Tower Technician Salary: United States
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The median annual wage for Tower Technician in the United States was $63,520 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $50,580 and $82,370.
Broader occupation Our title "Tower Technician" is reported by BLS as SOC 49-2021 Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers. BLS groups Tower Technician within Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
Annual wages
Tower Technician, the United States, annual wages: 10% earned less than $44,460, half earned less than the median of $63,520, 90% earned less than $103,990 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $44,460 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $50,580 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $63,520 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $82,370 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $103,990 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $69,870 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Tower Technician, the United States, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $21.38, half earned less than the median of $30.54, 90% earned less than $49.99 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $21.38 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $24.32 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $30.54 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $39.60 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $49.99 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $33.59 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Employment: BLS estimates 11,140 workers in this occupation nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-2021 Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers, National.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Target metros
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th percentile | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $75,780 | $57,440 to $95,110 | 210 | 1.02 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $58,760 | $50,730 to $65,500 | 80 | 0.82 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | Not published by BLS for this area. Florida median: $60,140. | |||
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | Not published by BLS for this area. North Carolina median: $47,040. | |||
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $96,610 | $61,990 to $114,560 | 370 | 0.55 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $96,610 | $61,990 to $114,560 | 370 | 0.55 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $97,970 | $49,870 to $98,840 | 300 | 1.04 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $81,270 | $52,410 to $95,630 | 150 | 0.65 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $61,110 | $48,880 to $63,740 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS |
How does Tower Technician pay differ by industry?
These are national industry estimates for SOC 49-2021, not local offers or separate estimates for the niche title. Industry names are exactly as BLS publishes them.
| Industry | NAICS | Median | Basis | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 22 | $108,510 | Annual | 100 |
| Utilities | 221000 | $108,510 | Annual | 100 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | 221100 | $110,550 | Annual | 100 |
| Construction | 23 | $58,870 | Annual | 2,750 |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237000 | $58,360 | Annual | 1,550 |
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | $58,360 | Annual | 1,550 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 238000 | $61,110 | Annual | 1,170 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 238200 | $61,110 | Annual | 970 |
| Manufacturing | 31-33 | $64,490 | Annual | 340 |
| Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 334000 | $63,490 | Annual | 160 |
| Communications Equipment Manufacturing | 334200 | $63,280 | Annual | 160 |
| Rail Transportation | 482000 | $84,170 | Annual | 100 |
| Rail Transportation | 482100 | $84,170 | Annual | 100 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 54 | $71,430 | Annual | 780 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 541000 | $71,430 | Annual | 780 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 541300 | $61,820 | Annual | 240 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 541500 | $56,890 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 541600 | $76,070 | Annual | 360 |
| Repair and Maintenance | 811000 | $49,810 | Annual | 1,040 |
| Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance | 811200 | $49,810 | Annual | 1,040 |
Industry estimates are national. Do not combine an industry median with a local percentile to invent an industry-specific local rate.
Which related roles have a different BLS occupation?
A supervisory occupation is not an experience percentile for the craft. Compare the actual responsibilities and the published SOC.
Line Foreman (47-1011)Line General Foreman (47-1011)Utility Construction Superintendent (11-9021)Which metros publish the highest and lowest medians?
This ranking uses the May 2025 annual median for Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers. It is not adjusted for living costs. A metro is a BLS statistical area, not just the city limits. Top-coded or suppressed medians are not ranked.
The wage ratio is simple arithmetic: this occupation's median divided by the all-occupations median in the same area and unit. It is not a cost-of-living measure. Location quotient describes the concentration of employment, not relative pay. Neither predicts what a particular candidate will accept.
What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Tower Technician in National as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Tower Technician in National, the published median for SOC 49-2021, Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers, is $63,520 per year. The middle half of the Tower Technician in National wage distribution runs from $50,580 to $82,370, a width of $31,790 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
For the national Tower Technician comparison, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD reports $65,520 per year while New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ reports $96,610 per year; these are the largest-employment metros with published medians for the occupation, rather than neighboring places to a national estimate. The United States Tower Technician figure pools markets with different work scopes and schedules, so use the area table before setting a local offer.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers, read alongside Tower Technician in National, are Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution at $110,550 per year (NAICS 221100); Utilities at $108,510 per year (NAICS 22); Utilities at $108,510 per year (NAICS 221000). Those Tower Technician in National industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Tower Technician in National median was $64,190 per year in May 2024, compared with $63,520 in May 2025, a published difference of -$670. That Tower Technician in National comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $64,190 and $63,520 Tower Technician in National estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $63,520 per year for Tower Technician in National, separate overtime, per diem, lodging and mobilization separately; prevailing wage obligations and union scale depend on the assignment and agreement, not a special BLS traveling-worker percentile. The Tower Technician in National BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Tower Technician in National can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Tower Technician in National is broader: BLS groups Tower Technician within Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. When calibrating a Tower Technician in National opening, the work checks include NWSA Telecommunications Tower Technician (TTT-1 or TTT-2); authorized climber and rescue training; ask for evidence of that scope instead of using a percentile as a substitute for qualification. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Tower Technician in National buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Tower Technician in National buyer?
Tower Technician in National has a published middle-half band of $50,580 to $82,370, a width of $31,790 per year, with median $63,520. An offer inside that Tower Technician in National band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Tower Technician in National?
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD and New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ are the largest-employment comparison markets used for Tower Technician in National. Comparing those Radio, Cellular, and Tower Equipment Installers and Repairers tables with the $63,520 Tower Technician in National median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Tower Technician in National?
Tower Technician in National uses national industry rows for SOC 49-2021, not local sector-specific wages. Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution leads the selected sortable rows at $110,550 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Tower Technician in National.
What changed between the releases for Tower Technician in National?
Tower Technician in National moved from $64,190 in May 2024 to $63,520 in May 2025. These Tower Technician in National published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 49-2021. Published annual median: $64,190 (May 2024) and $63,520 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.