An estimated 240 million calls are made to 911 in the United States each year, and in many areas 80% or more of them come from wireless devices (NENA, 911 Statistics). The FCC’s newest fee report counted 212.9 million voice 911 calls across 55 reporting jurisdictions in 2024, plus 2.24 million texts to 911, an 89.1% jump in a single year (FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report, February 2026). The system taking those calls is under financial and human strain: states collected $4.30 billion in 911 fees in 2024 but estimated the real cost of providing service at $6.76 billion, three states diverted $225.2 million to unrelated purposes, and 82% of 911 centers say they are understaffed (FCC; NENA/Carbyne). This analysis consolidates data from NENA, the FCC, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and 14 other primary sources to map where America’s 911 system stands in 2026.
TL;DR
- An estimated 240 million 911 calls are placed in the U.S. each year (NENA, 911 Statistics).
- The FCC logged 212,910,794 voice 911 calls reported for calendar year 2024; 71.3% came from wireless phones (FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report).
- Texts to 911 grew 89.1% in one year, from 1.19 million in 2023 to 2.24 million in 2024 (FCC).
- States collected $4.30 billion in 911 fees in 2024 but estimated the total cost of providing 911 service at $6.76 billion (FCC).
- Nevada, New Jersey, and New York diverted $225.2 million in 911 fees in 2024, 5.24% of everything collected nationwide (FCC).
- 41 states and jurisdictions had NG911 Emergency Services IP Networks operating in 2024, and NG911 spending reached $535.1 million (FCC).
- NTIA’s April 2026 study puts the remaining cost of the nationwide NG911 transition at $5.8 to $9.3 billion, roughly 30 to 40% below its 2018 estimate (NTIA).
- BLS counted 105,200 public safety telecommunicator jobs in 2024 at a median wage of $50,730 (BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook).
- 82% of 911 centers report being understaffed and 74% report staff burnout (NENA/Carbyne, Pulse of 9-1-1, via USFA).
- The February 2024 AT&T outage lasted at least 12 hours and blocked more than 92 million calls, including over 25,000 attempts to reach 911 (FCC).
- The Senate passed a bill in September 2025 directing OMB to reclassify 911 telecommunicators as a protective service occupation (NENA).
1. Call Volume and How America Reaches 911
Two numbers frame everything else. NENA, the 9-1-1 Association, estimates roughly 240 million 911 calls per year across the country, while the FCC’s 17th Annual 911 Fee Report tallied 212,910,794 voice calls actually reported by 55 states and territories for calendar year 2024. The gap reflects voluntary reporting, not fewer emergencies: five states reported totals without breaking out call types at all. Wireless phones produced 151.9 million of the reported 2024 calls, 71.3% of the total, while traditional wireline calls have shrunk to just 7.3%. The FCC itself flags the wireless share as understated, and the 2023 report measured it at 76.4%.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated U.S. 911 calls per year | ~240 million | NENA, 911 Statistics |
| Voice 911 calls reported (CY2024) | 212,910,794 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Wireless 911 calls reported (CY2024) | 151,872,164 (71.3%) | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Wireline share of reported calls (CY2024) | 7.3% (15.6 million) | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| VoIP share of reported calls (CY2024) | 6.1% (13.0 million) | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Voice 911 calls reported (CY2023) | 216,288,911 (+0.58% vs 2022) | FCC, 16th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Primary and secondary PSAPs reported (CY2024) | 4,693 primary + 635 secondary | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| U.S. PSAPs, NENA count | 5,748 primary and secondary (Feb 2021) | NENA, 911 Statistics |
Context: 911 is a small but life-critical slice of a much larger calling landscape; for how overall voice traffic is shifting, see our phone call statistics.
2. The 911 Workforce: Staffing, Wages, and Burnout
Every one of those calls lands on a human being, and the workforce numbers explain why answer times are under pressure. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 105,200 public safety telecommunicator jobs in 2024, paying a median of $50,730 per year, with about 10,700 openings projected annually through 2034, mostly to replace workers who leave. In the NENA/Carbyne Pulse of 9-1-1 survey, 82% of 911 centers reported being understaffed and struggling with hiring and retention, and 74% reported staff burnout (USFA). Reclassification is the policy response: the Senate passed the Enhancing First Response Act (S.725) in September 2025, directing OMB to move telecommunicators from “Office and Administrative Support” to a protective service occupation (NENA), while the companion 911 SAVES Act of 2025 (H.R. 540) remains in committee.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. public safety telecommunicator jobs (2024) | 105,200 | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Median annual wage (May 2024) | $50,730 ($24.39/hour) | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Wage spread, 10th vs 90th percentile | $35,640 vs $78,110 | BLS OEWS, via O*NET |
| Projected employment growth, 2024-2034 | +3% | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Projected annual job openings | ~10,700 | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| 911 centers reporting understaffing | 82% | NENA/Carbyne, Pulse of 9-1-1, via USFA |
| 911 centers reporting staff burnout | 74% | NENA/Carbyne, Pulse of 9-1-1, via USFA |
| Centers with high call volumes on multiple days each week | 83% | NENA/Carbyne, Pulse of 9-1-1, via USFA |
| Full-time telecommunicators funded by 911 fees (CY2024) | 40,431 (+3,573.5 part-time) | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
Note: the fee-funded telecommunicator count is a floor, not a census; 15 states told the FCC their telecommunicators are paid outside 911 fee revenue. For how these staffing dynamics compare with commercial contact centers, see our call center industry statistics.
3. Next Generation 911: Rollout and Cost
The multi-decade replacement of analog trunks with IP networks is past its midpoint and getting cheaper to finish. Per the FCC, 41 states and jurisdictions had Emergency Services IP Networks (ESInets) operating in 2024, and 42 states plus D.C., Guam, and Puerto Rico reported NG911 expenditures totaling $535.1 million for the year. NTIA’s April 2026 cost study estimates the remaining nationwide NG911 transition at $5.802 to $9.277 billion over about seven years, roughly 30 to 40% below the $9.5 to $12.7 billion it projected in 2018 (NTIA). The savings come from a structural shift: NG911 spending has moved from upfront capital equipment to recurring cloud-based software services. IP delivery also widens the attack surface, which is why 31 states and Puerto Rico now spend 911 funds on PSAP cybersecurity; social engineering aimed at phone channels is quantified in our vishing statistics.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| States/jurisdictions with ESInets operating (2024) | 41 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Jurisdictions reporting NG911 expenditures (2024) | 42 states + DC, Guam, Puerto Rico | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| NG911 expenditures (CY2024) | $535,126,846 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| NG911 expenditures (CY2023) | $532,531,108 | FCC, 16th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Remaining nationwide NG911 transition cost (2026 est.) | $5.802-9.277 billion over ~7 years | NTIA, NG911 Cost Study (Apr 2026) |
| Prior nationwide NG911 cost estimate (2018) | $9.5-12.7 billion | NTIA/National 911 Program, 2018 NG911 Cost Study |
| States + PR spending on PSAP cybersecurity (2024) | 31 states + Puerto Rico | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Jurisdictions spending nothing on PSAP cybersecurity (2024) | 19 states + DC and 3 territories | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
Note: NTIA models the transition using six state archetypes by development stage rather than a state-by-state census, so the range is an estimate of remaining cost, not a budget line.
4. Text-to-911 and Location Accuracy
Texting is the fastest-growing way to reach 911, from a small base. Americans sent 2,243,212 texts to 911 in 2024, up 89.1% from 1,186,355 in 2023, and 47 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico reported 3,967 text-capable PSAPs by year-end (FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report). FCC rules require every wireless carrier and covered texting app to deliver emergency texts to any PSAP that requests them within six months. Location is the other technical frontier: Phase II rules deliver latitude and longitude generally within 50 to 300 meters depending on technology (FCC), and since April 3, 2025, nationwide carriers must provide dispatchable location or z-axis vertical location accurate to within 3 meters for 80% of calls (47 CFR 9.10). The practical gap is real: fewer than 50% of surveyed 911 centers said they can obtain precise caller location from mobile phones.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Texts to 911 (2024) | 2,243,212 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Texts to 911 (2023) | 1,186,355 | FCC, 16th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| One-year growth in 911 texts | +89.1% | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Text-capable PSAPs (end of 2024) | 3,967, across 47 states + DC + PR | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Carrier deadline after a PSAP requests text service | 6 months | FCC, Text-to-911 guide |
| Phase II horizontal location accuracy | generally 50-300 meters | FCC, 9-1-1 and E9-1-1 Services |
| Z-axis vertical accuracy metric | within 3 meters for 80% of calls | 47 CFR 9.10 |
| Nationwide dispatchable location / z-axis deadline | April 3, 2025 | 47 CFR 9.10 |
| Centers able to get precise mobile-caller location | fewer than 50% | NENA/Carbyne, Pulse of 9-1-1, via USFA |
Note: fewer than 20% of surveyed centers can receive video today, one measure of how much NG911 capability is still unused at the PSAP level.
5. 911 Funding and Fee Diversion
The line item on your phone bill does not cover the system. States and territories collected $4,300,366,407 in 911 fees in calendar year 2024 but estimated the total cost of providing 911 service at $6,756,620,965, a funding gap of roughly $2.45 billion covered by general funds and local budgets (FCC). Three states, Nevada, New Jersey, and New York, diverted $225,209,718 in 911 fees to unrelated purposes in 2024, about 5.24% of every 911 dollar collected nationwide. The same three states diverted $215.7 million (5.35%) in 2023, making diversion a persistent, concentrated problem rather than a widespread one. Fees themselves keep climbing: ten states enlarged or altered their funding mechanisms in 2024, including South Dakota raising its surcharge from $1.25 to $2.00 per line per month.
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 911 fees collected nationwide (CY2024) | $4,300,366,407 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| 911 fees collected nationwide (CY2023) | $4,029,325,858 | FCC, 16th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Estimated total cost to provide 911 service (CY2024) | $6,756,620,965 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Implied funding gap (CY2024) | ~$2.45 billion | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| 911 fees diverted (CY2024) | $225,209,718 (5.24%) | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| States diverting 911 fees (CY2024) | Nevada, New Jersey, New York | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| 911 fees diverted (CY2023) | $215,690,475 (5.35%) | FCC, 16th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Example 2024 surcharge increases | SD: $1.25 to $2.00; PA: $1.65 to $1.95 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
Note: the FCC has published these fee reports annually since 2009 under the NET 911 Act; the full report archive includes state-by-state filings.
6. Outages, Reliability, and Accidental Calls
When carrier networks fail, 911 fails with them, and the FCC now documents each major failure in detail. The February 22, 2024 AT&T Mobility outage lasted at least 12 hours, affected more than 125 million registered devices in all 50 states, blocked more than 92 million voice calls, and prevented more than 25,000 attempts to reach 911 (FCC outage report). The cause was a misconfigured network element pushed without required peer review. It was not the first: T-Mobile paid a $19.5 million settlement after its June 15, 2020 outage caused the complete failure of at least 23,621 emergency calls over 12 hours and 13 minutes. At the PSAP end, accidental traffic is a chronic drain: a 2015 Google study of San Francisco’s system found about 30% of wireless 911 calls were accidental dials (NBC News), and FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly estimated in 2014 that pocket dials could account for roughly 84 million 911 calls per year (EMS1).
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T outage duration (Feb 22, 2024) | at least 12 hours | FCC, AT&T Mobility Outage Report |
| Voice calls blocked during AT&T outage | more than 92 million | FCC, AT&T Mobility Outage Report |
| Failed 911 call attempts during AT&T outage | more than 25,000 | FCC, AT&T Mobility Outage Report |
| Devices affected by AT&T outage | more than 125 million | FCC, AT&T Mobility Outage Report |
| T-Mobile outage failed 911 calls (June 15, 2020) | at least 23,621 in 12h 13m | FCC, T-Mobile settlement |
| T-Mobile 911 outage settlement | $19.5 million | FCC, T-Mobile settlement |
| Wireless 911 calls that were accidental (San Francisco) | ~30% | Google study (2015), via NBC News |
| NENA call answering standard | 90% within 15 s; 95% within 20 s | NENA-STA-020.1-2020 |
Note: the accidental-call figures date from 2014-2015 and predate modern auto-dial safeguards, so treat them as the best available named estimates rather than current rates. Unwanted automated traffic on the inbound side is tracked separately in our robocall statistics.
Summary: 911 by the Numbers
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Estimated annual U.S. 911 calls | ~240 million | NENA, 911 Statistics |
| Voice 911 calls reported (CY2024) | 212,910,794 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Wireless share of reported 911 calls | 71.3% | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Texts to 911 (2024) | 2,243,212 (+89.1% YoY) | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Text-capable PSAPs (end of 2024) | 3,967 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Primary + secondary PSAPs reported | 4,693 + 635 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| 911 fees collected (CY2024) | $4.30 billion | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Estimated cost to provide 911 (CY2024) | $6.76 billion | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| 911 fees diverted (CY2024) | $225.2 million (5.24%) | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| States diverting fees | Nevada, New Jersey, New York | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| NG911 spending (CY2024) | $535.1 million | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| States/jurisdictions with ESInets (2024) | 41 | FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report |
| Remaining NG911 transition cost | $5.8-9.3 billion over ~7 years | NTIA, NG911 Cost Study (2026) |
| Public safety telecommunicator jobs (2024) | 105,200 | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Median telecommunicator wage (May 2024) | $50,730 | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| Projected annual openings through 2034 | ~10,700 | BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook |
| 911 centers reporting understaffing | 82% | NENA/Carbyne, Pulse of 9-1-1 |
| Answer-time standard | 90% within 15 seconds | NENA-STA-020.1-2020 |
| Feb 2024 AT&T outage: failed 911 attempts | more than 25,000 | FCC, AT&T Mobility Outage Report |
| Nationwide z-axis location deadline | April 3, 2025 (3 m for 80% of calls) | 47 CFR 9.10 |
Methodology and Sources
Data was gathered by aggregating figures directly from primary reports, federal regulatory filings, and named survey releases published mostly in 2024-2026, cross-referencing overlapping metrics across two or more sources and flagging any figure older than 2024.
- NENA, 911 Statistics
- FCC, 17th Annual 911 Fee Report to Congress (Feb 13, 2026; CY2024 data)
- FCC, 16th Annual 911 Fee Report to Congress (2024; CY2023 data)
- FCC, 911 Fee Reports archive
- BLS, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Public Safety Telecommunicators (May 2024 wages; 2024-34 projections)
- BLS OEWS wage percentiles for 43-5031, via O*NET (May 2024)
- NENA-STA-020.1-2020, 911 Call Processing Standard
- 47 CFR 9.10, wireless E911 location accuracy rules (eCFR)
- FCC, 9-1-1 and E9-1-1 Services
- FCC, What You Need to Know About Text-to-911
- FCC, February 22, 2024 AT&T Mobility Network Outage Report (Jul 2024)
- FCC, $19.5M T-Mobile 911 outage settlement (Nov 2021)
- NTIA, Next Generation 9-1-1 Cost Study and announcement blog (Apr 29, 2026)
- NENA/Carbyne, Pulse of 9-1-1 State of the Industry Survey, via USFA (841 responses)
- NENA, Senate passage of the Enhancing First Response Act (S.725) (Sept 2025)
- GovTrack, H.R. 540, 911 SAVES Act of 2025
- Additional figures: Google 2015 San Francisco accidental-call study, via NBC News; FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly 2014 pocket-dial estimate, via EMS1.
Data watch: the FCC publishes its 911 fee report each winter, so the 18th edition (CY2025 data) is expected in early 2027; BLS refreshes OEWS wages each spring and OOH projections each fall; the National 911 Program’s Profile Database annual report (911.gov, undergoing site maintenance at review time) is the other yearly NG911 tracker; NENA and Carbyne field the Pulse of 9-1-1 survey annually; and NTIA cost-study updates arrive on a multi-year cycle.
Last updated: July 20, 2026. We review and update this page quarterly as new data is published.