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Job outlook for police dispatchers in the United States
Police dispatcher job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected police dispatcher job growth rate is 4% from 2018-2028.
About 3,600 new jobs for police dispatchers are projected over the next decade.
Police dispatcher salaries have increased 11% for police dispatchers in the last 5 years.
There are over 58,534 police dispatchers currently employed in the United States.
There are 6,964 active police dispatcher job openings in the US.
The average police dispatcher salary is $37,402.
Are police dispatcher jobs in demand?
Police Dispatcher job and salary trends over time
Police Dispatcher jobs over time
Police Dispatcher job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58,534 | 0.02% |
| 2020 | 56,266 | 0.02% |
| 2019 | 57,490 | 0.02% |
| 2018 | 57,309 | 0.02% |
| 2017 | 57,569 | 0.02% |
Average police dispatcher salary over time
Police Dispatcher salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $37,402 | $17.98 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $36,210 | $17.41 | +3.1% |
| 2023 | $35,130 | $16.89 | +2.6% |
| 2022 | $34,249 | $16.47 | +2.0% |
| 2021 | $33,583 | $16.15 | +2.3% |
Police Dispatcher jobs by state
Most common states for police dispatchers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | 739,795 | 42 | 6% |
| 2 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 50 | 5% |
| 3 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 32 | 5% |
| 4 | California | 39,536,653 | 630 | 2% |
| 5 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 177 | 2% |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 119 | 2% |
| 7 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 113 | 2% |
| 8 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 112 | 2% |
| 9 | Arizona | 7,016,270 | 109 | 2% |
| 10 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 102 | 2% |
| 11 | Tennessee | 6,715,984 | 101 | 2% |
| 12 | Missouri | 6,113,532 | 94 | 2% |
| 13 | Nevada | 2,998,039 | 52 | 2% |
| 14 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 51 | 2% |
| 15 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 46 | 2% |
| 16 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 37 | 2% |
| 17 | Hawaii | 1,427,538 | 25 | 2% |
| 18 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 23 | 2% |
| 19 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 16 | 2% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 14 | 2% |
Most common cities for police dispatchers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Mesa | 2 | 3% | $44,998 |
| 2 | Coeur dAlene | 1 | 2% | $35,093 |
| 3 | Coral Gables | 1 | 2% | $27,360 |
| 4 | Boulder | 1 | 1% | $41,866 |
| 5 | Cambridge | 1 | 1% | $40,592 |
| 6 | Carmel | 1 | 1% | $33,977 |
| 7 | Flagstaff | 1 | 1% | $37,729 |
| 8 | Meridian | 1 | 1% | $34,212 |
| 9 | Atlanta | 1 | 0% | $26,696 |
| 10 | Columbus | 1 | 0% | $29,877 |
| 11 | Gilbert | 1 | 0% | $36,385 |
| 12 | Indianapolis | 1 | 0% | $33,787 |
| 13 | Sacramento | 1 | 0% | $49,730 |
| 14 | San Antonio | 1 | 0% | $28,658 |
| 15 | San Jose | 1 | 0% | $50,029 |
Police Dispatcher job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of police dispatcher experts
Pennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
Curry College
La Sierra University
University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Jill Myers
Director of the School of Law Enforcement and Justice AdministrationWhat general advice would you give to a Police Dispatcher?
Jill Myers: The more skill sets you have the better prepared you will be for future advancement and salary increases. Having a solid education, a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice and a masters degree will sometimes result in increased wages. Having federal certifications and competencies will enhance your opportunities and create potential marketability for your career. It is always a great skill set to have people skills, communication in both written and oral formats. It will enhance your ability to explain yourself in court, in the warrants one prepares, and with dealing with the public in all circumstances from victims and witnesses and suspects, to legislators, the funding sources like mayors and city council and the public at large.
What general advice would you give to a Police Dispatcher?
James Gibbens: Good Morning Alex, I am the Director of the Brevard Police Testing Center here at EFSC. While I am not an instructor or professor here at EFSC I have been an adjunct professor at Florida Tech in Melbourne, FL since 2009 teaching Criminal Justice courses under the umbrella of the Psychology/Homeland Security Department. Prior to that I retired after 30 years from the Melbourne Police Department. If you want to send me some questions I can answer them.
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorPennsylvania State University - Harrisburg
School of Public Affairs, Criminal Justice Program
What skills stand out on Police Dispatcher resumes?
Jennifer Gibbs Ph.D.: Police officers need many skills to be successful on the job. The most important are written and oral communication skills and the ability to make ethical decisions with limited information quickly. Written communications skills are crucial. If a police report is poorly worded or incomplete, it can derail a criminal case. Police officers also need to talk to people of all ages from all walks of life in any circumstance. Often, police meet people on what may be the worst day of their lives when emotions are running high. Police need to be able to help calm a person while gathering information. Police need to be able to use their words and body language to empathize with someone who has been victimized, and they need to project authority, so people making poor decisions obey their commands.
This may be common sense, but research has demonstrated that communication and ethical decision-making skills are important for police officers. (See the research article published in 2017 in the Journal of Criminal Justice Education, entitled "An assessment of the relative importance of criminal justice learning objectives," by Baker and colleagues.) Baker and colleagues asked students, professionals, and college professors to rate the skills of hypothetical job applicants. These participants rated the following as the most important characteristics for criminal justice applicants (including law enforcement officers):
Ethics
Oral communication
Critical thinking
Sensitivity to diversity
Written communication skills
What will help Police Dispatchers increase their earning potential?
Jennifer Balboni: It's certainly been said before, but soft skills-the ability to communicate effectively with different individuals and groups, as well as the ability to advocate for others--are key competencies in the justice field. Being able to communicate with others, as well as understand and empathize with others--is a vital skill in this field.
More technically, graduates who are able to navigate the virtual/digital world will be prepared to help agencies transition to build more permanent digital programming into the fields of corrections, courts, and law enforcement moving forward. The digital programming that has cropped up as a result of this pandemic is likely not going away entirely once the pandemic is more under control-people like the flexibility it provides. The same is true in the justice realm: virtual connections have been integrated in various processes, facilitating important connections between support services and folks involved in the justice system.
T.Christopher Bell
ProfessorLa Sierra University
Criminal Justice Program
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Police Dispatchers?
T.Christopher Bell: The enduring impact is that we now know we can work remotely. We can file reports online; we can conduct investigations, Background Investigations remotely, and expand our reach nationwide. Also, our hygiene has dramatically improved.
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Wisconsin - Oshkosh
Department of Criminal Justice
What general advice would you give to a Police Dispatcher?
Dr. Durmus Alper CAMLIBEL Ph.D.: They need to avoid being overzealous officers. They should not put their career at the center of their life. They need to spend quality time with their family. In law enforcement, good relations with the public and colleagues are essential. They need to develop good relationships with the people and their colleagues and expand their professional network. They always try to be a "problem solver officer" rather than a "problem creator officer." If someone asks for help from them, they should treat this person with dignity and respect. They should avoid being arrogant in their interaction with the public. Because arrogance is the worst plague, and Humility is the greatest virtue.