Lineman salary in Durham, NC
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC area earn a median of $71,400 a year, or $34.33 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $103,990. Across all of North Carolina, the median is $77,270, so Durham pays 8% less than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.18/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 230
- After cost of living
- $73,180
- Median hourly pay
- $34.33/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −25%
- vs North Carolina median
- −8%
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $48,220–$59,380$23.18–$28.55/hr | |
| Journeyman | $71,400$34.33/hr | |
| Top earners | $101,500–$103,990$48.80–$49.99/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Durham, NC compares
- Durham ranks 7th of 13 North Carolina metro areas for lineman pay.
- Linemen are less concentrated in the Durham area than nationally: 0.7 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.78 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $103,990, is 2.2 times the 10th-percentile wage, $48,220: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other North Carolina metro areas
Other trades in Durham, NC
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Durham, NC?
- Linemen in the Durham–Chapel Hill, NC area earn a median of $71,400 a year, or $34.33 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $103,990.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Durham, NC?
- The median hourly wage is $34.33. The middle half earn between $28.55 and $48.80 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Durham, NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.18 an hour ($48,220 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $28.55.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Durham, NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $71,400 a year ($34.33 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $101,500–$103,990.
- Do linemen make more in Durham or Charlotte?
- Charlotte pays more: the median is $71,400 in Durham and $81,740 in Charlotte, a 13% difference.
- How does Durham pay compare with the rest of North Carolina?
- The Durham median of $71,400 is 8% less than the North Carolina median of $77,270.
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 20500 (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC). 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 (97.6, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures