Lineman salary in Albuquerque, NM
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in the Albuquerque, NM area earn a median of $79,240 a year, or $38.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $105,590. That's 4% more than the New Mexico median of $76,470.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $21.29/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 360
- After cost of living
- $82,930
- Median hourly pay
- $38.09/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −17%
- vs New Mexico median
- +4%
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $44,280–$51,970$21.29–$24.99/hr | |
| Journeyman | $79,240$38.09/hr | |
| Top earners | $99,500–$105,590$47.84–$50.77/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Albuquerque, NM compares
- Albuquerque has the highest lineman median of the 3 New Mexico metro areas with published pay.
- Linemen hold about the same share of jobs in the Albuquerque area as nationally: 0.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $105,590, is 2.4 times the 10th-percentile wage, $44,280: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other New Mexico metro areas
Other trades in Albuquerque, NM
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Albuquerque, NM?
- Linemen in the Albuquerque, NM area earn a median of $79,240 a year, or $38.09 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $105,590.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Albuquerque, NM?
- The median hourly wage is $38.09. The middle half earn between $24.99 and $47.84 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Albuquerque, NM?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $21.29 an hour ($44,280 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $24.99.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Albuquerque, NM?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $79,240 a year ($38.09 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $99,500–$105,590.
- Do linemen make more in Albuquerque or Farmington?
- Albuquerque pays more: the median is $79,240 in Albuquerque and $77,650 in Farmington, a 2% difference.
- How does Albuquerque pay compare with the rest of New Mexico?
- The Albuquerque median of $79,240 is 4% more than the New Mexico median of $76,470.
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 10740 (Albuquerque, NM). 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 (95.5, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures