Customer service representatives

Detailed Occupation

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2020 Workforce

2.88M

Average Age

37.7

Estimated Job Growth

−1.95%

10-year projection

Average Salary

$34,656

Average Male Salary

$39,544

Average Female Salary

$32,116

About

Customer service representatives are most often employed by the Restaurants & Food Services industry. The average yearly wage for Customer service representatives was $34,656 in 2016. The top 3 most similar occupations to Customer service representatives by wage are Security guards & gaming surveillance officers, Floral designers, and Coaches and scouts.

Customer service representatives are part of the Office & Administrative Support Occupations, along with Firstline supervisors of office & administrative support workers, Switchboard operators, including answering service, Telephone operators, Communications equipment operators, all other, Bill & account collectors, and 45 more.

The top 3 locations that employ the most Customer service representatives are Hillsborough County (Central) PUMA, FL, Orem, Pleasant Grove, American Fork & Lindon Cities PUMA, UT, and Cedar Rapids City PUMA, IA. The top 3 locations with a relatively high concentration of Customer service representatives are Mesa City (South Central) PUMA, AZ, Phoenix City (South) PUMA, AZ, and St. Louis County (Inner Ring North) PUMA, MO.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Customer service representatives and on wages and locations for those in the field. Restaurants & Food Services is the industry that employs the most Customer service representatives, both by share and by number, though the highest paid industry for Customer service representatives, by average wage, is Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing. Customer service representatives are paid most in Battery Park City, Greenwich Village & Soho PUMA, NY but are relatively concentrated in Mesa City (South Central) PUMA, AZ.

Yearly Wage

$34,656

AVERAGE SALARY

± $514

In 2020, Customer service representatives earned an average of $34,656, $21,298 less than than the average national salary of $55,954.

Floral designers make somewhat more than Customer service representatives while Security guards & gaming surveillance officers make somewhat less. This chart shows the various occupations closest to Customer service representatives as measured by average annual salary in the US.

Wage Distribution

0.419

WAGE GINI

In 2015, Customer service representatives had a wage GINI coefficient of 0.419, which is lower than than the national average of 0.478. In other words, wages are distributed more evenly for Customer service representatives (shown in red) than for the overall labor force (shown in gray).

Wage by Location

HIGHEST PAYING PUMAS

This map shows the Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States shaded by average annual wage for Customer service representatives.

Spatial Concentration

PUMAs with a Relatively High Concentration of Customer service representatives

This map displays which Public Use Microdata Areas (PUMAs) in the United States have a relatively high population of Customer service representatives.

Most Common

The most common industries employing Customer service representatives, by number of employees, are Restaurants & Food Services, Business support services, Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores, General merchandise stores, including warehouse clubs and supercenters, Banking & related activities, Building material & supplies dealers, Insurance carriers, Computer Systems Design, Amusement & Recreation, Air transportation, and Clothing stores.

Highest Paying

The highest paying industries for Customer service representatives, by average wage, are Computer & peripheral equipment manufacturing, Railroad rolling stock manufacturing, and Software publishing.

Industries by Share

2.88M

2020 Workforce

± 41,248

0.353%

1 YEAR GROWTH

± 2.02%

The number of people employed as Customer service representatives has been growing at a rate of 0.353%, from 2,868,421 people in 2019 to 2,878,545 people in 2020.

This graphic shows the share of Customer service representatives employed by various industries. Restaurants & Food Services employs the largest share of Customer service representatives at 6.13%, followed by Business support services with 6.01% and Supermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores with 3.88%.

Diversity

Demographic information on Customer service representatives in the US. The average age of male Customer service representatives in the workforce is 35.9 and of female Customer service representatives is 38.7, and the most common race/ethnicity for Customer service representatives is White (Non-Hispanic).

Composition by Sex

984k

MALE WORKFORCE

± 24,275

1.89M

FEMALE WORKFORCE

± 33,575

65.8% of Customer service representatives are Female, making them the more common sex in the occupation. This chart shows the sex breakdown of Customer service representatives.

Race & Ethnicity

Most Common Race or Ethnicity of Customer service representatives

White (Non-Hispanic)
Black (Non-Hispanic)
White (Hispanic)

56% of Customer service representatives are White (Non-Hispanic), making that the most common race or ethnicity in the occupation. Representing 17.5% of Customer service representatives, Black (Non-Hispanic) is the second most common race or ethnicity in this occupation. This chart shows the racial and ethnic breakdown of Customer service representatives.

Age by Sex

35.9

AVERAGE MALE AGE

± 0.361

38.7

AVERAGE FEMALE AGE

± 0.262

The median age of Customer service representatives is 37.7, and Male employees are generally 2.72 years younger than than their Female counterparts.

Education

Data on higher education choices for Customer service representatives from The Department of Education and Census Bureau. The most common major for Customer service representatives is Business but a relatively high number of Customer service representatives hold a major in Communication Technologies.

Majors

ACS PUMS data only shows the major for bachelor's degrees. However, we can filter the data based on highest degree obtained.

MOST COMMON MAJORS

MOST SPECIALIZED MAJORS

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for Customer service representatives from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Customer service representatives need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Speaking, and Service Orientation. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Customer service representatives need more than the average amount of Service Orientation, Negotiation, and Speaking.

Radar Distribution

Bar Chart

Projections

Projections on job growth for Customer Service Representatives from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The 10-year national workforce is projected to grow 3.71%, but Customer Service Representatives are expected to see a growth of −1.95% over the same period. This occupation is expected to grow less than the national average.

Job Growth

−1.95%

Estimated Job Growth

10-year Projection

3.71%

National Growth

10-year Projection

This line chart shows the projected 10-year growth in the number of jobs for Customer Service Representatives. This profession is expected to grow less than than 3.71%, the average rate of national job growth.