Electrical power-line installer and repairer wages by bargaining status in 2019

Households and businesses rely on the electric power system to keep the lights on, to keep us cool in summer and warm in winter, and to run machinery, equipment, and appliances. Electrical power-line installers keep the system running reliably. In the United States, average hourly wages for union electrical power-line installers and repairers were $40.02 in 2019. That compares with an average of $26.67 for nonunion electrical power-line installers and repairers.

These data are from the Modeled Wage Estimates derived from the National Compensation Survey and the Occupational Employment Statistics survey. Workers are classified as union workers when (1) a labor organization is recognized as the bargaining agent for all workers in the occupation, and (2) wage and salary rates are determined through collective bargaining or negotiations. Workers are classified as nonunion if these conditions are not met. Modeled Wage Estimates are available for detailed occupations, geographic areas, and job characteristics, including full- and part-time status, work levels, bargaining status, and basis of pay (time- and incentive-based). Relative standard errors also are available to allow users to assess the reliability of estimates.