Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service in Colorado
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$36,094
after federal, FICA and Colorado tax
Tax takes
$7,626
17.4% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$35,602
Colorado costs more than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Colorado — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$43,720
Kept after tax
$36,094
Worth in national money
$35,602
State rank
9
of 46 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Colorado is one of the better-paying states for this job. The middle earner takes $43,720, which ranks 9 of 46 states with published figures. That is about 13.18% above the national middle.
- Within Colorado this is lower-paid work. Of 491 occupations the state publishes figures for, this job ranks 436. That is the bottom quarter locally, whatever the national comparison says.
- No great distortion either way. Colorado costs about what the country costs, so from $43,720, take-home of $36,094 is worth roughly $35,602 in national money. The average lands at $42,720, below the middle of the range.
- Colorado ranks 9 of 46 states publishing a median for switchboard operators, including answering service, at $43,720 — about 13.18% above the national median. A state's position on nominal pay is the figure wage tables report and the least informative of the three on this page, because it survives neither the tax adjustment nor the price adjustment intact for most occupations.
- Against every occupation Colorado reports, switchboard operators, including answering service ranks 436 of 491, in the lowest quartile of the state's distribution. That position is set by the local labor market and is independent of how the state compares nationally for this work.
- Price parity in Colorado is near the national base, so for switchboard operators, including answering service, whose median is $43,720, the adjusted figure of $35,602 differs little from $36,094 retained after tax. The state's position for this occupation is therefore set by wage and tax rather than by living costs. At $42,720 the mean undershoots the median, an inversion of the usual skew.
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Pay band: Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $35,490 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $43,720 |
| Top tenth earn over | $46,920 |
| This salary | $43,720 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Colorado | $36,094 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $37,309 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$2,792 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $42,208 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$3,377 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 101 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of switchboard operators, including answering service in Colorado earn under $43,720 and half over. The published range runs $35,490 at the tenth percentile to $46,920 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Colorado's $36,094, worked from $43,720. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 436 of 491.
- One number stands for prices across all of Colorado, which is a simplification — big cities cost far more than small towns. Read $35,602, the adjusted value of that $43,720 median, as a way to compare states fairly, not as a quote for any particular place. The two datasets are also from different years. This job sits at 436 of 491 in the state.
- Figures are distribution medians for switchboard operators, including answering service in Colorado, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $35,490 to $46,920; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Colorado take-home of $36,094, on $43,720 for work ranking 436 of 491 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 436 of 491 in the state.
- Price deflation uses one statewide parity for Colorado, so $35,602 — the adjusted value of that $43,720 median — establishes comparability between states rather than accuracy within one. The wage and parity series are dated independently, each following its own publication cycle, and neither is projected forward. This occupation sits at 436 of 491 locally.
Questions people ask
How much does pay for this job actually vary?
Most of these jobs pay within a close range — $35,490 at the tenth percentile, $46,920 at the ninetieth.
Does a bigger number here mean I am better off?
Not on its own. Prices in Colorado run above the national level, so the same dollars buy less here. Adjusted for that, this pay is worth $35,602 — the wage did not change, only what it covers.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Three of them are federal and one is not. After income tax, Social Security, Medicare and Colorado's own levy, $36,094 remains.
Why is this job missing from some states?
Because the survey suppresses a figure when too few employers report it. This occupation has published pay in 46 states — the rest are withheld to protect confidentiality, which is not the same as nobody doing the work there.
What is the dispersion of this occupation's wage distribution?
The tenth-to-ninetieth percentile span ($35,490 to $46,920) sits at or below the family's median dispersion, indicating relatively standardized compensation. Percentiles are published per state, so this dispersion is specific to Colorado rather than a national figure.
How does the state price level affect real compensation?
Colorado's regional price parity sits above the national average, so nominal wages overstate purchasing power. Deflating take-home by the state price level gives $35,602 in national-average terms. ⚠️ RPPs are an all-items index; housing parities vary far more widely than the headline figure.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $36,094 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Colorado income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Why does this occupation lack published estimates in every state?
BLS suppresses estimates failing disclosure or reliability criteria. This occupation has published state-level estimates in 46 of the fifty-one jurisdictions. Suppression reflects sample size and confidentiality rules, and cannot be read as an absence of employment.