AI receptionist vs
hiring a receptionist.
A receptionist in the United States earns a median of $38,010 a year, or $18.27 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2025 wage survey. Wages are 68.7% of what employers spend on office and administrative staff, so in private industry the full cost of that median hire comes to roughly $55,300 a year once benefits are included. A full-time schedule covers 2,080 of the 8,760 hours in a year; nights, weekends, lunch breaks and sick days go to voicemail unless someone else picks up. An AI receptionist on Voxgard’s entry plan costs $2,988 a year and answers around the clock, several calls at once on larger plans. It cannot greet a visitor, sign for a delivery or handle a caller who needs judgment it was not set up for. Many businesses keep the person and let the AI take the overflow and the after-hours calls.
Updated 25 September 2026What a receptionist earns
The BLS counts 910,180 receptionists and information clerks in the U.S. Their pay, national figures for May 2025:
| Measure | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Median | $38,010 | $18.27 |
| Mean | $39,460 | $18.97 |
| Lowest-paid 10% | $28,760 | |
| Highest-paid 10% | $49,950 |
Pay varies by state. Annual mean wage in ten large states:
| State | Annual mean wage |
|---|---|
| California | $46,100 |
| Washington | $45,690 |
| New York | $44,840 |
| Colorado | $42,380 |
| Arizona | $40,100 |
| Illinois | $39,520 |
| Florida | $37,720 |
| Georgia | $36,150 |
| Texas | $35,720 |
| North Carolina | $35,450 |
The cost on top of wages
Wages are not the whole bill. In the BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation survey (June 2026), wages and salaries make up 68.7% of total compensation for private-industry office and administrative support workers; benefits such as paid leave, insurance and retirement make up the rest.
Applying that ratio to the median wage gives a rough full cost of $55,300 a year for one median receptionist. It is an estimate: the ratio is an average across office jobs, and your benefits, payroll taxes and overtime will differ.
Hours covered
| Hours | |
|---|---|
| Hours in a year | 8,760 |
| Scheduled hours, 40 a week | 2,080 |
| Share of the year covered | 24% |
Scheduled hours still include lunch, breaks, holidays and sick days. A single receptionist also takes one call at a time; a second caller hears hold music or voicemail.
Against an AI receptionist
| Option | A year | Hours answered |
|---|---|---|
| Median receptionist, wages only | $38,010 | 2,080 scheduled |
| Median receptionist, with benefits (estimate) | $55,300 | 2,080 scheduled |
| Voxgard Basic, 300 minutes a month | $2,988 plus overage | All 8,760, one call at a time |
| Voxgard Standard, 1,000 minutes a month | $6,588 plus overage | All 8,760, three calls at once |
Minutes past the allowance cost $0.55 on Basic and $0.35 on Standard. Other AI vendors’ prices are in our cost guide.
What a person still does better
- Greets people who walk in, signs for deliveries and handles paperwork.
- Reads a situation nobody planned for and makes a judgment call.
- Knows your regulars by voice and history, beyond what is in the CRM.
Our reading: for most small businesses the choice is not either-or. The person handles the front desk during the day; the AI answers when they are on another call, at lunch, after hours and on weekends, and texts them a summary.
Sources
- BLS OEWS, Receptionists and Information Clerks, May 2025
- BLS API series OEUN000000000000043417113 (median annual wage)
- BLS Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, Table 4, June 2026
- Voxgard pricing
Written by Voxgard, which makes an AI receptionist. The figures describe the market, not Voxgard’s results. Found an error? info@voxgard.com
Questions.
The median U.S. receptionist earns $38,010 a year in wages (BLS, May 2025). With benefits, using the BLS ratio for office support staff, the full cost is roughly $55,300.
For answering calls, booking and taking messages, often yes. For walk-in visitors, deliveries and calls that need judgment, no. Many businesses use both.
Voxgard Basic is $2,988 a year at list price before overage; other vendors start lower. See the cost guide for eight vendors.
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