Job outlook for public safety dispatchers in the United States

Public safety dispatcher job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

The projected public safety dispatcher job growth rate is 4% from 2018-2028.
About 3,600 new jobs for public safety dispatchers are projected over the next decade.
Public safety dispatcher salaries have increased 11% for public safety dispatchers in the last 5 years.
There are over 46,961 public safety dispatchers currently employed in the United States.
There are 25,700 active public safety dispatcher job openings in the US.
The average public safety dispatcher salary is $35,063.

Are public safety dispatcher jobs in demand?

Yes, public safety dispatcher jobs are in demand. Public safety dispatcher demand is projected to grow 4% from 2018 to 2028.

Public safety dispatcher job and salary trends over time

Compare the number of public safety dispatcher jobs and the average public safety dispatcher salary over time.

Public safety dispatcher jobs over time

Public safety dispatcher job growth rate over time

Year	# of jobs	% of population
2021	46,961	0.01%
2020	45,141	0.01%
2019	46,124	0.01%
2018	45,978	0.01%
2017	46,186	0.01%

Average public safety dispatcher salary over time

Public safety dispatcher salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2026	$35,063	$16.86	+3.3%
2025	$33,945	$16.32	+3.1%
2024	$32,933	$15.83	+2.6%
2023	$32,107	$15.44	+2.0%
2022	$31,483	$15.14	+2.3%

Top public safety dispatcher jobs near you

Public safety dispatcher jobs by state

The map below shows you the number of public safety dispatcher job openings in each state. The darker areas on the map show where public safety dispatchers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary: Job openings:

Most common states for public safety dispatchers

Rank	State	Population	# of jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl
1	District of Columbia	693,972	159	23%
2	Montana	1,050,493	80	8%
3	Alaska	739,795	51	7%
4	North Carolina	10,273,419	583	6%
5	Virginia	8,470,020	499	6%
6	Georgia	10,429,379	532	5%
7	Massachusetts	6,859,819	377	5%
8	Oregon	4,142,776	197	5%
9	Iowa	3,145,711	150	5%
10	New Hampshire	1,342,795	71	5%
11	Rhode Island	1,059,639	55	5%
12	Vermont	623,657	29	5%
13	California	39,536,653	1,622	4%
14	New Jersey	9,005,644	383	4%
15	Washington	7,405,743	262	4%
16	Nevada	2,998,039	125	4%
17	Kansas	2,913,123	107	4%
18	Maine	1,335,907	53	4%
19	North Dakota	755,393	31	4%
20	Wyoming	579,315	26	4%

Most common cities for public safety dispatchers

Rank	City	# of jobs	Employment/ 1000ppl	Avg. salary
1	Dover	2	6%	$40,284
2	Meridian	2	2%	$31,635
3	Ames	1	2%	$37,920
4	Bowie	1	2%	$33,782
5	Long Beach	3	1%	$44,909
6	Fort Wayne	2	1%	$32,504
7	Akron	1	1%	$28,615
8	Berkeley	1	1%	$49,781
9	Boca Raton	1	1%	$25,585
10	Houston	3	0%	$28,395
11	Boston	2	0%	$38,081
12	Baltimore	1	0%	$34,109
13	Columbus	1	0%	$27,703

Public safety dispatcher jobs

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