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

The median annual salary for a power-line worker in Washington state is $133,060, which works out to roughly $63.97 per hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That's a strong number by any measure, and it reflects the technical demands, physical risk, and licensing requirements that come with working on high-voltage transmission and distribution lines.

Pay is not uniform across the field. Workers at the 25th percentile earn $107,620 per year, or about $51.74 per hour. That typically describes someone still building experience — a journeyman in their first few years, or a worker in a lower-wage corner of the state or sector. At the 75th percentile, annual pay reaches $136,850, roughly $65.79 per hour. The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is nearly $29,230 per year, which shows there's real room to move up as you gain certifications, seniority, and specialized skills.

Washington's power grid spans an enormous geographic range — from the dense utility corridors of the Puget Sound metro to the high-desert transmission lines east of the Cascades. Workers based in the greater Seattle area or around major substations near Tacoma and Bellevue tend to see stronger employer competition and higher pay floors. Eastern Washington positions, particularly those tied to agricultural irrigation infrastructure or rural co-ops, may land closer to the 25th percentile end, though remote and high-voltage work often carries its own pay premiums.

Overtime is a significant factor in this trade. Storm response, emergency line repair, and scheduled outages frequently push actual annual earnings well above the base figures reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. BLS OEWS data captures straight-time wages and does not fully reflect overtime, hazard pay, or per diem allowances — all of which are common for power-line crews working extended outages or traveling to remote sites. A lineman logging 300 to 400 hours of overtime in a heavy storm season can add $15,000 to $25,000 or more on top of their base, depending on their overtime rate.

The path into this trade almost always runs through an apprenticeship program, typically lasting four to five years and combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction in electrical theory, safety regulations, and equipment operation. Completing an apprenticeship and earning journeyman status is the clearest route to the median and above. Workers who also pursue substation or transmission certifications, or who move into line foreman or crew supervisor roles, tend to reach the upper percentiles faster.

Washington state requires lineworkers to be licensed, and maintaining that license through continuing education keeps workers competitive for higher-paying positions. Employers — whether investor-owned utilities, public utility districts (PUDs), rural electric cooperatives, or private electrical contractors — each have their own pay scales, benefit structures, and advancement timelines. Public utility districts in Washington have historically been competitive employers in this trade given the state's extensive hydroelectric infrastructure.

Some power-line workers in Washington are covered by collective bargaining agreements. If you're in a union shop, your base pay, overtime rules, and benefit contributions will be set by your labor agreement — check that agreement directly for the rates that apply to your classification and years of service, rather than relying on statewide averages alone.

The figures on this page come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey, May 2025 release. BLS data is collected from employer payroll records and reflects hourly and annual wages for workers in the SOC classification for electrical power-line installers and repairers. It does not capture self-employment income, gig work, or the full value of employer-paid benefits such as health insurance and pension contributions, which can add meaningful value to total compensation in this trade.