Telemarketers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for telemarketerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $37,370 ≈ $18/hr
National median salary $35,450
Total employment 58,430 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -22.1% Decline
Annual openings 6,500 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 67,400 → 52,500 (-14,900)
Typical entry education No formal educational credential

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

Mean annual wage $26,000–$32,000 $32,000–$35,000 $35,000–$38,000 $38,000–$42,000 $42,000–$51,000 U.S. mean $37,370

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Colorado$51,400
  2. Connecticut$48,240
  3. California$47,160
  4. Minnesota$46,130
  5. Arizona$45,880

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. North Dakota$26,250
  2. Mississippi$26,290
  3. Oklahoma$29,640
  4. Pennsylvania$30,360
  5. Louisiana$30,460
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Colorado $51,400 $47,670 $25 +37.5% 880
2 Connecticut $48,240 $45,200 $23 +29.1% 110
3 California $47,160 $46,000 $23 +26.2% 3,880
4 Minnesota $46,130 $39,850 $22 +23.4% 650
5 Arizona $45,880 $37,750 $22 +22.8% 1,550
6 Massachusetts $45,740 $44,650 $22 +22.4%
7 New York $45,570 $41,400 $22 +21.9% 1,960
8 Oregon $42,040 $42,060 $20 +12.5% 420
9 Illinois $41,810 $31,200 $20 +11.9% 870
10 Virginia $41,130 $37,440 $20 +10.1%
11 Washington $40,970 $39,670 $20 +9.6% 300
12 Maine $40,380 $32,610 $19 +8.1%
13 Maryland $39,360 $35,590 $19 +5.3% 540
14 Utah $39,210 $36,610 $19 +4.9% 390
15 New Jersey $39,170 $39,370 $19 +4.8% 410

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 95 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Waterbury-Shelton, CT $58,900 $56,790
2 Springfield, IL $50,390 $51,060 30
3 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $49,700 $44,630 270
4 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC $49,240 $50,500 420
5 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO $47,930 $54,280 620
6 Rochester, NY $47,840 $45,100 350
7 Colorado Springs, CO $47,670 $51,110 100
8 Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA $45,710 $44,220 160
9 Boulder, CO $45,340 $43,530 70
10 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA $44,900 $43,830 80

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing telemarketerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods (4242 and 4246 only) $78,650 $87,940
2 Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services $64,540 $59,370 160
3 Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services $64,540 $59,370 160
4 State Government, including Schools and Hospitals (OEWS Designation) $61,740 $57,780 30
5 Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods $57,740 $55,270 650
6 Warehousing and Storage $57,650 $55,370 40
7 Warehousing and Storage $57,650 $55,370 40
8 Professional and Commercial Equipment and Supplies Merchant Wholesalers $56,910 $56,660 1,170
9 Rental and Leasing Services $56,180 $55,190 80
10 Rental and Leasing Services (5322, 5323, and 5324 only) $56,180 $55,190 80
11 Merchant Wholesalers, Durable Goods $55,880 $54,570 1,420
12 Sector 42 - Wholesale Trade $53,720 $53,000 2,320

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
15,431
$10-20k
3,944
$20-30k
6,402
$30-40k
4,285
$40-50k
3,340
$50-60k
835
$60-70k
682
$70-80k
162
$80-90k
245
$110-120k
68
$120-130k
58
$140-150k
123
$160-170k
97
$180-190k
438
$200k+
64

Pay by age band

16-24
$16,073
25-34
$22,499
35-44
$28,792
45-54
$46,453
55-64
$20,044
65+
$14,331

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$18,453
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$20,210
Bachelors Degree
$22,291
Some college, but less than 1 year
$17,426
Associates Degree
$23,818
Masters Degree
$72,930
GED or alternative credential
$28,789
Grade 5
$21,410
Grade 10
$5,523
Grade 11
$22,554
12th grade - no diploma
$25,894
No schooling completed
$38,692
Grade 8
Professional degree
$207,982
Doctorate degree
$33,644
Grade 9
$6,729

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
15,032 · $40,451
Part-time
4,772 · $13,495

Race / ethnicity

White
$21,915
Black
$23,892
Two or More Races
$15,740
Other
$19,716
Asian
$31,655
American Indian
$26,123
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$1,020
Alaska Native

Top fields of study

Marketing And Marketing Research
$35,682
Biology
$1,822
Criminology
$40,781
Social Work
$126,017
Music
$24,777
Computer And Information Systems
$240
English Language And Literature
$36,216
Sociology
$938

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Speaking
4.1
Persuasion
4.1
Active Listening
4.0
Service Orientation
3.5
Reading Comprehension
3.3
Social Perceptiveness
3.3
Critical Thinking
3.0
Negotiation
3.0
Writing
2.5
Coordination
2.5
Judgment and Decision Making
2.4
Time Management
2.4

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do telemarketers make in the U.S.?

The median telemarketers salary in the United States is $35,450 per year (mean $37,370), and about 80% earn between $27,040 and $50,350.

How much do telemarketers make per hour?

Roughly $18 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $37,370 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays telemarketers the most?

Colorado has the highest average pay for telemarketers at $51,400 per year (median $47,670).

What is the job outlook for telemarketers?

Employment is projected to change -22.1% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 6,500 openings per year.