Lineman salary in Rochester, NY
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in the Rochester, NY area earn a median of $105,110 a year, or $50.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $127,750. Statewide, linemen earn a median of $121,280; Rochester is 13% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $28.26/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 310
- After cost of living
- $108,320
- Median hourly pay
- $50.53/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +10%
- vs New York median
- −13%
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $58,770–$61,990$28.26–$29.80/hr | |
| Journeyman | $105,110$50.53/hr | |
| Top earners | $126,350–$127,750$60.75–$61.42/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Rochester, NY compares
- Rochester ranks 8th of 9 New York metro areas for lineman pay.
- Linemen are less concentrated in the Rochester area than nationally: 0.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.74 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $127,750, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $58,770: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other New York metro areas
Other trades in Rochester, NY
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Rochester, NY?
- Linemen in the Rochester, NY area earn a median of $105,110 a year, or $50.53 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $127,750.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Rochester, NY?
- The median hourly wage is $50.53. The middle half earn between $29.80 and $60.75 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Rochester, NY?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $28.26 an hour ($58,770 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.80.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Rochester, NY?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $105,110 a year ($50.53 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $126,350–$127,750.
- Do linemen make more in Rochester or Kiryas Joel?
- Kiryas Joel pays more: the median is $105,110 in Rochester and $135,400 in Kiryas Joel, a 22% difference.
- How does Rochester pay compare with the rest of New York?
- The Rochester median of $105,110 is 13% less than the New York median of $121,280.
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 40380 (Rochester, NY). 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 (97.0, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures