Designs the routes for fiber optic and copper cable networks on poles and underground, producing the plans crews use to build broadband networks. BLS does not publish separate figures for telecommunications line installers and repairers; it counts them within telecommunications line installer and repairer (SOC 49-9052), whose median pay is $74,330 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 49-9052
- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Outside Plant Engineer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $74,330a year, or $35.73/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $45KTop 10% $104K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- -3.4%DecliningBLS EP, 2025–2035This career−3.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career −3.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 8,000103,400 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025103.4K
- Projected 203599.9K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 103.4K Projected 2035 99.9K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
Also advertised as: OSP Engineer, Fiber Network Designer, OSP Designer, Fiber Design Engineer, Telecommunications Outside Plant Designer.
Pay
How much do Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers make?
Every outside plant engineer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$74,330
Middle half earn $54,310 to $95,850
- 10th
- $45,310
- 25th
- $54,310
- 75th
- $95,850
- 90th
- $103,680
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $45,310 |
| 25th | $54,310 |
| Median | $74,330 |
| 75th | $95,850 |
| 90th | $103,680 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $74,330
- Median hourly wage
- $35.73/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $73,940
- People employed
- 97,720
Versus all US occupations
At $74,330, Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers earn 46% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $23,350 a year.
Versus installation, maintenance, and repair occupations
Inside the Installation, Maintenance, and Repair group, where the middle occupation pays $61,150, this is 22% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $103,680 or more while the bottom 10% earn $45,310, a gap of 2.3×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 49% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Rhode Island pays the most at $103,810, and still leads at $101,496 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rhode Island | $103,810 | $101,496 | 490 |
| 2Massachusetts | $103,410 | $97,781 | 2,230 |
| 3New Jersey | $102,090 | $93,828 | 2,540 |
| 4New York | $100,960 | $93,550 | 8,530 |
| 5California | $97,980 | $88,493 | 8,810 |
| 6District of Columbia | $97,600 | $88,807 | 500 |
| 7Alaska | $97,450 | $95,204 | 390 |
| 8Connecticut | $97,140 | $93,755 | 500 |
| 9Delaware | $93,850 | $94,031 | 310 |
| 10Maine | $92,120 | $94,920 | 680 |
Job outlook
Is Outside Plant Engineer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Declining. -3.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers | −3.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Declining
BLS projects employment of Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers to change -3.4% over 2025–2035, while total US employment is projected to rise 3.5%. That is 3,500 fewer jobs.
Annual openings
About 8,000 openings are projected each year, 7.7% of the 103,400 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become an Outside Plant Engineer
Many OSP engineers start without an engineering degree, coming up from line crews, splicing, drafting or field survey work, while others have degrees in civil or electrical engineering or associate degrees in drafting or telecommunications. Skills in design software, GIS and pole loading analysis are central.
BICSI offers the Outside Plant Designer credential, a respected certification for the field, and the Fiber Broadband Association runs a fiber optic technician and design training program. The Fiber Optic Association also certifies technicians and designers. People usually start as OSP technicians or field engineers collecting data in the field, then move into design and project engineering roles at carriers, utilities, cooperatives and engineering firms.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Little or no preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
The work
What does an Outside Plant Engineer do?
Outside plant engineers design everything in a telecom network that sits outside a building: fiber and copper cables, the poles and conduits that carry them, cabinets, splice points and the drops to homes and businesses. When a provider decides to bring fiber to a neighborhood, OSP engineers walk or survey the area, choose aerial or underground routes, size the cables, and lay out where fiber will be split and spliced.
They produce detailed construction drawings, calculate pole loading for new aerial cable, and prepare permit packages for cities, states, railroads and utility pole owners. They also manage the records that show where every fiber goes, which matters when a line is cut and crews need to restore service. Federal broadband funding has made this a fast-growing specialty.
Day-to-day tasks
- Survey routes for new fiber and cable networks
- Design aerial and underground cable layouts
- Calculate pole loading and clearances for new attachments
- Lay out splice points, cabinets and fiber distribution
- Prepare construction drawings and bills of materials
- Assemble permit packages for public rights of way and pole owners
- Maintain network records and fiber assignment maps
- Inspect construction and resolve field issues
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
The job mixes office design work with fieldwork walking routes, inspecting poles and checking construction, in all weather. Employers include telephone and cable companies, electric cooperatives, municipal broadband utilities and engineering contractors. Some regional travel is common.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather at least weekly.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the timeRegular bending or twisting.
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely importantDealing with customers or the public is very important.
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Speaking3.1
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.0
- Active Listening3.0
- Active Learning2.6
- Writing2.5
- Mathematics2.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 |
| Active Listening | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 2.6 |
| Writing | 2.5 |
| Mathematics | 2.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Quality Control Analysis3.1
- Coordination3.0
- Installation3.0
- Operations Monitoring3.0
- Operation and Control3.0
- Equipment Maintenance3.0
- Troubleshooting3.0
- Repairing3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Quality Control Analysis | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 |
| Installation | 3.0 |
| Operations Monitoring | 3.0 |
| Operation and Control | 3.0 |
| Equipment Maintenance | 3.0 |
| Troubleshooting | 3.0 |
| Repairing | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Cloud-based data access and sharing software · in demand
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software
- Facilities management software
- Internet browser software
- Internet protocol IP multimedia subsystem software
- Operating system software
- Transaction security and virus protection software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits an Outside Plant Engineer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code RIC) built on O*NET's Telecommunications Line Installer and Repairer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Outside Plant Engineer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 6 |
| Investigative | 4 |
| Artistic | 1 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic6.5
- Conventional4.5
- Investigative3.5
- Enterprising2.0
- Social1.6
- Artistic1.0
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Outside Plant Engineer
O*NET related occupations
- Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Telecommunications Line Installer and Repairer
$74,330median a year
Most earn $45K to $104K
−3.4%High school - Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Telecommunications Equipment Installer and Repairer, Except Line Installers
$63,890median a year
Most earn $44K to $97K
−3.3%Certificate - Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer
$95,320median a year
Most earn $51K to $129K
+10.3%High school - Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installer and Repairer
$63,520median a year
Most earn $44K to $104K
+1.2%Associate's - Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Audiovisual Equipment Installer and Repairer
$52,600median a year
Most earn $37K to $84K
+4.8%Certificate - Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Electrical and Electronics Installer and Repairer, Transportation Equipment
$84,890median a year
Most earn $51K to $117K
+5.4%Certificate
More installation, maintenance, and repair careers
Median annual pay, with telecommunications line installers and repairers highlighted
- Aircraft Mechanic$79,870
- Outside Plant Engineer$74,330
- Millwright$65,700
- Industrial Machinery Mechanic$64,520
- Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist$61,770
- Medical Equipment Repairer$61,660
- Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer$61,010
- Automotive Body and Related Repairer$54,890
- Automotive Service Technician and Mechanic$50,620
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Aircraft Mechanic | $79,870 |
| Outside Plant Engineer | $74,330 |
| Millwright | $65,700 |
| Industrial Machinery Mechanic | $64,520 |
| Bus and Truck Mechanic and Diesel Engine Specialist | $61,770 |
| Medical Equipment Repairer | $61,660 |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanic and Installer | $61,010 |
| Automotive Body and Related Repairer | $54,890 |
| Automotive Service Technician and Mechanic | $50,620 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Outside Plant Engineer appears on
Questions
Outside Plant Engineer: frequently asked questions
How much do Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for telecommunications line installers and repairers. It counts them within telecommunications line installer and repairer, whose median pay is $74,330 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $54,310 and $95,850, and the top 10% earn $103,680 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Outside Plant Engineer?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers. BLS also lists long-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training.
Is Outside Plant Engineer a growing career?
No. BLS projects employment to fall 3.4% over 2025–2035, a loss of 3,500 jobs (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 8,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Outside Plant Engineer do?
Outside plant engineers design everything in a telecom network that sits outside a building: fiber and copper cables, the poles and conduits that carry them, cabinets, splice points and the drops to homes and businesses. A typical task: survey routes for new fiber and cable networks. Employers most often ask for Cloud-based data access and sharing software, Computer aided design CAD software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers the most?
The highest state medians for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers are Rhode Island ($103,810), Massachusetts ($103,410), New Jersey ($102,090) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits an Outside Plant Engineer?
O*NET scores Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Investigative 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.