Lineman salary in Madison, WI
Updated September 26, 2026 with BLS data from May 2025
Linemen in the Madison, WI area earn a median of $104,220 a year, or $50.11 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $121,000. That's 2% less than the Wisconsin median of $105,820.
- Apprentice starting pay (estimate)
- $22.89/hr
- Jobs in this area
- 360
- After cost of living
- $107,130
- Median hourly pay
- $50.11/hr
- vs U.S. median
- +9%
- vs Wisconsin median
- −2%
Apprentice and journeyman lineman pay
| Stage | Yearly pay | Hourly pay |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice | $47,600–$76,640$22.89–$36.85/hr | |
| Journeyman | $104,220$50.11/hr | |
| Top earners | $118,340–$121,000$56.90–$58.18/hr |
Estimated from BLS percentiles (10th–25th, median, 75th–90th); BLS does not report pay by license level.
How Madison, WI compares
- Madison ranks 7th of 11 Wisconsin metro areas for lineman pay.
- Linemen hold about the same share of jobs in the Madison area as nationally: 0.9 of every 1,000 jobs.
- The 90th-percentile wage, $121,000, is 2.5 times the 10th-percentile wage, $47,600: a measure of how much pay rises with experience and specialty.
Other Wisconsin metro areas
Other trades in Madison, WI
Questions
- How much do linemen make in Madison, WI?
- Linemen in the Madison, WI area earn a median of $104,220 a year, or $50.11 an hour, according to May 2025 BLS data. One in ten earns more than $121,000.
- How much do linemen make an hour in Madison, WI?
- The median hourly wage is $50.11. The middle half earn between $36.85 and $56.90 an hour. (BLS, May 2025.)
- What do apprentice linemen make in Madison, WI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level. The 10th-percentile wage, $22.89 an hour ($47,600 a year), is a reasonable estimate of starting pay; the 25th percentile is $36.85.
- How much does a journeyman lineman make in Madison, WI?
- BLS doesn't report pay by license level, but the median, $104,220 a year ($50.11 an hour), is a fair estimate of typical journeyman pay. Master-level and top earners are closer to the 75th to 90th percentiles, $118,340–$121,000.
- Do linemen make more in Madison or Milwaukee?
- Milwaukee pays more: the median is $104,220 in Madison and $109,000 in Milwaukee, a 4% difference.
- How does Madison pay compare with the rest of Wisconsin?
- The Madison median of $104,220 is 2% less than the Wisconsin median of $105,820.
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 31540 (Madison, WI). 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 (97.3, where the U.S. average is 100). Page updated September 26, 2026. How we calculate these figures