Lineman salary in Detroit, MI
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $104,360 a year, or $50.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $130,120. That's 2% less than the Michigan median of $106,890.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $30.61/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 860
- After cost of living
- $104,050
- Median hourly pay
- $50.17/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +9%
- vs Michigan median
- −2%
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $63,670–$82,740$30.61–$39.78/hr | |
| Journeyman | $104,360$50.17/hr | |
| Top earners | $125,050–$130,120$60.12–$62.56/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Detroit, MI compares
- Detroit ranks 2nd of 5 Michigan metro areas for lineman pay.
- Linemen are less concentrated in the Detroit area than nationally: 0.5 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.54 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $130,120, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $63,670: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Michigan metro areas
Other trades in Detroit, MI
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Detroit, MI?
- Linemen in the Detroit–Warren–Dearborn, MI area earn a median of $104,360 a year, or $50.17 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $130,120.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Detroit, MI?
- The median hourly wage is $50.17. The middle half earn between $39.78 and $60.12 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Detroit, MI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $30.61 an hour ($63,670 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $39.78.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Detroit, MI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $104,360 a year ($50.17 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $125,050–$130,120.
- Do linemen make more in Detroit or Traverse City?
- Traverse City pays more: the median is $104,360 in Detroit and $108,970 in Traverse City, a 4% difference.
- How does Detroit pay compare with the rest of Michigan?
- The Detroit median of $104,360 is 2% less than the Michigan median of $106,890.
About this data
Wages are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for May 2025, occupation 49-9051 (Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers), area code 19820 (Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI). BLS counts wage and salary workers only, so self-employed linemen and business owners aren't included. The cost-of-living figure divides the median by the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity for 2024 (100.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures