Most electrical line installers and repairers, traditionally called linemen, work for electric power generation, transmission and distribution companies, along with utility system construction firms and local government agencies, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS adds that electrical installers and repairers earn higher wages than workers in many other jobs not requiring formal education beyond high school. Most Kentucky electrical linemen make at least $37,000 per year.

Salary Range

Of the estimated 108,980 electrical linemen working in the United States in 2009, about 2,940 of them were employed in Kentucky, according to the BLS. Their average salary in Kentucky was $23.47 per hour, or $48,820 per year. The middle 50 percent of Kentucky electrical linemen were earning $18.06 to $29.03 per hour in 2009, translating to $37,570 to $60,380 per year. The bottom 10 percent were making $30,030 and less, and the top 10 percent were earning over twice that amount, at $70,340 and higher.

Regions

Electrical line installers and repairers had varying average salaries in different parts of Kentucky. Their average pay rate was $45,200 per year in the Lexington-Fayette area, $48,270 in the west nonmetropolitan area of the state, $48,920 in Louisville and Jefferson County, $50,210 in the south central nonmetropolitan area, $51,080 in the west central nonmetropolitan area, $54,770 in the east nonmetropolitan area and $57,860 in the Owensboro area.

Comparisons

Several states had similar average salaries for electrical lineman as the average in Kentucky. States where these workers earned average yearly pay in the range of about $47,000 to $49,800 in 2009 included Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Nebraska, North Carolina and Virginia.

Outlook

Although job growth in this industry is slow, electrical line installers and repairers should have very good opportunities because much of this workforce is approaching retirement age, according to the BLS. Linemen are less likely to put off retirement than workers in less physically demanding fields. The job requires a certain level of fitness to lift heavy objects and do frequent climbing, stooping and kneeling, and to do this work outdoors in all types of weather.

2018 Salary Information for Line Installers and Repairers

Line installers and repairers earned a median annual salary of $70,910 in May 2018, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, line installers and repairers earned a 10th percentile salary of $44,070, meaning 90 percent earned more than this amount. The 90th percentile salary is $78,070, meaning 10 percent earn more. In 2018, 242,200 people were employed in the U.S. as line installers and repairers.