Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 49-9052

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

O*NET task statements lead this Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay, Industrial Machinery Mechanics, Watch and Clock Repairers, Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103K) , Industrial Machinery Mechanics ($65K) , Watch and Clock Repairers ($67K) , Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines ($66K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 49-9052 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment
  2. 2. Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due
  3. 3. Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories
  4. 4. Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment
  5. 5. Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfun…
  6. 6. Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment
  7. 7. Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles…
  8. 8. Place insulation over conductors, or seal splices with moisture-proof covering
  9. 9. Clean or maintain tools or test equipment
  10. 10. String cables between structures and lines from poles, towers, or trenches, and pull lines to proper tension
  11. 11. Compute impedance of wires from poles to houses to determine additional resistance needed for reducing signals to desired levels
  12. 12. Install equipment such as amplifiers or repeaters to maintain the strength of communications transmissions

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers: O*NET ranks Speaking first

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 49-9052 - lead skill Speaking at 3.1 ; lead knowledge Telecommunications. Sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Speaking 3.1
  2. 2. Critical Thinking 3.1
  3. 3. Complex Problem Solving 3.1
  4. 4. Operations Monitoring 3.1
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.0
  6. 6. Monitoring 3.0
  7. 7. Coordination 3.0
  8. 8. Operation and Control 3.0

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Telecommunications 4.5
  2. 2. Customer and Personal Service 4.4
  3. 3. English Language 3.7
  4. 4. Public Safety and Security 3.4
  5. 5. Computers and Electronics 3.3
  6. 6. Mechanical 3.2
National median after O*NET task lead
$74,330
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment
$74K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
8,900
Annual openings
97,720
Estimated US jobs
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
Highest-pay peer · $103K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education High school diploma or equivalent

Top Paying States for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

1. Alaska $97,450
2. Connecticut $97,140
3. Maine $92,120
4. Delaware $93,850
5. New Jersey $102,090
6. District of Columbia $97,600
7. California $97,980
8. New York $100,960
9. Massachusetts $103,410
10. Rhode Island $103,810

Other Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles

  1. 1. Industrial Machinery Mechanics $64,520
  2. 2. Watch and Clock Repairers $67,230
  3. 3. Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines $65,510
  4. 4. Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay $103,020
  5. 5. Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other $68,990
  6. 6. Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers $95,320

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers (SOC 49-9052). The national OEWS median is $74,330 inside Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay, Industrial Machinery Mechanics, Watch and Clock Repairers, Mobile Heavy Equipment Mechanics, Except Engines. Lead published task: Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment.

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 8,900 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. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Alaska at $97,450. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay at $103,020. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers pay-rank #9 in Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations

Among 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations with a published OEWS median, Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers is pay-rank #9, 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.

SOC 49-9052 · national median $74,330 · upper third of Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations (#9/51). Open the full OEWS map or a named state before treating the card median as a local ask.

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers salary map

State, metro, and percentile for SOC 49-9052

Alaska · top state for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

$97K published median

Connecticut · #2 state pay

$97K · behind Alaska

Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay

Highest-pay peer vs Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers · $103K

Industrial Machinery Mechanics

Lower-pay peer beside Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers · $65K

Compare Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers

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

Role and task next reads

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations titles sit near Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers is pay-rank #9 of 51 detailed Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door ($74K), Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment ($74K), Commercial Divers ($73K), Precision Instrument and Equipment Repairers, All Other ($69K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do telecommunications line installers and repairers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers. Leading ones include: Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment; Explain cable service to subscribers after installation, and collect any installation fees due; Travel to customers' premises to install, maintain, or repair audio and visual electronic reception equipment or accessories; Measure signal strength at utility poles, using electronic test equipment. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for telecommunications line installers and repairers? ▼
For SOC 49-9052, O*NET importance scores lead with Speaking (3.1), Critical Thinking (3.1), Complex Problem Solving (3.1), Operations Monitoring (3.1). Knowledge areas emphasize Telecommunications, Customer and Personal Service, English Language. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $74,330 as the national median for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers. The published 10th-90th range is $45,310 to $103,680. Beside Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay ($103,020), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 8,900. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers? ▼
BLS assigns High school diploma or equivalent as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers? ▼
Alaska ($97,450), Connecticut ($97,140), Maine ($92,120) 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 Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 49-9052. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Telecommunications 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