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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.
Other titles employers use
Aircraft Dispatcher · Charter Coordinator · City Dispatcher · Dispatcher (Dispatch) · Mine Dispatcher · Paratransit Dispatcher · School Bus Dispatcher · Taxi Dispatcher
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- Schedule or dispatch workers, work crews, equipment, or service vehicles to appropriate locations, according to customer requests, specifications, or needs, using radios or telephones.
- Prepare daily work and run schedules.
- Confer with customers or supervising personnel to address questions, problems, or requests for service or equipment.
- Relay work orders, messages, or information to or from work crews, supervisors, or field inspectors, using telephones or two-way radios.
- Receive or prepare work orders.
- Record and maintain files or records of customer requests, work or services performed, charges, expenses, inventory, or other dispatch information.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to organizing and practical work.
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Reading Comprehension
- Time Management
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- English Language
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Speech Recognition
- Speech Clarity
- Deductive Reasoning
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.5 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 2.3 | Mostly seated |
| Talking face to face | 5.0 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 3.4 | Some of the day |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- High school or less 52%
- A certificate or some college 33%
- A two-year degree 8%
- A four-year degree 7%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Data base user interface and query software
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Electronic mail software
- Time accounting software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Presentation software
- Operating system software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 26,200
- Job openings each year
- 2,520
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 4.8%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 26,200 | 2,520 | 4.8% |
| Texas | 25,310 | 2,510 | 12.0% |
| Florida | 14,230 | 1,390 | 7.9% |
| New York | 12,510 | 100 | 8.2% |
| Illinois | 9,200 | 850 | −1.2% |
| Georgia | 8,560 | 840 | 10.5% |
| Ohio | 7,960 | 740 | −1.4% |
| North Carolina | 7,410 | 710 | 5.3% |
| New Jersey | 7,000 | 660 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 6,710 | 620 | −1.8% |
| Arizona | 5,780 | 570 | 11.4% |
| Michigan | 5,540 | 510 | −3.1% |
| Virginia | 5,360 | 500 | −1.7% |
| Washington | 5,290 | 580 | 11.6% |
| Tennessee | 4,590 | 450 | 9.5% |
| Colorado | 4,510 | 440 | 8.4% |
| Maryland | 4,190 | 400 | 3.5% |
| Indiana | 4,170 | 390 | — |
| Nevada | 3,890 | 390 | 12.8% |
| Missouri | 3,710 | 350 | — |
| Wisconsin | 3,560 | 330 | — |
| Utah | 3,420 | 340 | 11.8% |
| Minnesota | 3,350 | 320 | 1.2% |
| Kentucky | 3,000 | 280 | 1.4% |
| Oregon | 2,960 | 290 | 7.2% |
| South Carolina | 2,780 | 260 | 1.8% |
| Connecticut | 2,770 | 270 | 6.5% |
| Louisiana | 2,640 | 250 | −1.5% |
| Oklahoma | 2,570 | 240 | 1.6% |
| Alabama | 2,180 | 210 | 2.3% |
| Mississippi | 2,150 | 200 | 1.9% |
| Iowa | 2,090 | 200 | 6.1% |
| Nebraska | 1,860 | 180 | 1.6% |
| Kansas | 1,840 | 180 | 2.2% |
| Arkansas | 1,470 | 140 | 2.1% |
| New Mexico | 1,310 | 130 | 6.5% |
| Puerto Rico | 1,110 | 110 | 6.7% |
| Idaho | 950 | 90 | 10.5% |
| Massachusetts | 930 | 90 | 3.3% |
| West Virginia | 870 | 80 | −3.3% |
| Maine | 840 | 70 | −5.6% |
| New Hampshire | 700 | 70 | — |
| Montana | 690 | 70 | 1.5% |
| Delaware | 610 | 60 | 5.2% |
| North Dakota | 590 | 60 | 9.3% |
| Rhode Island | 520 | 50 | 4.0% |
| Alaska | 510 | 50 | 8.5% |
| South Dakota | 510 | 50 | 2.0% |
| District of Columbia | 470 | 40 | — |
| Wyoming | 310 | 30 | 14.8% |
| Vermont | 270 | 30 | 3.8% |
| Guam | 150 | 10 | — |
| Virgin Islands | 30 | 0 | 50.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Valdosta State University
- Degrees each year
- 22
- Admit rate
- 83%
- Annual cost after aid
- $12,000
Program entryOpen major
Open college FLThe University of Tampa
- Degrees each year
- 16
- Admit rate
- 41%
- Annual cost after aid
- $32,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open college MONorthwest Missouri State University
- Degrees each year
- 2
- Admit rate
- 86%
- Annual cost after aid
- $14,000
Program entryApply after enrollment
Open collegeCompare every college offering business operations support and assistant services