Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance

People in this career schedule and send out work crews, service vehicles, or equipment to locations outside the main business office. Day-to-day duties involve using telephones, radios, or computers to transmit assignments and tracking the progress of these tasks. Dispatchers gather information, monitor ongoing processes, and make decisions to solve scheduling or routing problems. They must document work details and maintain clear communication with supervisors, colleagues, and field staff.

This role strongly aligns with conventional interests, which favor structured, detail-oriented tasks. Success in this job requires active listening, clear speaking, and strong time management. Dispatchers must coordinate activities efficiently and use critical thinking to handle unexpected changes. Key knowledge areas include customer service, administration, transportation, and public safety. Because the work environment can be fast-paced, workers need high stress tolerance, dependability, self-control, and adaptability to manage daily demands.

To enter this field, candidates typically need a high school diploma. The job is classified as requiring some preparation, meaning most workers enter with a high school education and gain necessary skills through on-the-job training or previous work experience. A relevant college major that can lead to this career is business operations support and assistant services.

While not always mandatory, professional certifications can help candidates advance. Available credentials include the Aircraft Dispatcher certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, the Emergency Number Professional certification from the National Emergency Number Association, and the Professional Dispatching and Scheduling credential from the Community Transportation Association of America. Additionally, some states list licensing requirements for this line of work.

The median annual pay for these dispatchers is $50,340. Salaries vary based on experience and industry, with the lowest 10 percent of earners making less than $36,030, while the highest 10 percent earn more than $78,140.

There are 202,810 people employed in this occupation. From 2025 to 2035, employment is projected to experience little or no change, with a slight decrease of -0.7 percent. Despite this flat growth, about 16,000 job openings are expected to become available each year to replace workers who leave the field.