Lineman salary in Montana
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in Montana earn a median of $110,320 a year, or $53.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $125,010. Nationally the median is $95,320, so Montana pays 16% more than the U.S. overall and ranks 9th of 51.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $35.20/hr
- Jobs in Montana
- 680
- After cost of living
- $116,560
- Median hourly pay
- $53.04/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +16%
- Rank among states
- 9th of 51
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $73,220–$87,090$35.20–$41.87/hr | |
| Journeyman | $110,320$53.04/hr | |
| Top earners | $118,820–$125,010$57.13–$60.10/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Montana compares
- Linemen are more concentrated in Montana than nationally: 1.3 of every 1,000 jobs, 1.6 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $125,010, is 1.7 times the 10th-percentile wage, $73,220: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Pay by metro area
Rural Montana
- West Montana nonmetropolitan area$114,680
- East-Central Montana nonmetropolitan area$101,900
Other trades in Montana
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Montana?
- Linemen in Montana earn a median of $110,320 a year, or $53.04 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $125,010.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Montana?
- The median hourly wage is $53.04. The middle half earn between $41.87 and $57.13 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Montana?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $35.20 an hour ($73,220 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $41.87.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Montana?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $110,320 a year ($53.04 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $118,820–$125,010.
- Do linemen in Montana earn more than the national average?
- The Montana median of $110,320 is 16% more than the U.S. median of $95,320. Prices in Montana run 5% below the national average (BEA), so the median buys about what $116,560 would nationally.
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 30. 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 (94.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures