How much do broadband technicians make in 2026?
Broadband technicians are counted in the BLS telecommunications line installers and repairers series: OEWS May 2025 puts SOC 49-9052 at a national median of $74,330 a year ($35.73 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $45,310 and the top 10% at $103,680. The series pools the whole outside-plant trade — construction crews, splicers, maintenance technicians and fiber specialists — so treat it as the trade's band rather than a broadband-specific measurement. What distinguishes broadband work at the moment is the build cycle. Large publicly funded rural and last-mile programmes have created concentrated periods of construction in specific regions, which drives long weeks, heavy overtime and per-diem for technicians willing to travel to them. Those conditions can push annual earnings well above the median for the duration of a build and leave nothing behind when it ends. Technicians who convert build experience into maintenance, splicing or supervisory roles with an operating provider trade that intensity for continuity. Skill mix matters too: fiber placement, splicing and testing capability separates the top half of this band from general construction labour. Employment is projected to decline 3.1% through 2034, with roughly 8,900 openings a year. → Full broadband technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $74,330 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Broadband Technicians earn a national median $74,330/yr ($35.73/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9052); the P10 to P90 range is $45,310 to $103,680.
- Build cycles dominate earnings: funded rural and last-mile programmes create concentrated periods of long weeks, overtime and per-diem, then end.
- Fiber placement, splicing and testing capability is what separates the upper half of this band from general construction labour on the same crews.
- Converting build experience into maintenance or supervisory work with an operating provider trades peak earnings for continuity — a real choice, not an obvious one.
US Broadband Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do broadband technicians earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 49-9052; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-9052, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a broadband technician earn at each career stage?
Broadband pay follows the skills you bring to the crew rather than time served. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-9052.
By State
Which states pay broadband technicians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national telecommunications line installer median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Broadband pay follows build activity rather than state wage levels: a state in the middle of a funded rural programme can pay well above what its general wage index suggests, and revert when the programme completes.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($85,480), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay broadband technicians the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Much broadband build work is rural, so metro rows describe the surrounding market rather than the projects.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a broadband technician’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does broadband technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Broadband Technicians sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify broadband technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a broadband technician actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Broadband Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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