How much do linemen make?

Lineman salary 2026 · BLS occupation: Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers (SOC 49-9051) · Updated October 28, 2026

Answer

Linemen in the US earned a median of $95,320 a year ($45.83 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned $67,270 to $109,740.

Median annual pay: $95,320; Mean $91,970
Median hourly pay: $45.83; Mean $44.22
Typical range (10th–90th): $51.5K–$129K; $51,470 to $128,690
US jobs: 131,070; +10.3% projected, 2025–35

BLS OEWS, May 2025, released April 30, 2026. Wages include tips, commissions and production bonuses but not overtime premiums, shift differentials, other bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers are not included. Methodology

How to become a lineman: steps, years and cost · Best-paying state after cost of living: Idaho

Lineman pay range

Annual wages, May 2025

10th percentile$51,470
25th percentile$67,270
Median$95,320
75th percentile$109,740
90th percentile$128,690

Half of all linemen earned more than $95,320 and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% made under $51,470; the top 10% made over $128,690. The middle 50%, from the 25th to the 75th percentile, ran from $67,270 to $109,740.

These percentiles describe everyone in the occupation at one time. They are not pay steps by years of experience: they mix new and senior workers, different states, employers and hours. Pay generally rises with experience, credentials and specialization, but BLS does not publish pay by experience.

Percentile	Annual	Hourly	Monthly
10th	$51,470	$24.74	$4,289
25th	$67,270	$32.34	$5,606
Median (50th)	$95,320	$45.83	$7,943
75th	$109,740	$52.76	$9,145
90th	$128,690	$61.87	$10,724
Mean (average)	$91,970	$44.22	$7,664

Lineman salary by state

Median annual pay; cost of living from BEA regional price parities 2024

Median annual pay for linemen by state. Darker tiles pay more.

Highest-paying states

1. Hawaii $134,340
2. Washington $133,060
3. Oregon $131,090
4. California $129,040
5. Connecticut $126,850

Lowest-paying states

51. Arizona $75,420
50. Mississippi $75,890
49. Oklahoma $76,010
48. Louisiana $76,410
47. New Mexico $76,470

Best after cost of living: Idaho. Its median of $125,410 is worth about $131,328 at national-average prices, more than in Hawaii once prices are counted.


Alabama	$92,030	35	$103,611	23	$44.24	2,730	1.29
Alaska	$92,470	33	$90,339	38	$44.46	490	1.50
Arizona	$75,420	51	$74,913	51	$36.26	3,360	1.04
Arkansas	$81,450	40	$93,689	34	$39.16	1,510	1.16
California	$129,040	4	$116,546	8	$62.04	8,930	0.49
Colorado	$103,980	20	$100,901	29	$49.99	2,370	0.83
Connecticut	$126,850	5	$122,430	4	$60.99	940	0.55
Delaware	$97,180	28	$97,367	32	$46.72	330	0.69
District of Columbia	$101,240	24	$92,119	36	$48.67	150	0.21
Florida	$86,870	36	$84,002	44	$41.76	6,420	0.65
Georgia	$80,080	41	$83,163	45	$38.50	4,960	1.01
Hawaii	$134,340	1	$122,182	5	$64.59	600	0.95
Idaho	$125,410	6	$131,328	1	$60.29	860	1.00
Illinois	$108,120	12	$108,165	19	$51.98	3,090	0.51
Indiana	$102,040	22	$109,334	17	$49.06	2,540	0.79
Iowa	$100,200	26	$114,172	9	$48.17	1,390	0.89
Kansas	$101,620	23	$112,826	10	$48.86	1,610	1.12
Kentucky	$77,020	44	$85,427	43	$37.03	2,930	1.47
Louisiana	$76,410	48	$86,626	40	$36.74	2,520	1.30
Maine	$83,090	39	$85,616	42	$39.95	1,160	1.81
Maryland	$106,090	15	$101,078	28	$51.01	1,830	0.66
Massachusetts	$110,210	10	$104,211	22	$52.99	2,350	0.65
Michigan	$106,890	13	$111,093	14	$51.39	2,800	0.64
Minnesota	$104,180	19	$105,637	21	$50.09	2,190	0.74
Mississippi	$75,890	50	$87,277	39	$36.49	2,290	1.97
Missouri	$96,360	30	$106,103	20	$46.33	3,440	1.17
Montana	$110,320	9	$116,562	7	$53.04	680	1.33
Nebraska	$92,150	34	$102,272	26	$44.30	1,490	1.45
Nevada	$96,560	29	$96,580	33	$46.42	920	0.60
New Hampshire	$102,170	21	$98,085	31	$49.12	560	0.81
New Jersey	$121,580	7	$111,741	13	$58.45	1,310	0.30
New Mexico	$76,470	47	$82,928	46	$36.76	1,020	1.17
New York	$121,280	8	$112,378	12	$58.31	5,840	0.60
North Carolina	$77,270	43	$81,918	48	$37.15	5,650	1.14
North Dakota	$105,870	16	$119,010	6	$50.90	740	1.72
Ohio	$93,150	32	$100,405	30	$44.78	4,260	0.77
Oklahoma	$76,010	49	$86,529	41	$36.54	3,290	1.93
Oregon	$131,090	3	$126,827	2	$63.02	1,640	0.83
Pennsylvania	$106,230	14	$108,873	18	$51.07	4,150	0.69
Rhode Island	$104,620	18	$102,288	25	$50.30	120	0.23
South Carolina	$76,870	45	$81,996	47	$36.96	2,690	1.17
South Dakota	$97,310	27	$109,848	16	$46.79	740	1.61
Tennessee	$83,660	38	$91,063	37	$40.22	3,900	1.19
Texas	$78,940	42	$81,334	49	$37.95	17,280	1.23
Utah	$101,220	25	$102,383	24	$48.66	1,030	0.59
Vermont	$108,520	11	$110,782	15	$52.17	270	0.89
Virginia	$76,590	46	$75,754	50	$36.82	2,920	0.71
Washington	$133,060	2	$124,340	3	$63.97	2,340	0.66
West Virginia	$83,810	37	$93,646	35	$40.29	1,260	1.80
Wisconsin	$105,820	17	$112,461	11	$50.88	2,520	0.86
Wyoming	$93,860	31	$101,261	27	$45.12	670	2.38

BLS OEWS, May 2025, state estimates. Adjusted pay = median ÷ (state price level ÷ 100), using BEA regional price parities for 2024; it ignores taxes. Figures for states with few workers in the occupation have larger survey errors and can change sharply from one year to the next. “—” means BLS did not publish the figure. State names link to each state’s highest-paying jobs.

Best-paying metro areas for linemen

259 metro areas with published pay

Highest median pay
Metro area	Median	Adjusted	Jobs
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	$157,620	$142,742	300
Eugene-Springfield, OR	$140,270	$138,105	120
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	$137,180	$118,654	770
Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA	$135,450	$130,655	50
Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY	$135,400	$123,741	240
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$135,300	$128,343	810
Urban Honolulu, HI	$135,080	$121,736	450
El Centro, CA	$134,950	$141,793	40
Salem, OR	$134,500	$129,765	180
Fresno, CA	$134,150	$131,316	230

Most jobs
Metro area	Jobs	Median	Adjusted
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX	4,380	$82,710	$83,860
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX	3,930	$77,910	$75,575
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ	3,850	$122,480	$108,810
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ	2,810	$75,420	$72,999
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA	2,660	$83,570	$83,522
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	2,140	$130,440	$114,858
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	1,830	$123,430	$119,147
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	1,580	$128,750	$120,958
Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH	1,550	$111,490	$102,978
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV	1,530	$95,480	$87,690

BLS OEWS, May 2025, metropolitan statistical areas; adjusted with BEA metro price parities (2024).

What moves lineman pay: employers and settings

The type of employer moves lineman pay a lot. Electric utilities pay a median of $102,550 in our data, while utility construction contractors pay $76,060 and building equipment contractors $76,250. Contractors employ many apprentices and newer workers, which pulls their median down, but experienced journeyman linemen on contract crews can earn heavily during storm season. Natural gas distribution companies pay the highest industry median ($137,360) but employ few linemen. Linemen in the federal executive branch have a median of $111,900 and local government utilities $90,060.

Overtime is a large part of the job. Storm restoration, callouts and long-distance mutual-aid work can add a great deal to base pay, so annual earnings swing with the weather. Many utility and contractor jobs are covered by union agreements with set wage steps for apprentices.

Geography matters as well. Hawaii leads at $134,340, followed by Washington at $133,060, Oregon at $131,090, while Arizona is lowest at $75,420. Across all linemen, pay runs from $51,470, the 10th percentile, to $128,690, the 90th.

Where linemen work
Industry	Share of jobs	Median pay
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution	47.7%	$102,550
Utility System Construction	29.7%	$76,060
Local Government, excluding Schools and Hospitals	10%	$90,060
Building Equipment Contractors	5.8%	$76,250
Natural Gas Distribution	2.2%	$137,360
Federal Executive Branch	1.4%	$111,900

Private employers and government
Employer type	Jobs	Median pay
Private employers	115,880	$95,560
Federal government (incl. Postal Service)	1,870	$111,900
State government (incl. schools and hospitals)	170	$86,010
Local government (incl. schools and hospitals)	13,150	$90,060

BLS OEWS, May 2025, national industry-specific and ownership estimates (4-digit NAICS).

Lineman pay over time

Median annual pay, 2015–2025

$95.3K $66.5K

2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
2025

Nominal median (dollars of each year)In May 2025 dollars (adjusted with CPI-U)

The median rose from $66,450 in 2015 to $95,320 in 2025, up 43% in nominal dollars. After inflation, the 2015 median is worth $89,827 in May 2025 dollars, so real pay grew 6% over the period.

BLS OEWS, May 2025 and earlier May releases; inflation from the CPI-U, US city average, May of each year.

What linemen do

A lineman, or lineworker, builds and repairs the overhead and underground power lines that carry electricity from substations to homes and businesses. The official title is electrical power-line installer and repairer. Linemen set poles, string and splice conductor, hang transformers and switches, and replace damaged equipment, often while the lines are energized, using insulated gloves, sleeves and hot sticks from a bucket truck or by climbing the pole.

Nearly half of linemen in our data (47.7%) work directly for electric utilities, and another 29.7% work for utility construction contractors that build new lines and handle big projects. Local governments employ 10%. The work happens outdoors in heat, cold, rain and wind, at heights and around voltage that can kill instantly, so crews follow strict safety procedures. Linemen work in small crews with a foreman, operate digger derricks and bucket trucks, and are called out at night and on holidays when storms knock out power. Storm work can mean traveling to other states and working long shifts for days in a row.

A typical day

Hold a tailboard safety briefing with the crew before every job
Climb poles or work from a bucket truck to replace crossarms, insulators, fuses and transformers
Set new poles and string, sag and splice overhead conductor
Work on energized lines with rubber gloves, sleeves and hot sticks, or switch, test and ground lines before working them dead
Install and repair underground cable, vaults and pad-mounted transformers
Respond to outage calls, find the fault and restore power, including overnight storm work
Drive and operate digger derricks, bucket trucks and trailers between job sites

Also called: lineworker, power line worker, journeyman lineman, electrical lineman, linemen, class gloving electrical lineman, class rubber gloving lineman, electrical lineworker.

How to become a lineman

Full guide

To become a lineman, you need a high school diploma, usually a commercial driver's license, and a 3- to 4-year paid apprenticeship with a utility or line contractor; many people first take a short lineworker certificate program to get hired. You reach journeyman lineman in about 3-4 years.

Typical time: 3-5 years to journeyman; Fastest: About 3 years
Minimum education: High school diploma or equivalent, with algebra
License: No state lineman license; most employers require a commercial driver's license (CDL)
Typical training cost: $0–$4.3K; See the guide for what it includes

Read the step-by-step guide to becoming a lineman: each step with its time and cost, education options, exams, licensing and advancement.

Is it worth it? Training cost against pay

Compare careers

Training time: 3-5 years to journeyman; Typical path in our guide
Training cost: $0–$4.3K; Tuition and exam fees, before aid
Median pay: $95,320; $44,340 above the all-jobs median ($50,980)
Cost vs. one year's pay: 0–4%; Training cost as a share of a year at the median

Once qualified, the pay difference over the typical US job at the median ($44,340 a year before tax) would repay the training cost in less than a year after training ends (3-5 years to journeyman in our guide). This is a rough guide: it ignores taxes, financial aid, interest, earnings given up while training and how pay changes over a career. How we calculate ROI.

Job outlook for linemen

BLS Employment Projections 2025–35

Projected growth: +10.3%; All occupations +3.5%
Jobs in 2025: 131,900; 145,500 projected for 2035
Openings each year: 10,900; New jobs plus replacements
Self-employed: 0.3%; Not in the pay figures above

BLS projects lineman jobs to grow 10.3% from 2025 to 2035, from 131,900 to 145,500, about three times the 3.5% rate for all occupations. It expects about 10,900 openings a year, including replacements for linemen who retire or move into other work.

BLS ties the growth to rising electricity demand: new housing and commercial developments need lines, and data centers built for AI add load, so utilities must upgrade the grid and add capacity. Almost no linemen are self-employed (0.3%), so jobs come through utilities, contractors and public power agencies.

Related careers and their pay

Electrician$63,190
Plumber$63,800
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers$74,330
Helpers--Electricians$42,670
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay$103,020

Related occupations from O*NET 31.0; median annual pay from BLS OEWS, May 2025.

Lineman salary FAQ

How much do linemen make an hour?

The median hourly wage for linemen was $45.83 in May 2025. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $24.74 an hour and the highest-paid 10% more than $61.87. Hourly figures are BLS estimates for all workers in the occupation, full-time and part-time.

Which state pays linemen the most?

Hawaii has the highest median pay for linemen, $134,340 a year, followed by Washington ($133,060) and Oregon ($131,090). After adjusting for each state's price level, Idaho comes out ahead at about $131,328 in national-average dollars.

Do linemen make six figures?

Some do: based on the BLS percentiles, between 25% and 50% of linemen earn more than $100,000 a year. The median is $95,320, and the top 10% earn more than $128,690. Pay generally rises with experience, specialization and location.

Do utility linemen make more than contractor linemen?

At the median, yes. Linemen employed by electric utilities have a median of $102,550 in our data, while those at utility system construction contractors have $76,060. Contractor crews include more apprentices, and their pay depends heavily on overtime and travel, especially during storm season. Utility jobs tend to offer steadier schedules close to home, which makes them competitive.

Which states have the most lineman jobs?

Texas has by far the most, with 17,280 linemen, followed by California with 8,930, Florida with 6,420, New York with 5,840 and North Carolina with 5,650. Hurricane-prone states also draw traveling crews after big storms. After adjusting for living costs, Idaho comes out best, at $131,328.

Has lineman pay gone up?

Yes, ahead of inflation. The median rose from $66,450 in 2015 to $95,320 in 2025. Measured in 2025 dollars, the 2015 median was $89,827 and so linemen earn noticeably more in real terms than a decade earlier. That is a real gain of about 6% after prices are taken into account, on top of the overtime many linemen earn.

Sources

Data updated October 28, 2026 · Text checked against its sources October 28, 2026

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates, released April 30, 2026, SOC 49-9051
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–2035, released September 2026
O*NET 31.0 Database (49-9051.00), U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0; tasks rewritten by Careers and Salaries
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by state and metro area, 2024
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), US city average, May values
U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study and institution data, most recent cohorts, released 2026-10-15
Line Installers and Repairers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · checked October 28, 2026
49 CFR 391.11: General qualifications of drivers, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (FMCSA rules) · checked October 28, 2026
49 CFR Part 380, Subpart F: Entry-Level Driver Training Requirements, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (FMCSA rules) · checked October 28, 2026
Apprenticeship Finder, U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship.gov · checked October 28, 2026
License Finder, CareerOneStop, U.S. Department of Labor · checked October 28, 2026
Become an Apprentice, U.S. Department of Labor, Apprenticeship.gov · checked October 28, 2026

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