Hourly and Annual Incomes

• In 2010, eligibility representatives in the 50 percentile earned an annual median wage of $39,960 or $19.21 per hour. Representatives in the lower 10 percentile earned a median hourly wage of $13.36, which computes to an annual median wage of $27,790. The lower 25 percentile earned a median salary of $32,850 per year or $15.80 per hour. Eligibility representatives in the upper 75 percentile earned $47,930 annually or $23.04 hourly. The upper 90 percentile earned an annual median wage of $55,840 or $26.85, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
  
  

Common Industries

• Local and state governments employed the largest number of eligibility representatives in 2010. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, local government employed 44,770 representatives at an annual mean wage of $40,400. State government paid $38,740 to 39,250 representatives. The federal executive branch employed 28,270 eligibility representatives at an annual mean wage of $45,830. Individual and family services paid an annual mean wage of $33,980 to 2,240 representatives. General medical and surgical hospitals employed 820 eligibility representatives at an annual mean wage of $36,760.
  
  

Common States of Employment

• Common states of employment for eligibility interviewers include California, New York, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Missouri based on Bureau of Labor Statistics information. California employed 19,290 interviewers at $45,140 per year. Ten thousand interviewers in New York received an annual mean wage of $43,350. Pennsylvania paid an annual mean wage of $44,660 to 9,560 interviewers. North Carolina and Missouri employed 10,250 interviewers at an annual mean of $35,320 and $35,330, respectively.
  
  

Above Average

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics list Connecticut, District of Columbia, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Maryland as states with above average wages for eligibility interviewers. In 2010, interviewers in Connecticut earned an annual mean wage of $53,660. Eligibility interviewers in the District of Columbia earned an annual mean wage of $52,430. Representatives working in Rhode Island earned $51,660 per year. Massachusetts and Maryland interviewers earned an annual mean wage of $48,010 and $46,750, respectively.
  
  

Job Outlook

• The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicted a 9 percent growth rate for eligibility interviewers between 2008 and 2018, due to an increase in retiring baby boomers. Increased use of online applications may lead to a reduction in job prospects by eliminating the need to interview face to face. Interviewers earned an annual mean wage of $40,900.