How much do cable installers make in 2026?
Cable installers are counted in the BLS telecommunications line installers and repairers series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 49-9052 national median as $74,330 a year ($35.73 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $45,310 and the top 10% at $103,680. Read that median carefully, because the series spans two quite different jobs. Residential and commercial premises installation — running drops, terminating outlets, installing modems and set-top equipment — sits in the lower part of the band and is often paid per completed job. Outside plant work is where the money is: aerial construction from a bucket truck, underground and conduit placement, and above all fibre optic splicing and testing, which requires fusion splicing skill, OTDR interpretation and the patience to certify a link rather than merely connect it. Splicers and outside plant technicians routinely reach the upper quarter, and storm restoration and contract build work pushes annual earnings higher through overtime and travel. The series shows a projected 3.1% decline, which reflects the retirement of copper networks rather than weak demand for fibre skills. Employment is projected to change by -3.1% through 2034 with roughly 8,900 openings a year. → Full cable installer 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.
- Cable Installers 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.
- The BLS telecom line installers series has a high median at $74,330, but its $45,310 to $103,680 band conceals a split between premises installation at the bottom and outside plant and fibre work at the top.
- Fibre optic splicing and testing is the clearest pay lever in the field: fusion splicing plus OTDR interpretation moves a technician into the upper quarter of the band.
- The projected 3.1% decline reflects copper network retirement inside the same code, not falling demand — fibre build-out and storm restoration keep hiring active with roughly 8,900 openings a year.
US Cable Installer Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do cable installers 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 cable installer earn at each career stage?
Telecom cable pay follows plant type and certification rather than tenure: premises work at the bottom, fibre and outside plant at the top. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-9052.
By State
Which states pay cable installers the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations. Telecom construction geography is driven by build programmes and funding: states with active fibre expansion, rural broadband awards and storm hardening work pay above the modeled figure, and contract crews follow those programmes across state lines.
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 cable installers the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. Urban outside plant work carries a genuine premium because it is conduit, manhole and permit work rather than open aerial construction, and it is slower, more congested and more heavily regulated as a result.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a cable installer’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 cable installer pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Cable Installers 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 cable installer wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a cable installer 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
Cable Installer Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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