Call taker vs radio dispatcher

The differences between call takers and radio dispatchers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a call taker has an average salary of $38,776, which is higher than the $35,529 average annual salary of a radio dispatcher.

The top three skills for a call taker include computer aided dispatch, taker and CAD. The most important skills for a radio dispatcher are computer aided dispatch, patrol, and emergency situations.

Call taker vs radio dispatcher overview

	Call Taker	Radio Dispatcher
Yearly salary	$38,776	$35,529
Hourly rate	$18.64	$17.08
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	11,539	6,830
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	39	39
Years of experience	-	-

Call taker vs radio dispatcher salary

Call takers and radio dispatchers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Call Taker	Radio Dispatcher
Average salary	$38,776	$35,529
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $51,000	Between $27,000 And $46,000
Highest paying City	San Mateo, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	City of San Antonio	-
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between call taker and radio dispatcher education

There are a few differences between a call taker and a radio dispatcher in terms of educational background:

	Call Taker	Radio Dispatcher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 30%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Criminal Justice	Criminal Justice
Most common college	-	-

Call taker vs radio dispatcher demographics

Here are the differences between call takers' and radio dispatchers' demographics:

	Call Taker	Radio Dispatcher
Average age	39	39
Gender ratio	Male, 26.0% Female, 74.0%	Male, 44.5% Female, 55.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 0.9% White, 72.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	17%	17%

Differences between call taker and radio dispatcher duties and responsibilities

Call taker example responsibilities.

Manage truck and equipment inventory, rental tracking and GPS monitoring.
Dispatch all patrol officers and fire departments.
Enter confidential info through NCIC directly under SLED/FBI.
Place outbound calls to advise members of eta.
Dispatch need help such as fire ems and law.
Receive emergency calls and route calls to patrol units.

Radio dispatcher example responsibilities.

Manage customer service satisfaction by providing update eta and location of drivers.
Enter, clear and update records NCIC system.
Dispatch and coordinate response of private arm patrol by radio.
Perform booking procedures which consist of fingerprinting, checking NCIC computer for further charges or warrants.
Discuss cable television equipment operation with customers over telephone to explain equipment usage and to troubleshoot equipment problems.
Certify by APCO as a nationally recognize emergency dispatcher.

Call taker vs radio dispatcher skills

Common call taker skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 15%
Taker, 13%
CAD, 8%
Data Entry, 5%
Customer Service, 5%
EMS, 4%

Common radio dispatcher skills

Computer Aided Dispatch, 17%
Patrol, 12%
Emergency Situations, 10%
CAD, 9%
Telephone Calls, 8%
Non-Emergency Calls, 8%