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Public Safety Telecommunicators: apprenticeship hours and pay
O*NET-SOC 43-5031.00
Approved apprenticeship titles
2 apprenticeship titles on the Department of Labor's approved list fall under Public Safety Telecommunicators, trained competency-based, hybrid, time-based. The shortest approved term is 2,000 hours, for ALARM OPERATOR (Gov Serv) (competency-based).
| Title | RAPIDS code | Approach and term |
|---|---|---|
| ALARM OPERATOR (Gov Serv) | 0870 | Competency-Based: 2,000 hours Hybrid: 2,000 to 2,500 hours Time-Based: 2,000 hours |
| TELECOMMUNICATOR | 1002 | Competency-Based: 8,000 hours Hybrid: 8,000 to 10,000 hours Time-Based: 8,000 hours |
Time-based programs count hours on the job; competency-based programs move on when the apprentice shows the skills; hybrid programs use both, within a range of hours (29 CFR 29.5(b)(2)). Each registered program sets its own term inside what the approved title allows.
What public safety telecommunicators earn, by state
California has the highest state median for public safety telecommunicators ($80,120) and Puerto Rico the lowest ($26,620), across the 52 states with a published figure.
| State | Median pay | Hourly | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $80,120 | $38.52 | 8,520 |
| Washington | $78,850 | $37.91 | 1,980 |
| Oregon | $71,980 | $34.61 | 1,110 |
| Alaska | $66,660 | $32.05 | 390 |
| Minnesota | $66,550 | $31.99 | 1,460 |
| Colorado | $63,520 | $30.54 | 1,800 |
| Connecticut | $62,410 | $30.00 | 1,820 |
| Massachusetts | $61,720 | $29.67 | 2,790 |
| New York | $61,450 | $29.54 | 5,470 |
| Illinois | $61,260 | $29.45 | 4,350 |
| Nevada | $60,040 | $28.86 | 1,010 |
| Wisconsin | $60,000 | $28.84 | 1,820 |
| North Dakota | $59,940 | $28.82 | 270 |
| Vermont | $59,470 | $28.59 | 280 |
| New Jersey | $59,240 | $28.48 | 4,010 |
| District of Columbia | $59,080 | $28.40 | 60 |
| Maryland | $58,910 | $28.32 | 1,610 |
| Rhode Island | $58,310 | $28.03 | 370 |
| New Hampshire | $58,240 | $28.00 | 560 |
| Ohio | $58,100 | $27.94 | 4,550 |
| Maine | $57,250 | $27.52 | 730 |
| Hawaii | $57,020 | $27.41 | 170 |
| Iowa | $56,770 | $27.30 | 980 |
| Arizona | $56,600 | $27.21 | 1,790 |
| Utah | $54,120 | $26.02 | 880 |
| Michigan | $53,310 | $25.63 | 2,100 |
| Delaware | $53,140 | $25.55 | 260 |
| Idaho | $51,780 | $24.89 | 580 |
| Wyoming | $50,600 | $24.33 | 350 |
| Virginia | $50,490 | $24.28 | 3,050 |
| Nebraska | $50,270 | $24.17 | 750 |
| Florida | $50,170 | $24.12 | 6,090 |
| Texas | $50,040 | $24.06 | 7,730 |
| Pennsylvania | $49,890 | $23.98 | 3,620 |
| New Mexico | $49,060 | $23.59 | 640 |
| Indiana | $49,050 | $23.58 | 2,150 |
| South Dakota | $47,900 | $23.03 | 420 |
| Montana | $47,640 | $22.91 | 560 |
| Missouri | $46,990 | $22.59 | 2,750 |
| North Carolina | $46,550 | $22.38 | 3,730 |
| Tennessee | $46,390 | $22.30 | 1,840 |
| Kentucky | $45,670 | $21.96 | 1,350 |
| Kansas | $45,110 | $21.69 | 1,370 |
| South Carolina | $43,540 | $20.94 | 1,490 |
| Georgia | $42,790 | $20.57 | 3,480 |
| West Virginia | $40,490 | $19.46 | 880 |
| Oklahoma | $39,890 | $19.18 | 1,930 |
| Alabama | $38,960 | $18.73 | 2,230 |
| Louisiana | $38,550 | $18.54 | 1,470 |
| Arkansas | $38,240 | $18.39 | 1,460 |
| Mississippi | $34,510 | $16.59 | 1,430 |
| Puerto Rico | $26,620 | $12.80 | 120 |
Finding a program
The public sponsor file names the organizations that run registered apprenticeships but not the occupations each one trains, so this guide names no sponsor. Search apprenticeship.gov's Apprenticeship Finder for this title, or ask your American Job Center which local programs train it.
Apprenticeship sponsors by state (25,633) · All approved occupations
Sources: apprenticeship.gov approved occupations list (Last-Modified October 8, 2026); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (all industries; blanks are figures BLS does not publish).