, which is 7% below what the metro pays for this role.

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What does a telemarketer earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$29,980
Median$33,230
75th percentile$44,160

Half of telemarketers in this area earn between $29,980 and $44,160. A band set below $29,980 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What Milwaukee residents earn

$31,007

Median earnings of Milwaukee residents working in sales and related occupations, 18,611 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 7% 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 two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Contact businesses or private individuals by telephone to solicit sales for goods or services, or to request donations for charitable causes.
  • Obtain customer information such as name, address, and payment method, and enter orders into computers.
  • Explain products or services and prices, and answer questions from customers.
  • Record names, addresses, purchases, and reactions of prospects contacted.
  • Maintain records of contacts, accounts, and orders.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 41-9041.

Tools and technologies in demand

Customer relationship management CRM software, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Dynamics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Zoom.

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 Milwaukee?

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, 26.6% of Milwaukee adults hold one. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average Milwaukee commute runs 22.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 11.2% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Milwaukee County, retail trade employs 43,093 and turns over 12.0% a quarter, with 7,049 hires against 8,060 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $2,956 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 44-45.

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 telemarketers. 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 $6,646 to $9,969 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.

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

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