How To Become A Radio Dispatcher: What It Is and Career Path

What is a radio dispatcher and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

2 min read

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a radio dispatcher. For example, did you know that they make an average of $17.08 an hour? That's $35,529 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 4% and produce 3,600 job opportunities across the U.S.

ScoreRadio DispatcherUS Average

Salary

2.8

Avg. Salary $35,529

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

10.0

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.72%

Asian 0.90%

Black or African American 9.14%

Hispanic or Latino 11.11%

Unknown 6.00%

White 72.13%

Gender

female 55.47%

male 44.53%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

4.9

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

8.7

Work life balance is excellent

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a radio dispatcher

Explore radio dispatcher education requirements

Most common radio dispatcher degrees

Bachelor's

32.6 %

Associate

28.8 %

High School Diploma

25.5 %

Start to develop specific radio dispatcher skills

Skills	Percentages
Computer Aided Dispatch	16.61%
Patrol	12.02%
Emergency Situations	9.57%
CAD	9.16%
Telephone Calls	8.38%

Complete relevant radio dispatcher training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New radio dispatchers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a radio dispatcher based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real radio dispatcher resumes.

Research radio dispatcher duties and 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.

Prepare your radio dispatcher resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your radio dispatcher resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a radio dispatcher resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable radio dispatcher resume templates

Build a professional radio dispatcher resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your radio dispatcher resume.