Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer Salary (2026), outlook and how to become one

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers earn a median of $95,320 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 87% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $45.83/hr. The middle half earn between $67,270 and $109,740. The top 10% earn $128,690 or more.

The median hourly wage for electrical power-line installers and repairers is $45.83 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). On a full-year basis the $95,320 annual median works out to about $7,940 a month before tax.

BLS does not publish a starting salary. The nearest measure is the low end of the pay range: the lowest-paid 10% of electrical power-line installers and repairers earn less than $51,470 a year and the bottom quarter less than $67,270 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). New workers often start near that end, but where a particular job starts depends on the employer, the state and the credentials you bring, so read these as the bottom of the range rather than a guaranteed entry wage.

Some do. $100,000 sits between the median ($95,320) and the 75th percentile ($109,740), so roughly a quarter to a half of electrical power-line installers and repairers earn more than that (BLS OEWS, May 2025). In 26 states the median itself is above $100,000: Hawaii ($134,340), Washington ($133,060), Oregon ($131,090), California ($129,040), and 22 more.

The highest state medians for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers are Hawaii ($134,340), Washington ($133,060), Oregon ($131,090) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Idaho moves to the top at $131,328.

BLS does not split electrical power-line installers and repairers' pay by specialty or employer, but its range shows how far the top end runs: the highest-paid 10% earn more than $128,690, against a median of $95,320 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Location moves pay the most in the published data: the best-paying states are Hawaii ($134,340), Washington ($133,060), Oregon ($131,090). BLS also counts 3 specialty careers inside this occupation (high voltage cable splicer, storm restoration lineworker, transmission lineworker), which share its federal pay figures.

No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers. BLS also lists long-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 50.3% hold high school diploma or the equivalent (such as a ged).

BLS does not publish a fixed length; it depends on the route. What it does publish: the typical way in for linemen is a high school diploma or equivalent. Once hired, BLS lists long-term on-the-job training as typical. O*NET classes the work as needing some preparation.

Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 10.3% over 2025–2035, more than double the 3.5% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 10,900 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.

Electrical power-line installers and repairers install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. A core O*NET task: adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Electronic mail software, Office suite software.

Most work more than 40. In O*NET's survey of people in the job, 59% of electrical power-line installers and repairers usually work more than 40 hours a week, 41% work exactly 40 and 0% work fewer. 30% say their schedule is regular and 71% irregular. Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, Work Context.

O*NET scores Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.

Women make up 3.8% of electrical power-line installers and repairers, against 47.1% of all employed people: a heavily male-dominated occupation. Only 13.2% are 55 or older (23.2% across all jobs): a young workforce. The median worker is 39.3 years old (all workers: 42.1). Source: BLS Current Population Survey, 2025 annual averages.