Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages Occupation-level safety SOC 49-9051

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Occupation-specific BLS fatality and injury rates set the reading order for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers, then wages beside peers such as Avionics Technicians, Millwrights, Rail Car Repairers, First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: Avionics Technicians ($82K) , Millwrights ($66K) , Rail Car Repairers ($68K) , First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers ($80K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 49-9051 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas
  2. 2. Drive vehicles equipped with tools and materials to job sites
  3. 3. Open switches or attach grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or to facilitate repairs
  4. 4. Climb poles or use truck-mounted buckets to access equipment
  5. 5. Install, maintain, and repair electrical distribution and transmission systems, including conduits, cables, wires, and related equipment…
  6. 6. Inspect and test power lines and auxiliary equipment to locate and identify problems, using reading and testing instruments
  7. 7. Coordinate work assignment preparation and completion with other workers
  8. 8. Replace or straighten damaged poles
  9. 9. String wire conductors and cables between poles, towers, trenches, pylons, and buildings, setting lines in place and using winches to adj…
  10. 10. Attach cross-arms, insulators, and auxiliary equipment to poles prior to installing them
  11. 11. Dig holes, using augers, and set poles, using cranes and power equipment
  12. 12. Travel in trucks, helicopters, and airplanes to inspect lines for freedom from obstruction and adequacy of insulation

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: O*NET ranks Active Listening first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 49-9051 - lead skill Active Listening at 3.4 ; lead knowledge Building and Construction. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 3.4
  2. 2. Troubleshooting 3.4
  3. 3. Monitoring 3.3
  4. 4. Operations Monitoring 3.3
  5. 5. Operation and Control 3.3
  6. 6. Critical Thinking 3.1
  7. 7. Coordination 3.1
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 3.1

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Building and Construction 3.6
  2. 2. English Language 3.4
  3. 3. Education and Training 3.3
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 3.3
  5. 5. Transportation 3.3
  6. 6. Mechanical 3.3
Occupation safety grade
B
Safe
Transparent derived index from BLS CFOI/SOII, not an official BLS rating · formula
National median still $95,320/yr
$95K
National median
↑ +7%
Growth 2024-2034
10,700
Annual openings
131,070
Estimated US jobs
Avionics Technicians
Highest-pay peer · $82K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

1. Massachusetts $110,210
2. Montana $110,320
3. Washington $133,060
4. New Jersey $121,580
5. Oregon $131,090
6. New York $121,280
7. Idaho $125,410
8. Hawaii $134,340
9. California $129,040
10. Connecticut $126,850

Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles

  1. 1. Rail Car Repairers $67,530
  2. 2. First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers $79,860
  3. 3. Avionics Technicians $82,280
  4. 4. Commercial Divers $72,990
  5. 5. Millwrights $65,700
  6. 6. Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door $74,340

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers carries an occupation-specific WageDex safety grade of B from BLS CFOI/SOII rates. The national OEWS median is $95,320 inside Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (SOC 49-9051).

Employment Projections expect +7% change between 2024 and 2034 (faster than average vs baseline 3.1%). About 10,700 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Massachusetts at $110,210. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Avionics Technicians at $82,280. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers pay-rank #2 in Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

Among 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations with a published OEWS median, Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers is pay-rank #2, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024-2034.

Safety grade B carries into what comes next for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers: the OEWS state map, the safest/highest-pay peers, and a head-to-head against another SOC.

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 49-9051

Massachusetts · top state for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

$110K published median

Montana · #2 state pay

$110K · behind Massachusetts

Avionics Technicians

Highest-pay peer vs Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers · $82K

Millwrights

Lower-pay peer beside Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers · $66K

Compare Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers

Head-to-head OEWS medians with another SOC
Compare Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers with another occupation →

Safety and risk next reads

Safest Occupations

Roles with the strongest published safety grades

Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers full wage map

State and metro pay after the safety lead

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles sit near Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers is pay-rank #2 of 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Signal and Track Switch Repairers ($92K), Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103K), Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment ($85K), Avionics Technicians ($82K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do electrical power-line installers and repairers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers. Leading ones include: Adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas; Drive vehicles equipped with tools and materials to job sites; Open switches or attach grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or to facilitate repairs; Climb poles or use truck-mounted buckets to access equipment. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for electrical power-line installers and repairers? ▼
For SOC 49-9051, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (3.4), Troubleshooting (3.4), Monitoring (3.3), Operations Monitoring (3.3). Knowledge areas emphasize Building and Construction, English Language, Education and Training. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $95,320 as the national median for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers. The published 10th-90th range is $51,470 to $128,690. Beside Avionics Technicians ($82,280), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers is +7%. Projected annual openings: about 10,700. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: faster than average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers? ▼
Massachusetts ($110,210), Montana ($110,320), Washington ($133,060) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024-2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 49-9051. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics