Power Line Installer
Skilled Trades
Install and repair the lines that keep power flowing.
Why it matters here: Grid upgrades and data-center growth drive utility hiring.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level Power Line InstallerLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$67,580
- Power Line Installer (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$93,080
- Senior / Lead Power Line InstallerOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$119,900
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$143,880
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Outdoor line work, storm call-outs, high-voltage risk
Where you work
Bucket trucks and poles along roads and easements, plus substations and underground vaults.
Hours and schedule
Regular weekday work plus mandatory storm response — hurricanes and ice storms mean days of long shifts.
Pace and pressure
Methodical and safety-paced normally; urgent and exhausting during restoration.
Who you work with
Tight crews where every member watches the others; communication is constant and explicit.
Physical demands
Climbing, heavy gear, working at height and in bad weather, high-voltage proximity.
What people wear
Flame-resistant clothing, rubber gloves and sleeves, hard hat, fall protection.
Remote reality
None.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Grounding and cover-up procedures are followed exactly, every time, with no exceptions.
- Anyone on the crew can call a stop, and nobody is questioned for it.
- Storm work builds the strongest bonds in the trade — and the biggest paychecks.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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