Lineman salary in Olympia, WA
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in the Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater, WA area earn a median of $135,450 a year, or $65.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $152,380. Across all of Washington, the median is $133,060, so Olympia pays 2% more than the state as a whole.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $48.84/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 50
- After cost of living
- $130,650
- Median hourly pay
- $65.12/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +42%
- vs Washington median
- +2%
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $101,590–$127,200$48.84–$61.15/hr | |
| Journeyman | $135,450$65.12/hr | |
| Top earners | $148,710–$152,380$71.49–$73.26/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Olympia, WA compares
- Olympia has the highest lineman median of the 9 Washington metro areas with published pay.
- Linemen are less concentrated in the Olympia area than nationally: 0.4 of every 1,000 jobs, 0.44 times the U.S. share.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $152,380, is 1.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $101,590: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Washington metro areas
Other trades in Olympia, WA
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Olympia, WA?
- Linemen in the Olympia–Lacey–Tumwater, WA area earn a median of $135,450 a year, or $65.12 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. The top 10% earn more than $152,380.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Olympia, WA?
- The median hourly wage is $65.12. The middle half earn between $61.15 and $71.49 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Olympia, WA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $48.84 an hour ($101,590 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $61.15.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Olympia, WA?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $135,450 a year ($65.12 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $148,710–$152,380.
- Do linemen make more in Olympia or Portland?
- Pay is about the same: the median is $135,450 in Olympia and $135,300 in Portland.
- How does Olympia pay compare with the rest of Washington?
- The Olympia median of $135,450 is 2% more than the Washington median of $133,060.
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 36500 (Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA). 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 (103.7, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures