Find a Job You Really Want In
Dispatchers are one of the most common jobs in America. Additionally, a significant number of people work as dispatchers in every state in the union — it’s not like they are all just concentrated in California or the South.
Since dispatchers are such a prominent occupation, we at Zippia wanted to look at where dispatchers have it the best: where there are plenty of jobs to go around and people get paid what they deserve during every phase of their career.
To that end, we dove into the numbers from the BLS to figure out which states have the best opportunities for dispatchers.
After all the numbers had been crunched, we were left with this list of the best of best for America’s dispatchers:
So there you have it — Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, And Ambulance is the best of the best when it comes to being a dispatcher.
How did Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, And Ambulance end up here and does it really deserve this ranking? Read on to see how we completed our research on the best states for dispatchers and for more on the top ten states.
If youĂÂre interested, you can read more about the job scene here:
How we determined the best states to be a dispatcher
Here at Zippia, we talk to a lot of people of all different backgrounds looking for jobs. Our research has concluded that there are two common things people want in a job:
- Availability of jobs
- Higher Pay
So in order to find out the best states for dispatchers in America we needed to figure out where the jobs are and how well dispatchers get paid. This led to the following criteria taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’s Occupational Employment Statistics for 2018:
- Location quotient. A measure of how common a job is a given state.
- Average annual salary.
- Average annual salary for entry level work.
- Average annual salary for experienced professionals.
To make all the salary numbers more apples to apples across states, we compared the salary data relative to the state’s cost of living.
Applying this standardization allows us to account for that fact that it costs more to live in certain in states. For example, the average salary for dispatchers in California is $45,370 and the average salary in Illinois is $46,270, but the Illinois salary actually goes further in paying for life’s essentials.
In order to develop and overall ranking, we ranked each state for each criteria from 1 to 50 where 1 was the best.
We then averaged all the rankings for a state into a Job Score with the state having the lowest overall Job Score earning the distinction of being the best state for dispatchers in America.
So without further ado, let’s get into just what made each state so great for dispatchers.
1. Nebraska
Total Jobs: 2,260
Average Annual Salary: $58,030
Average Entry Level Salary: $30,900
Average Experienced Salary: $93,580
Location Quotient: 1.67
2. North Dakota
Total Jobs: 970
Average Annual Salary: $57,140
Average Entry Level Salary: $33,640
Average Experienced Salary: $89,420
Location Quotient: 1.68
3. Missouri
Total Jobs: 4,510
Average Annual Salary: $44,150
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,460
Average Experienced Salary: $65,980
Location Quotient: 1.17
4. Indiana
Total Jobs: 4,850
Average Annual Salary: $43,920
Average Entry Level Salary: $24,150
Average Experienced Salary: $70,360
Location Quotient: 1.15
5. Washington
Total Jobs: 4,360
Average Annual Salary: $50,760
Average Entry Level Salary: $30,890
Average Experienced Salary: $76,560
Location Quotient: 0.97
6. Texas
Total Jobs: 22,240
Average Annual Salary: $41,440
Average Entry Level Salary: $24,540
Average Experienced Salary: $61,250
Location Quotient: 1.33
7. Illinois
Total Jobs: 6,750
Average Annual Salary: $46,270
Average Entry Level Salary: $25,850
Average Experienced Salary: $73,620
Location Quotient: 0.82
8. Kansas
Total Jobs: 1,850
Average Annual Salary: $41,240
Average Entry Level Salary: $24,030
Average Experienced Salary: $63,580
Location Quotient: 0.97
9. Iowa
Total Jobs: 1,700
Average Annual Salary: $44,660
Average Entry Level Salary: $26,380
Average Experienced Salary: $65,550
Location Quotient: 0.8
10. Utah
Total Jobs: 1,760
Average Annual Salary: $44,320
Average Entry Level Salary: $27,630
Average Experienced Salary: $64,450
Location Quotient: 0.87
There You Have It – The Best States To Be A Dispatcher
If you’re looking to start out your career as a dispatcher these are the states that should be at the top of your list. You’ll find high pay, available jobs, and chances for career advancement.
If you’re curious, here are the worst states to be a dispatcher in America:
Detailed List Of The Best States For dispatchers
| Rank | State | Average Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nebraska | $58,030 |
| 2 | North Dakota | $57,140 |
| 3 | Missouri | $44,150 |
| 4 | Indiana | $43,920 |
| 5 | Washington | $50,760 |
| 6 | Texas | $41,440 |
| 7 | Illinois | $46,270 |
| 8 | Kansas | $41,240 |
| 9 | Iowa | $44,660 |
| 10 | Utah | $44,320 |
| 11 | Minnesota | $45,520 |
| 12 | Michigan | $40,870 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | $43,130 |
| 14 | Delaware | $45,760 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | $39,320 |
| 16 | New Mexico | $43,720 |
| 17 | Tennessee | $38,690 |
| 18 | Mississippi | $40,370 |
| 19 | Georgia | $39,250 |
| 20 | Ohio | $42,150 |
| 21 | Alaska | $52,950 |
| 22 | Kentucky | $38,470 |
| 23 | Alabama | $38,980 |
| 24 | South Carolina | $43,010 |
| 25 | Wyoming | $43,320 |
| 26 | Colorado | $43,980 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $36,490 |
| 28 | Louisiana | $38,780 |
| 29 | Pennsylvania | $41,630 |
| 30 | Nevada | $39,200 |
| 31 | Maine | $40,860 |
| 32 | North Carolina | $39,920 |
| 33 | Oregon | $44,510 |
| 34 | New York | $48,570 |
| 35 | West Virginia | $41,050 |
| 36 | Connecticut | $47,820 |
| 37 | Virginia | $41,140 |
| 38 | Arizona | $38,970 |
| 39 | Vermont | $42,820 |
| 40 | New Jersey | $43,720 |
| 41 | Idaho | $37,220 |
| 42 | Montana | $39,170 |
| 43 | Florida | $35,930 |
| 44 | Rhode Island | $44,120 |
| 45 | New Hampshire | $43,720 |
| 46 | Maryland | $41,790 |
| 47 | Hawaii | $43,080 |
| 48 | California | $45,370 |
| 49 | Massachusetts | $46,020 |
| 50 | South Dakota | $34,190 |
Author
Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.
