Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers Salaries by State

Mean and median pay, wage percentiles, employment, and top-paying metro areas for telecommunications line installers and repairerss across the U.S. Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 (data.bls.gov OEWS tool /OESServices/combo/table, all-occupation crawl by area).

National mean salary $73,940 ≈ $36/hr
National median salary $74,330
Total employment 97,720 nationwide

Job Outlook, 2024–2034

Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034.

Projected growth -3.1% Decline
Annual openings 8,900 per year (avg)
Employment 2024→2034 99,900 → 96,800 (-3,100)
Typical entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Salary Map

Brighter tiles = higher average pay; dashed tiles have no data. Click a state for details.

💰 Top 5 Highest-Paying States

  1. Rhode Island$97,780
  2. New Jersey$95,220
  3. Connecticut$93,760
  4. Massachusetts$91,700
  5. California$91,490

📉 5 Lowest-Paying States

  1. South Dakota$53,090
  2. Mississippi$54,100
  3. Louisiana$56,420
  4. Idaho$57,290
  5. Nebraska$57,950
#StateMeanMedian Hourlyvs. U.S.Employment
1 Rhode Island $97,780 $103,810 $47 +32.2% 490
2 New Jersey $95,220 $102,090 $46 +28.8% 2,540
3 Connecticut $93,760 $97,140 $45 +26.8% 500
4 Massachusetts $91,700 $103,410 $44 +24% 2,230
5 California $91,490 $97,980 $44 +23.7% 8,810
6 New York $89,320 $100,960 $43 +20.8% 8,530
7 District of Columbia $87,950 $97,600 $42 +18.9% 500
8 Alaska $87,330 $97,450 $42 +18.1% 390
9 Maine $86,940 $92,120 $42 +17.6% 680
10 Hawaii $84,650 $79,880 $41 +14.5% 680
11 New Hampshire $82,520 $86,370 $40 +11.6% 540
12 West Virginia $81,750 $89,690 $39 +10.6% 1,270
13 Maryland $80,050 $82,380 $38 +8.3% 2,400
14 Delaware $79,780 $93,850 $38 +7.9% 310
15 Pennsylvania $77,730 $81,020 $37 +5.1% 3,890

Top-Paying Metro Areas

Highest median pay among 339 metro areas.

#Metro areaMedianMeanEmployment
1 Watertown-Fort Drum, NY $108,670 $89,250 30
2 Barnstable Town, MA $107,380 $100,890 60
3 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA $107,310 $105,730 390
4 Glens Falls, NY $107,210 $88,300 30
5 Springfield, MA $105,220 $95,130 130
6 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $103,810 $96,230 580
7 Trenton-Princeton, NJ $103,650 $99,950 130
8 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $103,500 $100,130 1,240
9 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH $103,090 $91,710 1,730
10 Central East New York nonmetropolitan area $102,650 $84,410 150

Pay by Industry

Highest-paying industries employing telecommunications line installers and repairerss (BLS OEWS, by median).

#IndustryMedianMeanEmployment
1 Natural Gas Distribution $118,780 $119,630 180
2 Repair and Maintenance $101,660 $93,120
3 Sector 81 - Other Services (except Public Administration) $101,660 $93,120
4 Broadcasting and Content Providers $97,550 $89,010 960
5 Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, & Other Media Networks & Content Providers $97,550 $89,010 960
6 Management of Companies and Enterprises $84,840 $78,800 140
7 Management of Companies and Enterprises $84,840 $78,800 140
8 Sector 55 - Management of Companies and Enterprises $84,840 $78,800 140
9 Sector 51 - Information $82,020 $82,160 61,040
10 Telecommunications $81,850 $82,060 60,030
11 Utilities $81,520 $86,130 1,420
12 Sector 22 - Utilities $81,520 $86,130 1,420

Workforce Deep-Dive

Distribution and demographics from Census ACS (2023, self-reported). Wage figures here are ACS averages and run lower than the authoritative BLS wages above; use them for shape, not exact pay.

Annual wage distribution

< $10K
25,540
$10-20k
5,048
$20-30k
7,053
$30-40k
10,966
$40-50k
16,765
$50-60k
15,905
$60-70k
12,313
$70-80k
9,231
$80-90k
12,240
$90-100k
7,456
$100-110k
6,599
$110-120k
2,559
$120-130k
2,522
$130-140k
1,164
$140-150k
546
$150-160k
501
$160-170k
158
$180-190k
151
$200k+
888

Pay by age band

16-24
$40,614
25-34
$50,462
35-44
$64,165
45-54
$66,862
55-64
$49,102
65+
$22,005

Education level

Regular high school diploma
$52,141
1 or more years of college credit, no degree
$57,182
Associates Degree
$62,816
Some college, but less than 1 year
$45,620
Bachelors Degree
$54,615
GED or alternative credential
$42,440
Grade 10
$38,226
Masters Degree
$58,995
12th grade - no diploma
$41,801
Grade 11
$48,742
Grade 8
$62,328
Grade 9
$50,662
No schooling completed
$90,214
Grade 6
$41,790
Grade 7
$21,769
Grade 5
$198,750
Grade 2
$48,937
Professional degree
Grade 3
$29,566
Grade 4
$50,976

Full-time vs part-time

Full-time
103,698 · $67,254
Part-time
5,066 · $33,747

Race / ethnicity

White
$54,320
Black
$47,166
Two or More Races
$53,715
Other
$57,806
Asian
$52,680
American Indian
$58,984
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander
$94,152
American Indian and Alaska Native tribes specified; or American Indian or Alaska Native, not specified and no other races
$72,504
Alaska Native
$24,978

Top fields of study

Communications
$45,376
Business Management And Administration
$56,413
Miscellaneous Engineering Technologies
$46,598
General Business
$73,467
Psychology
$68,587
General Agriculture
$36,127
Computer And Information Systems
$66,210
Electrical Engineering
$38,788

Top Skills

Most important skills for this role (O*NET importance, 1–5 scale).

Critical Thinking
3.1
Complex Problem Solving
3.1
Operations Monitoring
3.1
Speaking
3.1
Troubleshooting
3.0
Active Listening
3.0
Coordination
3.0
Operation and Control
3.0
Judgment and Decision Making
3.0
Monitoring
3.0
Equipment Maintenance
3.0
Reading Comprehension
2.9

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do telecommunications line installers and repairers make in the U.S.?

The median telecommunications line installers and repairers salary in the United States is $74,330 per year (mean $73,940), and about 80% earn between $45,310 and $103,680.

How much do telecommunications line installers and repairers make per hour?

Roughly $36 per hour, based on a mean annual wage of $73,940 and 2,080 work hours per year.

Which state pays telecommunications line installers and repairers the most?

Rhode Island has the highest average pay for telecommunications line installers and repairers at $97,780 per year (median $103,810).

What is the job outlook for telecommunications line installers and repairers?

Employment is projected to change -3.1% from 2024 to 2034 (Decline), with about 8,900 openings per year.