Aerial linemen often earn $70k–$120k+, with a U.S. BLS median of $92,560 for power-line installers.
“Aerial lineman” pay can swing a lot because most crews work hourly. A clean week looks one way on paper. A storm week looks like a different job. Add travel per diem, call-out minimums, and step raises, and two linemen with the same title can end the year far apart.
This article gives you a practical pay range, the levers that change it, and a fast way to price any offer using the rate and the overtime rules.
You’ll leave with numbers you trust.
| Role Or Situation | How Pay Is Often Set | What Changes The Total |
|---|---|---|
| Groundman / Helper | Hourly | Hours worked and path into an apprenticeship |
| Apprentice (early step) | Hourly at a percent of journeyman rate | Step schedule, testing, and overtime access |
| Apprentice (late step) | Hourly near journeyman rate | More complex tasks, more overtime windows |
| Journeyman (utility) | Hourly + call-out rules | On-call rotation, outages, and benefit cost |
| Journeyman (contract construction) | Hourly + per diem | Travel days, seasons, and job duration |
| Transmission / tower crew | Hourly + add-ons in many agreements | Classification, travel, and long workdays |
| Storm restoration (traveling) | Hourly + heavy overtime | Duration of event, pay codes, rest rules |
| Foreman / lead | Hourly + small extra-rate add-on | That add-on turns into real money in long weeks |
How Much Do Aerial Lineman Make?
Most U.S. job listings that say “aerial lineman” line up with the occupation the Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks as electrical power-line installers and repairers. The BLS lists a median annual wage of $92,560 (May 2024). The lower tenth sits under $50,020 and the upper tenth sits over $126,610. Use that as a reality check for base pay across the field, then adjust for overtime and travel.
You can see the pay breakdown by industry on the BLS line installers and repairers pay data. It shows, in one place, where the occupation tends to earn more and where it tends to earn less.
Pay By Industry From BLS Data
BLS also breaks pay out by the type of employer. That matters because some shops trade cash for steadier schedules, while others trade steadiness for travel and overtime. In the same May 2024 BLS table, the listed median annual wages by industry include:
- Federal government: $104,540
- Utilities: $102,050
- Local government (excluding schools and hospitals): $87,550
- Specialty trade contractors: $76,290
- Utility system construction: $74,550
Those numbers won’t match every crew, but they show where base pay often starts before long weeks and travel pay.
On crews, the talk is often “what you cleared last year.” That number mixes base rate, overtime, and sometimes per diem. So don’t compare annual claims until you know what those hours looked like.
Aerial Lineman Salary By Role And Experience
Pay rises fastest when you move up the progression ladder. Apprentices earn a percent of the journeyman rate. That percent climbs as you log hours and pass steps. Early steps can feel tight. Later steps climb fast, then journeyman pay brings the bigger jumps through overtime and add-on rates.
Apprentice And Groundman Pay Patterns
Groundman roles pay less, but they can be a fast on-ramp if you’re chasing an apprenticeship. Ask how hiring works: direct entry, bid lists, or a school-to-apprentice pipeline. Then ask how long people usually stay in the groundman seat before they move up.
For apprenticeships, get the step schedule in plain language: starting percent, when it rises, and what stalls it. If overtime is limited for first-step workers, that changes your first-year math.
Journeyman Pay Patterns
Journeyman pay is still hourly in many shops, so your “salary” is built by weeks. A steady 50-hour rhythm often beats a shop that promises big storms but has long quiet stretches. Ask what a normal month looks like, not just the best month.
What Moves Aerial Lineman Pay Up Or Down
When someone says the job pays “six figures,” they’re talking about a mix of levers. Here are the ones that change the total most.
Overtime And Call-Out Minimums
Many agreements pay time-and-a-half after 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week, and double time after a higher threshold. Some also pay a minimum number of hours for a call-out. That rule matters because a two-hour outage can still pay like a block of work.
Per Diem And Travel Pay
Travel work often adds per diem to offset meals and lodging. Some employers also pay drive time, mileage, or travel days. Ask whether per diem is paid on weekends, what happens on weather days, and whether lodging is on you or provided.
Employer Type And Work Mix
Utility work can bring steadier schedules and clearer on-call rotations. Contract construction can bring more travel and more big-hour pushes. The better pick depends on your season of life and your tolerance for being away from home.
Tickets, Classifications, And Extra-Rate Work
A CDL can open more roles on a crew. Task-based qualifications can open higher-rate work on some systems. Ask what gets paid as an add-on rate, what gets paid as straight time, and who signs off a worker’s classification.
Pay Math You Can Run On Any Offer
To price an offer, you need the hourly rate, overtime trigger, and any travel pay. Then you do simple arithmetic.
Base Week
- Hourly rate × 40 hours = base weekly pay
- Add any shift add-on listed in writing
Overtime
- OT hours at 1.5× rate
- Double-time hours at 2× rate
- Add call-out minimums when they apply
Travel Items
- Per diem × days paid
- Paid travel time or mileage, if listed
Last step: multiply by a realistic number of busy weeks. Ask the shop for last year’s average weekly hours for your crew type. If they won’t share a range, that’s a signal.
If you’re trying to enter the trade, registered programs can be a clean path. The Department of Labor listing for Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer apprenticeships shows the occupation code and links into program listings.
Power-Line Aerial Work Vs Telecom Aerial Work
Some listings use “aerial” to mean bucket-truck work on fiber or coax. That track is real work, but pay and training often follow a different occupation than power-line work. Before you compare two offers, ask whether you’ll be working on energized distribution and transmission, or on telecom plant. If the hiring manager can’t name the system, ask what the crew does on a normal day: setting poles, framing, stringing primary, setting transformers, or splicing fiber.
This is also where the question how much do aerial lineman make? can get messy. Two jobs can share the same label and still sit in different pay bands because the skill set and risk are not the same.
What Pay Often Looks Like In Year One
Year one is usually the toughest stretch. New workers may start as groundmen or first-step apprentices, and overtime access may be limited until a foreman trusts your pace and your habits. Your best lever early is consistency: show up, learn fast, keep your paperwork clean, and take every safe chance to build hours.
Questions That Keep You From Getting Burned
These questions are short, direct, and hard to dodge. Ask them before you travel, sign, or move.
| Pay Lever | What To Ask | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Classification | What rate applies to my exact step or title? | Sets all overtime math |
| Overtime rule | When does OT start, and when does double time start? | Changes weekly totals fast |
| Call-out | Is there a paid minimum per call-out? | Short jobs can still pay well |
| Storm duty | How do storm pay codes work, and what rest rules apply? | Sets ceiling in event seasons |
| Per diem | How much per day, and what days count? | Travel pay can be a large add-on |
| Lodging | Who books hotels, and is there a cap? | Stops per diem from getting eaten up |
| Benefits | What’s my payroll cost for health and retirement? | Changes net pay at the same rate |
| Hours | What did crews average last year outside storms? | Stops you from buying hype |
Ways To Raise Pay Without Living On Storm Hours
More hours raise pay, but the trade can chew you up if you chase long weeks year-round. A steadier path is to raise your rate and get placed on better work.
Get The License The Shop Needs
If your area values a CDL, getting it early can put you in steadier roles and better overtime windows. Ask what class they need and whether they pay training fees.
Build A Skill Mix That Wins Better Bids
Transmission, switching work, and specialty equipment can move you into higher-rate classifications on some crews. Ask what skills are rare on your crew, then chase training that fills that gap.
Keep A Simple Pay Log
Line paychecks can include multiple codes: base, OT, travel, per diem. Track your hours, job numbers, and pay codes each week. If something’s off, you can fix it while details are fresh.
Quick Offer Comparison Checklist
- Hourly rate for your exact step or classification
- OT and double-time triggers
- Call-out minimums and standby pay, if any
- Per diem amount and days paid
- Lodging rules and caps
- Expected weekly hours across a full year
- Benefit cost per pay period
- Travel radius and rotation length
how much do aerial lineman make? The clean answer is that many U.S. power-line workers land near the BLS median ($92,560), then move up with overtime, per diem, and progression steps. Get the rate and rules, run the math, and you’ll know where you stand before day one.