517312/Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite)
US businesses, employees and payroll, 2017 to 2023
242K
employees, 2023
242K
employees, 2023
In 2023, 24,269 US Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) business locations employed 241,720 people and paid $18.4 billion in annual payroll, $76,228 per employee on average. Employment was down 7.2% from 2022. Texas had the most employees.
Updated Oct 9, 2026 · data year 2023
Business locations
24,269
-5.9% vs 2022
Employees
241,720
-7.2% vs 2022
Annual payroll
$18.4B
-2.8% vs 2022
Average pay
$76,228
+4.7% vs 2022
Over the years
United States, 2017 to 2023
Employees
Paid employees in mid-March
Business locations
Places with paid employees
By state
Employees of Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) in each state, 2023
Employees by state
States with the most employees
Employees and the share of all the state's jobs
| State | Business locations | Employees | Average pay | Share of state jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 2,428 | 24,734 | $73,338 | 0.21% |
| California | 2,436 | 23,207 | $71,386 | 0.14% |
| Florida | 1,799 | 18,343 | $62,258 | 0.18% |
| Georgia | 880 | 10,928 | $83,317 | 0.25% |
| Washington | 613 | 10,596 | $189,433 | 0.35% |
| New York | 1,490 | 9,656 | $64,628 | 0.11% |
| Illinois | 943 | 9,221 | $87,808 | 0.16% |
| North Carolina | 706 | 7,573 | $59,664 | 0.18% |
| New Jersey | 672 | 7,383 | $94,373 | 0.19% |
| Pennsylvania | 889 | 6,453 | $65,846 | 0.11% |
| Tennessee | 512 | 6,025 | $61,095 | 0.20% |
| Virginia | 574 | 6,020 | $81,988 | 0.17% |
| Ohio | 833 | 5,855 | $57,658 | 0.12% |
| Kansas | 239 | 5,802* | $125,093 | 0.46% |
| Missouri | 497 | 5,635 | $74,501 | 0.21% |
The 15 states with the most employees. Download the CSV for all 51.
Top metro areas
Metro and micro areas with the most Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) employees, 2023
Metro areas with the most employees
| Metro area | Locations | Employees | Average pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 1,556 | 12,889 | $80,790 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 576 | 9,516 | $98,746 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | 813 | 8,242 | $69,618 |
| Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 306 | 8,024* | $229,474 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 541 | 7,569 | $93,499 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | 697 | 7,237 | $95,829 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | 817 | 5,795 | $53,964 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 163 | 4,495* | $146,959 |
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | 464 | 4,495 | $54,834 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | 279 | 4,182 | $74,392 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 294 | 4,076 | $61,849 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 358 | 3,778 | $109,229 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | 250 | 3,521 | $57,631 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 447 | 3,315 | $71,324 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | 260 | 2,994 | $102,629 |
Business size
US Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) business locations by number of employees, 2023
Locations by size
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Under 5 | 12,108 | 49.9% |
| 5 to 9 | 6,449 | 26.6% |
| 10 to 19 | 4,350 | 17.9% |
| 20 to 49 | 923 | 3.8% |
| 50 to 99 | 208 | 0.9% |
| 100 to 249 | 127 | 0.5% |
| 250 to 499 | 52 | 0.2% |
| 500 to 999 | 40 | 0.2% |
| 1,000 or more | 12 | 0.0% |
Related industries
The industries this code belongs to
Part of Information 51Telecommunications 517Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers 5173Wired and Wireless Telecommunications Carriers 51731
Questions and answers
How many people work in Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) in the US?
241,720 people worked at 24,269 US Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) business locations in 2023, down 7.2% from 2022. That is 0.17% of all US private-sector employees.
What is the average pay in Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite)?
$76,228 a year per employee in 2023, from $18.4 billion in annual payroll (up 4.7% from 2022). The average across all US industries was $68,342.
Which state has the most Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) jobs?
Texas had the most, with 24,734 employees in 2023, followed by California (23,207) and Florida (18,343).
Which metro areas have the most Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) jobs?
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ (12,889), Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX (9,516), Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA (8,242) had the most Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) employees in 2023.
Are most Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) businesses small?
94.4% of the 24,269 Wireless Telecommunications Carriers (except Satellite) business locations had fewer than 20 employees in 2023, and 52 had 500 or more.
Official US government statistics, published once a year. Business locations are places with paid employees; employees are counted in mid-March; payroll covers the whole year. Covers most private employers, not the self-employed, most government workers or farm workers on farms. * Less accurate: changed by 5% or more to protect privacy. Changes from the year before are shown only when both years use the same edition of the industry codes.