A lineman in Hawaii earns a median of $64.59 an hour. A lineman in Arizona earns a median of $36.26. That is a gap of $28.33 an hour, or $58,920 a year, for the same occupation in the same federal survey. The Hawaii figure is 78% higher than the Arizona figure.
Nationally, the median is $45.83 an hour, or $95,320 a year. These numbers come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (OEWS), May 2025 reference period, which is the newest release available. The state figures on this page were pulled from the BLS public API on November 12, 2026.
One point on terms before the numbers. BLS does not use the word "lineman." Its title for this occupation is "electrical power-line installers and repairers," SOC 49-9051. That category does not include telecommunications line installers, the workers who string fiber and cable. BLS counts them separately, and they are not in any figure on this page.
The National Picture: $45.83 an Hour at the Median
BLS counted 131,070 wage and salary jobs for electrical power-line installers and repairers in May 2025. The wage distribution looks like this:
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | $24.74 | $51,470 |
| 25th | $32.34 | $67,270 |
| 50th (median) | $45.83 | $95,320 |
| 75th | $52.76 | $109,740 |
| 90th | $61.87 | $128,690 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national estimates, SOC 49-9051.
The mean is $44.22 an hour, or $91,970 a year. That is $1.61 below the median, which is the reverse of what most trades show. In most occupations a small group of high earners pulls the average above the midpoint. Here the pull runs the other way. A likely explanation is the apprenticeship structure of the trade: workers in their first years earn a fraction of the journey-level rate, and that lower tail drags the average down while the middle of the distribution sits close to journey-level pay.
The spread from bottom to top is wide. The 90th percentile, $61.87, is 2.5x the 10th percentile of $24.74.
Full State Table
All 50 states and the District of Columbia have a published median for this occupation, 51 jurisdictions in all. They are ranked here by median hourly pay. Employment is the number of wage and salary jobs BLS counted in each state.
| Rank | State | Median hourly | Median annual | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | $64.59 | $134,340 | 600 |
| 2 | Washington | $63.97 | $133,060 | 2,340 |
| 3 | Oregon | $63.02 | $131,090 | 1,640 |
| 4 | California | $62.04 | $129,040 | 8,930 |
| 5 | Connecticut | $60.99 | $126,850 | 940 |
| 6 | Idaho | $60.29 | $125,410 | 860 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $58.45 | $121,580 | 1,310 |
| 8 | New York | $58.31 | $121,280 | 5,840 |
| 9 | Montana | $53.04 | $110,320 | 680 |
| 10 | Massachusetts | $52.99 | $110,210 | 2,350 |
| 11 | Vermont | $52.17 | $108,520 | 270 |
| 12 | Illinois | $51.98 | $108,120 | 3,090 |
| 13 | Michigan | $51.39 | $106,890 | 2,800 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $51.07 | $106,230 | 4,150 |
| 15 | Maryland | $51.01 | $106,090 | 1,830 |
| 16 | North Dakota | $50.90 | $105,870 | 740 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $50.88 | $105,820 | 2,520 |
| 18 | Rhode Island | $50.30 | $104,620 | 120 |
| 19 | Minnesota | $50.09 | $104,180 | 2,190 |
| 20 | Colorado | $49.99 | $103,980 | 2,370 |
| 21 | New Hampshire | $49.12 | $102,170 | 560 |
| 22 | Indiana | $49.06 | $102,040 | 2,540 |
| 23 | Kansas | $48.86 | $101,620 | 1,610 |
| 24 | District of Columbia | $48.67 | $101,240 | 150 |
| 25 | Utah | $48.66 | $101,220 | 1,030 |
| 26 | Iowa | $48.17 | $100,200 | 1,390 |
| 27 | South Dakota | $46.79 | $97,310 | 740 |
| 28 | Delaware | $46.72 | $97,180 | 330 |
| 29 | Nevada | $46.42 | $96,560 | 920 |
| 30 | Missouri | $46.33 | $96,360 | 3,440 |
| 31 | Wyoming | $45.12 | $93,860 | 670 |
| 32 | Ohio | $44.78 | $93,150 | 4,260 |
| 33 | Alaska | $44.46 | $92,470 | 490 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $44.30 | $92,150 | 1,490 |
| 35 | Alabama | $44.24 | $92,030 | 2,730 |
| 36 | Florida | $41.76 | $86,870 | 6,420 |
| 37 | West Virginia | $40.29 | $83,810 | 1,260 |
| 38 | Tennessee | $40.22 | $83,660 | 3,900 |
| 39 | Maine | $39.95 | $83,090 | 1,160 |
| 40 | Arkansas | $39.16 | $81,450 | 1,510 |
| 41 | Georgia | $38.50 | $80,080 | 4,960 |
| 42 | Texas | $37.95 | $78,940 | 17,280 |
| 43 | North Carolina | $37.15 | $77,270 | 5,650 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $37.03 | $77,020 | 2,930 |
| 45 | South Carolina | $36.96 | $76,870 | 2,690 |
| 46 | Virginia | $36.82 | $76,590 | 2,920 |
| 47 | New Mexico | $36.76 | $76,470 | 1,020 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $36.74 | $76,410 | 2,520 |
| 49 | Oklahoma | $36.54 | $76,010 | 3,290 |
| 50 | Mississippi | $36.49 | $75,890 | 2,290 |
| 51 | Arizona | $36.26 | $75,420 | 3,360 |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state estimates, SOC 49-9051.
Of the 51 jurisdictions, 30 sit above the national median of $45.83 and 21 sit below it. In 26 of them, the median annual figure is at or above $100,000.
Highest and Lowest Paying States
The top of the table is a West Coast and Northeast story. Hawaii leads at $64.59, followed by Washington at $63.97, Oregon at $63.02 and California at $62.04. In all four, the state median is higher than the national 90th percentile of $61.87. The typical lineman in those states out-earns nine in ten linemen nationwide.
Connecticut ($60.99) and Idaho ($60.29) complete the group of six states at or above $60 an hour. New Jersey ($58.45) and New York ($58.31) follow, then Montana ($53.04) and Massachusetts ($52.99) close out the top ten.
The bottom ten are Texas ($37.95), North Carolina ($37.15), Kentucky ($37.03), South Carolina ($36.96), Virginia ($36.82), New Mexico ($36.76), Louisiana ($36.74), Oklahoma ($36.54), Mississippi ($36.49) and Arizona ($36.26). They are tightly packed: only $1.69 separates Texas from Arizona. In total, 13 states have a median below $40.
The reasons states differ are familiar across the trades. Union density matters, because collectively bargained scales set the going rate in some markets and not in others. Cost of living matters. So does the mix of employers: investor-owned utilities, municipal systems, rural cooperatives and line contractors do not all pay the same way. Our piece on union vs. non-union construction wages covers how that divide works across the building trades.
Even the lowest state median in this occupation is high by trade standards. Arizona's $36.26 is above the national 25th percentile of $32.34 for linemen. For a comparison with inside wiremen, see our electrician wages by state table.
Where the Jobs Are
Pay and job counts do not line up. Texas has more lineman jobs than any other state, 17,280, at a median of $37.95. That is 13.2% of all the jobs in the country, in a state that ranks 42nd for pay.
California is second with 8,930 jobs at $62.04. Florida is third with 6,420 jobs at $41.76. New York has 5,840 jobs at $58.31, and North Carolina has 5,650 at $37.15. Those top 5 states hold 44,120 of the 131,070 national jobs, or 34%.
The next tier is Georgia with 4,960 jobs at $38.50, Ohio with 4,260 at $44.78 and Pennsylvania with 4,150 at $51.07.
Of the five largest states by employment, three pay below the national median. California and New York are the exceptions. The gap between the two biggest employers is stark: California's median is $24.09 an hour above Texas's.
Small states can post high medians on very few jobs. Hawaii's top-ranked figure rests on 600 jobs. Rhode Island has 120 and the District of Columbia has 150. In all, 14 of the 51 jurisdictions have fewer than 1,000 jobs in this occupation.
Demand is expected to rise. The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook projects employment of electrical power-line installers and repairers to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035, which it describes as much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 10,900 openings projected each year. New transmission and substation work is part of that picture; our guide to electrical substation construction cost covers the project side.
How Workers and Contractors Should Use These Numbers
For workers, the table is a reference point, not a pay scale. If you are a journey-level lineman earning well under your state median, that is worth knowing before your next review or job change. If you are an apprentice, expect to sit in the lower part of your state's distribution until you top out. The Occupational Outlook Handbook says apprenticeships and employer-sponsored training programs in this occupation may last up to 3 years.
For contractors and estimators, the state median is a floor for sanity-checking a labor rate, not a bid rate. OEWS is straight-time base pay. It leaves out overtime premiums, health and retirement contributions, payroll taxes and travel pay. Line work carries heavy amounts of all of these. Run your base rate through the labor burden calculator to get a loaded hourly cost before you price a job.
On public work, the wage determination for the project governs, not the OEWS median. On union work, the collective bargaining agreement governs.
What the Data Does Not Show
OEWS has limits, and they matter for this trade more than most.
- It covers wage and salary workers only. Self-employed workers are not counted.
- It reports straight-time gross pay. Overtime premiums are excluded, and storm restoration and outage work can involve long hours.
- It excludes benefits. Health coverage, pension and annuity contributions are not in these figures.
- It excludes per diem and travel pay, which many traveling linemen receive.
- It reports medians, not union scale. A state median blends union and non-union workers, apprentices and journey-level hands, utilities and contractors.
- It is a snapshot of May 2025. Raises negotiated or granted since then are not reflected.
For these reasons, actual annual earnings for many linemen differ from the annual figures in the table. BLS calculates the annual number from the hourly wage and a full-time, year-round schedule. It is not a record of what anyone took home.
The next OEWS release, covering May 2026, is due in spring 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average lineman wage in the United States?
The national median for electrical power-line installers and repairers is $45.83 an hour, or $95,320 a year, in the BLS May 2025 data. The mean is $44.22 an hour, or $91,970 a year. Both are straight-time figures that exclude overtime premiums and benefits.
Which state pays linemen the most?
Hawaii has the highest median at $64.59 an hour, or $134,340 a year. Washington ($63.97), Oregon ($63.02) and California ($62.04) follow. Hawaii's figure is based on 600 jobs, so California, with 8,930 jobs, is the largest high-paying market.
Which state pays linemen the least?
Arizona has the lowest median at $36.26 an hour, or $75,420 a year. Mississippi ($36.49) and Oklahoma ($36.54) are next. Arizona's median is $9.57 an hour below the national median.
Do these numbers include telecommunications or fiber linemen?
No. The BLS category is electrical power-line installers and repairers, SOC 49-9051. Telecommunications line installers and repairers are a separate BLS occupation with their own wage data, and they are not included in any number on this page.
Do these wages include overtime and storm pay?
No. OEWS measures straight-time gross pay. Overtime premiums, per diem and benefits are excluded. A lineman who works substantial overtime will earn more in a year than the annual figure shown for the state.
Your Action Item for This Week
Find your state in the table and write down its median hourly figure. Compare it to your own straight-time base rate, not your gross with overtime, so the comparison is like for like.
If you employ linemen, check your journey-level base rate against the state median, then run it through the labor burden calculator to see the full hourly cost you should be carrying in estimates.
If you are considering a move to a higher-paying state, get the actual wage sheet from the employer or local you would work under before you decide. A state median tells you where the middle is. It does not tell you what a specific job pays.
Sources & Data Cited
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 national and state estimates, Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, SOC 49-9051, retrieved via the BLS public API November 12, 2026: www.bls.gov/oes/
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Line Installers and Repairers (job outlook and training): www.bls.gov/ooh/installation-maintenance-and-repair/line-installers-and-repairers.htm
