According to the Arkansas Department of Workforce Services, Labor Market Information Section, dispatching jobs across the state are due to increase by 12.3 percent between 2016 and 2026. That’s better than the national average and will result in around 110 positions opening up each year.
On the median, Arkansas 911 operators make about $14.08/hr, or $29,290 a year. After enough time in service, senior dispatchers, in the top ten percent of the profession, can make $39,130, or $18.81/hr.
Salaries at the Agencies Employing 911 Dispatchers in Arkansas
Arkansas has a patchwork of agencies with varying responsibilities in both urban and rural areas throughout the state. Consolidation of PSAP facilities is increasingly bringing different agencies in overlapping localities together into one dispatch center, such as in Conway, or under a single agency, like the Little Rock Police, which handles both police and fire call-taking and dispatch.
Little Rock-North Little Rock-Conway – Includes:
- Little Rock Police Communication Center
- North Little Rock 911 Communication Center
- Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office Communication Division
- Conway Emergency Operations Center
- 10th percentile: $11.00/hr /$22,890
- Median: $15.56/hr /$32,370
- 90th percentile: $21.54/hr /$44,810
Conway Police, Fire, and the Faulkner County Sheriff’s Department all dispatch from the CEOC, a 6000 square-foot state-of-the-art facility in Conway. The 12-station dispatch room offers plenty of space to work in the secure and hardened building.
Fort Smith – Includes:
- Fort Smith EMS
- Fort Smith Police Department
- 10th percentile: $9.60/hr / $19,960
- Median: $11.37/hr / $23,650
- 90th percentile: $16.79/hr / $34,920
Fort Smith EMS serves Fort Smith and the community of Barling, providing state-of-the-art computer-aided dispatch services, 911 aerial mapping, and 911 wireless transmission location capabilities.
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers – Includes:
- Fayetteville Police Department 911 Communications Division
- 10th percentile: $12.72/hr / $26,460
- Median: $15.54/hr / $32,320
- 90th percentile: $19.37/hr / $40,300
The Fayetteville Police Department handles all police, fire, and EMS traffic for the city of Fayetteville, taking in more than half a million calls a year. It’s one of only two call centers in the state to earn the Triple Accredited Center of Excellence (TRI-ACE) accreditation from the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch in all three disciplines.
Salaries for 911 Dispatchers in All Cities and Non-Metro Areas Tracked by The US Department of Labor
A full breakdown of salaries for dispatchers throughout Arkansas can be found here:
Salary and employment data compiled by the United States Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics in May of 2018. Figures represent accumulated data for all areas of employment for emergency services dispatchers https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_ar.htm#43-5031. BLS salary data represents state and MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area) average and median earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries. Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Job growth projections sourced from the Arkansas and published in the U.S. Department of Labor-funded Long Term Occupational Projections (2016-2026) database – https://projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm.
All salary and job growth data accessed in June 2019.