Utility Construction Lineman Salary: United States
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The median annual wage for Utility Construction Lineman in the United States was $95,320 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $67,270 and $109,740.
Broader occupation Our title "Utility Construction Lineman" is reported by BLS as SOC 49-9051 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers. BLS groups Utility Construction Lineman within Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
Annual wages
Utility Construction Lineman, the United States, annual wages: 10% earned less than $51,470, half earned less than the median of $95,320, 90% earned less than $128,690 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $51,470 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $67,270 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $95,320 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $109,740 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $128,690 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $91,970 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Utility Construction Lineman, the United States, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $24.74, half earned less than the median of $45.83, 90% earned less than $61.87 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $24.74 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $32.34 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $45.83 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $52.76 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $61.87 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $44.22 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Employment: BLS estimates 131,070 workers in this occupation nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 49-9051 Electrical Power-Line 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 | $96,240 | $65,510 to $104,910 | 1,370 | 0.58 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $94,510 | $74,950 to $103,110 | 950 | 0.78 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $80,510 | $63,130 to $104,880 | 920 | 0.78 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $78,930 | $61,290 to $102,860 | 550 | 0.88 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $122,480 | $84,850 to $137,340 | 3,850 | 0.48 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $122,480 | $84,850 to $137,340 | 3,850 | 0.48 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $77,910 | $59,390 to $98,260 | 3,930 | 1.15 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $82,710 | $62,340 to $101,960 | 4,380 | 1.58 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $123,430 | $105,930 to $128,160 | 1,830 | 0.48 |
How does Utility Construction Lineman pay differ by industry?
These are national industry estimates for SOC 49-9051, 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 | $103,060 | Annual | 65,310 |
| Utilities | 221000 | $103,060 | Annual | 65,310 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | 221100 | $102,550 | Annual | 62,470 |
| Natural Gas Distribution | 221200 | $137,360 | Annual | 2,830 |
| Construction | 23 | $76,090 | Annual | 47,460 |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237000 | $76,050 | Annual | 39,320 |
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | $76,060 | Annual | 38,990 |
| Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction | 237300 | $55,640 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237900 | $77,000 | Annual | 280 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 238000 | $76,980 | Annual | 8,140 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors | 238100 | $86,000 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 238200 | $76,250 | Annual | 7,660 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 238900 | $77,850 | Annual | 240 |
| Air Transportation | 481000 | $91,250 | Annual | 40 |
| Nonscheduled Air Transportation | 481200 | $91,250 | Annual | 40 |
| Rail Transportation | 482000 | $85,980 | Annual | 180 |
| Rail Transportation | 482100 | $85,980 | Annual | 180 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 54 | $61,410 | Annual | 260 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 541000 | $61,410 | Annual | 260 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 541300 | $61,410 | Annual | 250 |
| Repair and Maintenance | 811000 | $106,460 | Annual | 150 |
| Electronic and Precision Equipment Repair and Maintenance | 811200 | $72,470 | Annual | 50 |
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 Electrical Power-Line 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.
| Metro | Median | Employment | Location quotient | Trade median / all-occupations median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $157,620 | 300 | 0.32 | 1.88 |
| Eugene-Springfield, OR | $140,270 | 120 | 0.93 | 2.82 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $137,180 | 770 | 0.39 | 1.85 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $135,450 | 50 | 0.44 | 2.19 |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | $135,400 | 240 | 1.05 | 2.66 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $135,300 | 810 | 0.8 | 2.23 |
| Urban Honolulu, HI | $135,080 | 450 | 1.21 | 2.36 |
| El Centro, CA | $134,950 | 40 | 0.72 | 2.99 |
| Salem, OR | $134,500 | 180 | 1.11 | 2.43 |
| Fresno, CA | $134,150 | 230 | 0.56 | 2.86 |
| Lafayette, LA | $67,250 | 190 | 1.24 | 1.61 |
| Gulfport-Biloxi, MS | $65,960 | 290 | 2.18 | 1.52 |
| Fayetteville, NC | $65,140 | 270 | 2.46 | 1.43 |
| Jackson, MS | $64,760 | 530 | 2.3 | 1.51 |
| Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | $64,380 | 50 | 0.74 | 1.41 |
| Wilmington, NC | $63,630 | 230 | 1.45 | 1.39 |
| Rocky Mount, NC | $62,860 | 70 | 1.57 | 1.43 |
| Greenville, NC | $62,410 | 90 | 1.38 | 1.34 |
| Bowling Green, KY | $60,420 | 80 | 1.09 | 1.34 |
| Las Cruces, NM | $59,530 | 60 | 0.89 | 1.42 |
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 Utility Construction Lineman in National as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Utility Construction Lineman in National, the published median for SOC 49-9051, Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, is $95,320 per year. The middle half of the Utility Construction Lineman in National wage distribution runs from $67,270 to $109,740, a width of $42,470 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
For the national Utility Construction Lineman comparison, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX reports $82,710 per year while Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX reports $77,910 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 Utility Construction Lineman 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 Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, read alongside Utility Construction Lineman in National, are Natural Gas Distribution at $137,360 per year (NAICS 221200); Repair and Maintenance at $106,460 per year (NAICS 811000); Utilities at $103,060 per year (NAICS 22). Those Utility Construction Lineman 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 Utility Construction Lineman in National median was $92,560 per year in May 2024, compared with $95,320 in May 2025, a published difference of $2,760. That Utility Construction Lineman 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 $92,560 and $95,320 Utility Construction Lineman in National estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $95,320 per year for Utility Construction Lineman 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 Utility Construction Lineman 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 Utility Construction Lineman in National can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Utility Construction Lineman in National is broader: BLS groups Utility Construction Lineman within Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. For a Utility Construction Lineman in National opening, establish the equipment, license requirements and responsibility before deciding which people the pay range should attract. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Utility Construction Lineman 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 Utility Construction Lineman in National buyer?
Utility Construction Lineman in National has a published middle-half band of $67,270 to $109,740, a width of $42,470 per year, with median $95,320. An offer inside that Utility Construction Lineman 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 Utility Construction Lineman in National?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX are the largest-employment comparison markets used for Utility Construction Lineman in National. Comparing those Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers tables with the $95,320 Utility Construction Lineman in National median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Utility Construction Lineman in National?
Utility Construction Lineman in National uses national industry rows for SOC 49-9051, not local sector-specific wages. Natural Gas Distribution leads the selected sortable rows at $137,360 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Utility Construction Lineman in National.
What changed between the releases for Utility Construction Lineman in National?
Utility Construction Lineman in National moved from $92,560 in May 2024 to $95,320 in May 2025. These Utility Construction Lineman in National published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 49-9051. Published annual median: $92,560 (May 2024) and $95,320 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.