Lineman salary in Joplin, MO-KS
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in the Joplin, MO-KS area earn a median of $97,670 a year, or $46.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $107,630. Across all of Missouri, the median is $96,360, so Joplin pays 1% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $35.55/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 160
- After cost of living
- $113,940
- Median hourly pay
- $46.96/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +2%
- vs Missouri median
- +1%
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $73,940–$94,640$35.55–$45.50/hr | |
| Journeyman | $97,670$46.96/hr | |
| Top earners | $98,440–$107,630$47.33–$51.74/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Joplin, MO-KS compares
- Joplin ranks 6th of 8 Missouri metro areas for lineman pay.
- Linemen are more concentrated in the Joplin area than nationally: 1.8 of every 1,000 jobs, 2.1 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $107,630, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $73,940: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Missouri metro areas
Other trades in Joplin, MO-KS
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Joplin, MO-KS?
- Linemen in the Joplin, MO-KS area earn a median of $97,670 a year, or $46.96 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $107,630.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Joplin, MO-KS?
- The median hourly wage is $46.96. The middle half earn between $45.50 and $47.33 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Joplin, MO-KS?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $35.55 an hour ($73,940 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $45.50.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Joplin, MO-KS?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $97,670 a year ($46.96 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $98,440–$107,630.
- Do linemen make more in Joplin or St. Louis?
- St. Louis pays more: the median is $97,670 in Joplin and $103,960 in St. Louis, a 6% difference.
- How does Joplin pay compare with the rest of Missouri?
- The Joplin median of $97,670 is 1% more than the Missouri median of $96,360.
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 27900 (Joplin, MO-KS). 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 (85.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures