Lineman salary in Virginia Beach, VA-NC
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in the Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk, VA-NC area earn a median of $68,350 a year, or $32.86 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $100,520. Statewide, linemen earn a median of $76,590; Virginia Beach is 11% below it.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $23.64/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 420
- After cost of living
- $69,790
- Median hourly pay
- $32.86/hr
- vs U.S. median
- −28%
- vs Virginia median
- −11%
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $49,170–$60,370$23.64–$29.02/hr | |
| Journeyman | $68,350$32.86/hr | |
| Top earners | $86,700–$100,520$41.68–$48.33/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Virginia Beach, VA-NC compares
- Virginia Beach has the lowest lineman median of the 6 Virginia metro areas with published pay.
- Linemen are less concentrated in the Virginia Beach area than nationally: 0.6 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.66 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $100,520, is 2.0 times the 10th-percentile wage, $49,170: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Virginia metro areas
Other trades in Virginia Beach, VA-NC
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Virginia Beach, VA-NC?
- Linemen in the Virginia Beach–Chesapeake–Norfolk, VA-NC area earn a median of $68,350 a year, or $32.86 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $100,520.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Virginia Beach, VA-NC?
- The median hourly wage is $32.86. The middle half earn between $29.02 and $41.68 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Virginia Beach, VA-NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $23.64 an hour ($49,170 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $29.02.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Virginia Beach, VA-NC?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $68,350 a year ($32.86 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $86,700–$100,520.
- Do linemen make more in Virginia Beach or Washington?
- Washington pays more: the median is $68,350 in Virginia Beach and $95,480 in Washington, a 28% difference.
- How does Virginia Beach pay compare with the rest of Virginia?
- The Virginia Beach median of $68,350 is 11% less than the Virginia median of $76,590.
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 47260 (Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-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 (97.9, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures