SOC 43-5031 · Reading, PA metro

Public Safety Telecommunicators Salary in Reading, PA

The average salary for public safety telecommunicators in Reading, Pennsylvania is $56,960 a year ($27.39 an hour), according to BLS estimates for May 2025. The median is $59,070: half of the 90 people in this job in the Reading, PA metro area earn more than that, half earn less. That average is 5% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($59,770).

$56,960average per year

$27.39 / hourMedian $59,070Take-home ≈ $46,199

  • $46K10th
  • $53K25th
  • $59KMedian
  • $63K75th
  • $63K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

90people in this job
-5%vs U.S. metro average
#2 of 12Pennsylvania metros
97cost of living (U.S. = 100)
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Public Safety Telecommunicators pay range in Reading

New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $45,540 a year or less, while the top 10% make $62,580 or more. The middle half of public safety telecommunicators in Reading earn between $53,130 and $62,580.

  • $46K10th
  • $53K25th
  • $59KMedian
  • $63K75th
  • $63K90th

median average · bar = middle 50% of workers

Pay levelPer yearPer monthPer hour*
Average$56,960$4,747$27.38
Median$59,070$4,922$28.40
Entry level (25th percentile)$53,130$4,428$25.54
Experienced (75th percentile)$62,580$5,215$30.09

*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.

Public Safety Telecommunicators salary after taxes in Reading

On the average salary of $56,960, a single filer in Reading takes home about $46,199 a year, or $3,850 a month and $1,777 every two weeks. Taxes take 19% of gross pay.

Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.

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Is Reading a good place for public safety telecommunicators? Pay vs. cost of living

Prices in the Reading area are 3% below the U.S. average (BEA price parity 97.1), so the average $56,960 buys what about $58,685 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.2 times the median wage of all jobs in Reading ($49,440). A typical home costs $312,348, or 5.5 years of this average salary before tax.

See what $56,960 is worth in another city

Public Safety Telecommunicators salary in other Pennsylvania cities

Reading ranks 2nd of 12 Pennsylvania metro areas for this job; Philadelphia pays the most ($57,780).

All Public Safety Telecommunicators salaries in Pennsylvania

Highest-paying cities for public safety telecommunicators

San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($116,260).

Public Safety Telecommunicators salary by city

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Reviewed before it counts. Public Safety Telecommunicators in Reading, PA.

Public Safety Telecommunicators salary in Reading: questions

How much do public safety telecommunicators make an hour in Reading?

$27.39 an hour on average, and $28.40 at the median (BLS, May 2025).

What is the entry-level public safety telecommunicators salary in Reading?

The lowest-paid 10% earn about $45,540 a year and the 25th percentile is $53,130, a fair guide to starting pay.

What is the public safety telecommunicators take-home pay in Reading?

About $46,199 a year ($3,850 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $56,960. Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.

Do public safety telecommunicators earn more in Reading than elsewhere?

The average here is 5% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($59,770).

Sources and how to read this page

  • Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 43-5031; area Reading, PA (39740). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 0.7%.
  • Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
  • Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
  • Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). Local earned income taxes (for example Philadelphia's wage tax) are not included.
  • Job concentration: location quotient 0.80, this job is less common than in the U.S. overall (location quotient 0.80).

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