How much do install technicians make in 2026?
Install technicians are counted in the BLS telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers series: OEWS May 2025 puts SOC 49-2022 at a national median of $63,890 a year ($30.72 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $44,240 and the top 10% at $96,730. That series pools installation work with central office, field and headend roles that pay considerably more, so an install technician should read the lower part of the band as their realistic range rather than the median. Installation is the entry point of the trade: connecting services at customer premises, running and terminating cable, mounting and configuring equipment, and verifying that what was sold actually works. It is the most schedule-driven part of telecommunications, measured in completed jobs and appointment windows, and often paid on piece rates by contractors rather than hourly by carriers. It is also the part most exposed to automation, because self-installation kits and remote provisioning have removed a large share of the visits that used to exist. The people who do well here treat installation as an apprenticeship: they learn fiber, networking and test equipment, then move to business services, plant maintenance or central office work. Employment is projected to decline 4.2% through 2034, with roughly 13,200 openings a year. → Full install technician career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $63,890 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Install Technicians earn a national median $63,890/yr ($30.72/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 49-2022); the P10 to P90 range is $44,240 to $96,730.
- Installation is the entry rung of a pooled series that also contains better-paid central office and business services roles, so the lower half of this band is the realistic range.
- It is the part of the trade most exposed to automation: self-install kits and remote provisioning have removed a large share of the visits that once existed.
- The people who do well treat it as an apprenticeship — learning fiber, networking and test equipment, then moving to business services, plant or central office work.
US Install Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do install 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 49-2022; 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 49-2022, 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 an install technician earn at each career stage?
Install pay follows how quickly you can leave routine installation behind. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-2022.
By State
Which states pay install technicians the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the BLS national telecom equipment installer median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. Installation pay depends mainly on whether the local workforce is directly employed by a carrier or contracted on piece rates, a distinction no wage index captures.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($73,470), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay install 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. Dense metros produce more jobs per route, which matters directly under piece-rate pay.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an install 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 install technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Install 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 install technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an install 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
Install Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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