How much do power-line workers make in Maryland in 2026?

The median annual wage for power-line workers in Maryland is $106,090, which works out to about $51.00 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour year. That number puts Maryland lineworkers well above the national median for the trade and reflects the physical demands, licensing requirements, and genuine danger of working energized high-voltage lines.

The pay spread across experience levels is significant. Workers at the 25th percentile — typically newer journeymen or those in smaller service territories — earn around $78,930 a year, or roughly $37.95 an hour. That's a solid starting point, but it's about $27,000 less than what experienced hands pull in. The 75th percentile sits at $116,030 annually, around $55.78 an hour. If you're a seasoned journeyman lineworker with strong overtime hours and time on specialized equipment like transmission lines or underground cable systems, that upper tier is realistic.

One of the biggest variables in actual take-home pay for Maryland lineworkers is overtime. Power outages don't follow a schedule. A major storm event — ice storms in western Maryland and the Panhandle, summer thunderstorms in the DC suburbs, nor'easters along the Bay — can mean 16-hour days for days or weeks at a stretch. Overtime at time-and-a-half can meaningfully push annual earnings above the 75th percentile figure in a heavy storm year. The BLS OEWS figures used here are base wage estimates and do not capture that overtime income, so real-world earnings for active lineworkers can run higher than the $116,030 top figure suggests.

Geography within Maryland also plays a role. Utilities serving the dense Baltimore and Washington suburban corridors — areas with heavy underground infrastructure, higher cost of living, and complex service demands — tend to pay at the upper end. Rural co-ops and smaller contractors in the Eastern Shore or Allegany County may pay closer to the 25th percentile, especially for workers who haven't yet accumulated years toward the top of a wage scale.

The path into the trade matters for understanding where you land on that scale. Most lineworkers enter through a formal apprenticeship — typically four to five years — combining classroom instruction with thousands of hours of field work. Maryland requires apprentice lineworkers to work under licensed journeymen. Completing the apprenticeship and holding a journeyman certification is generally what separates workers at the low end from those approaching the median. Additional certifications, such as those related to underground systems, substation work, or transmission construction, can push wages toward or past the 75th percentile.

Some Maryland power-line workers are covered by collective bargaining agreements. If you're in a union shop, your wage scale, overtime rules, and benefit contributions are set in your local's collective bargaining agreement — check that agreement directly for the specific numbers that apply to your classification and step, rather than relying on regional averages.

Non-union lineworkers at private electrical contractors may negotiate individually and often see more variation in pay based on the specific employer, project type, and how aggressively they pursue overtime or specialty work. Transmission and substation construction crews, pipeline corridor clearing, and energized-line maintenance tend to command more than basic distribution work.

Benefits matter alongside base wages. Pension or retirement contributions, health insurance, per diem for travel assignments (which are common after major storm events), and tool allowances all affect total compensation and don't appear in the BLS wage figures.

The data on this page comes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, published May 2025. BLS surveys employers and reports straight-time wages — it excludes overtime pay, benefits, and irregular earnings. Use these figures as a baseline for understanding where you stand in the Maryland market, then factor in your specific employer, your step on the wage scale, and the overtime reality of utility work in this region.