How much do telecom line installers make in Washington in 2026?

The median telecom line installer in Washington earns $76,070 per year, which works out to about $36.57 an hour based on a standard 2,080-hour work year. That number comes from BLS OEWS data collected in May 2025 and covers workers installing, splicing, and maintaining telephone and cable lines — both aerial and underground.

The spread across experience and employer type is wide. Workers at the 25th percentile — think newer hires or those in lower-cost rural markets — bring in $58,570 a year, or roughly $28.16 an hour. Get to the 75th percentile and that jumps to $95,800, around $46.06 an hour. That's a $37,230 gap between the lower end and the upper end, which tells you this trade rewards experience, specialized skills, and the right employer considerably more than many other construction trades.

Washington is a large, geographically diverse state, and where you work matters. The Puget Sound corridor — Seattle, Bellevue, Tacoma, Everett — drives higher wages because of dense infrastructure buildouts, fiber expansion projects, and a higher cost of living that pushes employers to compete harder for skilled hands. Spokane and the Tri-Cities sit below the state median in most trades data. Rural counties in eastern Washington and along the coast tend to pay at or below the 25th percentile for this work, though some rural carriers offer retention pay or housing allowances that don't show up in the BLS figures.

Overtime is a real factor for line installers in Washington. Storm damage, emergency outages, and fiber rollout deadlines push hours well above 40 in active seasons. A worker at the median rate of $36.57 an hour earns $54.86 for every overtime hour, and it's common for experienced installers to log 10–20 extra hours per week during busy stretches. That can add $15,000–$30,000 to annual take-home in a busy year — numbers the BLS base wage figures don't capture.

Specialization lifts pay significantly. Installers who can certify in fiber optic splicing, work with FTTP (fiber-to-the-premises) systems, or handle underground boring and conduit work command higher rates than those limited to aerial coaxial or copper work. Employers running large fiber contracts specifically hire for those skills, and the pay reflects it. If you're currently doing aerial copper work and want to push toward the 75th percentile, adding a fiber splicing certification is one of the fastest ways to get there.

Apprenticeship entry in this trade typically means starting as a helper or technician's assistant, with pay in the $17–$22 range depending on employer. Progress through on-the-job training and any formal program your employer offers moves you toward journeyman-level rates, which for this trade in Washington cluster around the median and above.

Washington does not require a state license specifically for telecom line installation the way it does for electrical work, but employers increasingly expect certifications from bodies like the Fiber Optic Association (FOA) or BICSI for fiber-specific roles. CDL endorsements also matter for crews operating bucket trucks and heavier equipment — employers may pay a small premium or cover the cost of obtaining one.

Some line installers in Washington work under collective bargaining agreements. If you're in that situation, your actual rate is set by your local's current agreement, which may differ from what the BLS median shows. Check that agreement directly for your step rate, overtime rules, and benefit package terms.

The BLS figures here represent base wages only. They don't include overtime, per diem, travel pay, tool allowances, or employer contributions to health and retirement benefits — all of which are common in this trade and can meaningfully increase total compensation beyond what the headline numbers suggest.