Some things have changed since we last published the "Top 5 Highest Paying States for Electrical Linemen" gallery in 2018. Based on Bureau of Labor Statistics (Occupational Employment and Wages Study from May 2016), California was the highest-paying state for electrical power-line installer and repairer. Now the top state for line workers' pay is a different state in the West.
The pay has also risen accordingly. According to the latest research from BLM, the average hourly mean wage for line workers was $35.78 in 2020. The yearly mean wage was $74,410.
Following are the five states with the highest-paid line workers.
About the Author
Nikki Chandler
Group Editorial Director, Energy
Nikki is Market Content Director for the Endeavor Business Media Energy group, which includes T&D World, EnergyTech and Microgrid Knowledge media brands. She has 30 years of experience as an award-winning business-to-business editor, with 24 years of it covering the electric utility industry. She started out as an editorial intern with T&D World while finishing her degree, then joined Mobile Radio Technology and RF Design magazines. She returned to T&D World as an online editor in 2002, and took over as managing editor in 2017, then market content director in 2023. She has contributed to several publications over the past 30 years, including Waste Age, Wireless Review, Power Electronics Technology, and Arkansas Times. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.S. in journalism from the University of Kansas.