How much do telecom technicians make in 2026?
Telecom 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. This is the closest-matching series for the title, and it covers the whole inside-plant and premises side of the industry — central office, field, installation and headend work — which is why the band spans more than fifty thousand dollars. Telecom technician is a general title, and the most useful way to read this page is as a map of where a technician can go. The lower part of the band is routine installation and premises service. The middle is field work on business and residential services and general equipment maintenance. The upper part is where the specialisms live: central office transport and DC power, business services and managed networking, fiber splicing and testing, and headend or IP video work. Each of those requires training the general role does not provide, and each is meaningfully better paid. Technicians who stay general tend to sit near the middle for a long time. Employment is projected to decline 4.2% through 2034, with roughly 13,200 openings a year. → Full telecom 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.
- Telecom 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.
- This series covers the whole inside-plant and premises side of telecommunications, so the band maps a range of specialisms rather than one job's progression.
- The upper part of the band belongs to specialists — central office transport and DC power, business services networking, fiber splicing and testing, IP video — each requiring training the general role does not provide.
- Technicians who stay general tend to sit near the middle of this distribution for a long time; specialisation is the mechanism that moves pay.
US Telecom Technician Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do telecom 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 a telecom technician earn at each career stage?
Telecom pay follows the specialism you commit to. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 49-2022.
By State
Which states pay telecom 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. What determines local pay is the mix of carriers, contractors and commercial work in the area, and whether technicians are directly employed or contracted.
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 telecom 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. Metros with carrier facilities, data centres and dense business districts offer the widest specialisation choice.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a telecom 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 telecom technician pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Telecom 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 telecom technician wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a telecom 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
Telecom Technician Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
Telecom Technician career research journey
Do your homework, then let the network do the rest.Get the job, then keep rising
FreeSet your intent, matching jobs come to you. No applying.
A roadmap to your next licence tier and higher pay band.
Once placed, we cover all certification, licence & career-guide fees.
Hiring telecom technicians?
Get a verified shortlist of 3–5 qualified candidates in 48 hours
GlobalCybers verifies active state licenses, trade certifications, Intent and right-to-work status before any candidate reaches your portal. Flat $2,999/mo RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing), up to 3 concurrent roles, or a free trial (pay on hire). 90-day written guarantee.
Related · Telecom Technician
Everything for telecom technicians in one place
Salary data, licensing, interview prep, and hiring, all cross-linked so you (and search engines) can move through the full telecom technician cluster.