# Dispatchers, Except Police, Fire, and Ambulance

> Schedule and dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles for conveyance of materials, freight, or passengers, or for normal installation, service, or emergency repairs rendered outside the place of business. Duties may include using radio, telephone, or computer to transmit assignments and compiling statistics and reports on work progress.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/dispatchers-except-police-fire-and-ambulance
- SOC code: 43-5032.00
- Career family: Office and administrative support
- Median annual pay: $50,340 (10th percentile $36,030, 90th percentile $78,140)
- Projected growth: Little or no change, -0.7%
- Openings a year: 16,000
- Typical entry education: High school diploma
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code CRE)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 71 |
| Investigative (I) | 7 |
| Artistic (A) | 0 |
| Social (S) | 28 |
| Enterprising (E) | 32 |
| Conventional (C) | 73 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 92/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 84/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 78/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 73/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 72/100)
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others (importance 71/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 70/100)
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings (importance 67/100)
- Judging the Qualities of Objects, Services, or People (importance 67/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 67/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Speaking, Coordination, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Time Management, Complex Problem Solving, Critical Thinking, Judgment and Decision Making, Service Orientation

## Knowledge

Customer and Personal Service, Public Safety and Security, Administration and Management, Administrative, English Language, Transportation, Personnel and Human Resources, Computers and Electronics, Education and Training, Psychology

## Also called

Aircraft Dispatcher, Airplane Dispatch Clerk, Auto Service Dispatcher (Automotive Service Dispatcher), Automobile Rental Dispatcher, Bus and Trolley Dispatcher, Bus Dispatcher, Bus Starter, Cab Starter, Cab Station Attendant, Car Dispatcher

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Business Operations Support and Assistant Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/5204) (CIP 5204, 758 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Bellevue University-Nebraska](https://www.collegesref.com/college/bellevue-university-nebraska-206) | Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | $67,452 | $83,581 | $19,499 |
| [Valdosta State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/valdosta-state-university-3105) | Business Operations Support and Assistant Services | $42,670 | $60,715 | $25,991 |

## Related careers

- [First-Line Supervisors of Passenger Attendants](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-passenger-attendants): $62,890 median pay
- [First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/first-line-supervisors-of-material-moving-machine-and-vehicle-operators): $62,890 median pay
- [Public Safety Telecommunicators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/public-safety-telecommunicators): $53,040 median pay
- [Railroad Conductors and Yardmasters](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/railroad-conductors-and-yardmasters): $78,000 median pay
- [Production, Planning, and Expediting Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/production-planning-and-expediting-clerks): $59,650 median pay
- [Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/aircraft-cargo-handling-supervisors): $58,170 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.