Best states for a lineman

Q: What is the best state for linemen?

The best state to be a lineman is North Dakota based on lineman salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for linemen?

The highest paying state for linemen is Florida based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for linemen?

The worst state for linemen is Hawaii, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Are you thinking of becoming a lineman and really want to work at Pike? Turns out, your chances to become a lineman are better in some states than others.As linemen are popular in the U.S., we wanted to bring you a list of the best states for linemen. In case you are trying to decide where to start your career as a lineman, or if you are considering moving to a different city or state, we got you covered.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for linemen.North Dakota is the best state, and Juneau is the city with the highest pay for linemen.

10 best states for linemen in 2025

1. North Dakota
Total lineman jobs: 6
Average annual salary: $103,032
Lowest 10 percent earn: $79,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $134,000
Location Quotient:
1.18
Lineman jobs in North Dakota
2. Utah
Total lineman jobs: 20
Average annual salary: $101,790
Lowest 10 percent earn: $73,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
1.15
Lineman jobs in Utah
3. Nevada
Total lineman jobs: 9
Average annual salary: $98,485
Lowest 10 percent earn: $69,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $140,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
Lineman jobs in Nevada
4. Alaska
Total lineman jobs: 9
Average annual salary: $109,150
Lowest 10 percent earn: $95,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $124,000
Location Quotient:
1.97
Lineman jobs in Alaska
5. West Virginia
Total lineman jobs: 9
Average annual salary: $93,807
Lowest 10 percent earn: $61,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $142,000
Location Quotient:
1.08
Lineman jobs in West Virginia
6. Oregon
Total lineman jobs: 35
Average annual salary: $99,683
Lowest 10 percent earn: $77,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000
Location Quotient:
1.55
Lineman jobs in Oregon
7. New Hampshire
Total lineman jobs: 6
Average annual salary: $98,434
Lowest 10 percent earn: $68,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000
Location Quotient:
0.63
Lineman jobs in New Hampshire
8. Kentucky
Total lineman jobs: 22
Average annual salary: $90,282
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $143,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Lineman jobs in Kentucky
9. Michigan
Total lineman jobs: 81
Average annual salary: $90,916
Lowest 10 percent earn: $64,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $128,000
Location Quotient:
1.91
Lineman jobs in Michigan
10. Ohio
Total lineman jobs: 21
Average annual salary: $96,720
Lowest 10 percent earn: $66,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $141,000
Location Quotient:
0.38
Lineman jobs in Ohio

Lineman jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a lineman

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a lineman

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	North Dakota	$103,032	$79,000	755,393	6
2	Utah	$101,790	$73,000	3,101,833	20
3	Nevada	$98,485	$69,000	2,998,039	9
4	Alaska	$109,150	$95,000	739,795	9
5	West Virginia	$93,807	$61,000	1,815,857	9
6	Oregon	$99,683	$77,000	4,142,776	35
7	New Hampshire	$98,434	$68,000	1,342,795	6
8	Kentucky	$90,282	$56,000	4,454,189	22
9	Michigan	$90,916	$64,000	9,962,311	81
10	Ohio	$96,720	$66,000	11,658,609	21
11	Nebraska	$95,393	$66,000	1,920,076	8
12	Connecticut	$99,083	$68,000	3,588,184	8
13	Wyoming	$89,537	$65,000	579,315	7
14	California	$105,619	$74,000	39,536,653	65
15	Vermont	$98,568	$68,000	623,657	0
16	Massachusetts	$98,631	$68,000	6,859,819	13
17	Washington	$100,681	$79,000	7,405,743	18
18	Kansas	$85,014	$55,000	2,913,123	25
19	Idaho	$89,833	$68,000	1,716,943	7
20	Montana	$88,644	$69,000	1,050,493	11
21	Mississippi	$75,559	$40,000	2,984,100	37
22	Arkansas	$76,366	$44,000	3,004,279	26
23	New Mexico	$82,928	$50,000	2,088,070	9
24	Illinois	$91,847	$64,000	12,802,023	22
25	Rhode Island	$90,521	$62,000	1,059,639	1
26	Delaware	$89,049	$60,000	961,939	3
27	Colorado	$88,392	$61,000	5,607,154	22
28	North Carolina	$74,724	$43,000	10,273,419	106
29	Arizona	$84,595	$53,000	7,016,270	17
30	Pennsylvania	$85,143	$58,000	12,805,537	30
31	District of Columbia	$87,886	$58,000	693,972	6
32	Minnesota	$89,703	$65,000	5,576,606	9
33	Alabama	$67,495	$36,000	4,874,747	51
34	Missouri	$82,087	$52,000	6,113,532	16
35	Texas	$68,891	$36,000	28,304,596	117
36	South Carolina	$64,988	$35,000	5,024,369	109
37	Indiana	$78,355	$52,000	6,666,818	25
38	South Dakota	$83,299	$61,000	869,666	0
39	Georgia	$63,342	$34,000	10,429,379	144
40	Louisiana	$60,694	$31,000	4,684,333	41
41	Wisconsin	$82,304	$59,000	5,795,483	2
42	Oklahoma	$69,771	$41,000	3,930,864	12
43	Maryland	$78,226	$52,000	6,052,177	27
44	Tennessee	$72,358	$41,000	6,715,984	14
45	New Jersey	$77,689	$53,000	9,005,644	24
46	Iowa	$78,382	$55,000	3,145,711	4
47	Florida	$53,116	$25,000	20,984,400	221
48	Virginia	$68,657	$43,000	8,470,020	60
49	Maine	$78,677	$54,000	1,335,907	1
50	New York	$77,900	$53,000	19,849,399	24
51	Hawaii	$78,539	$66,000	1,427,538	0

Highest paying states for linemen

Rank	State	Avg. Lineman Salary
1	North Dakota	$103,032
2	Utah	$101,790
3	Nevada	$98,485
4	Alaska	$109,150
5	West Virginia	$93,807
6	Oregon	$99,683
7	New Hampshire	$98,434
8	Kentucky	$90,282
9	Michigan	$90,916
10	Ohio	$96,720
11	Nebraska	$95,393
12	Connecticut	$99,083
13	Wyoming	$89,537
14	California	$105,619
15	Vermont	$98,568
16	Massachusetts	$98,631
17	Washington	$100,681
18	Kansas	$85,014
19	Idaho	$89,833
20	Montana	$88,644
21	Mississippi	$75,559
22	Arkansas	$76,366
23	New Mexico	$82,928
24	Illinois	$91,847
25	Rhode Island	$90,521
26	Delaware	$89,049
27	Colorado	$88,392
28	North Carolina	$74,724
29	Arizona	$84,595
30	Pennsylvania	$85,143
31	District of Columbia	$87,886
32	Minnesota	$89,703
33	Alabama	$67,495
34	Missouri	$82,087
35	Texas	$68,891
36	South Carolina	$64,988
37	Indiana	$78,355
38	South Dakota	$83,299
39	Georgia	$63,342
40	Louisiana	$60,694
41	Wisconsin	$82,304
42	Oklahoma	$69,771
43	Maryland	$78,226
44	Tennessee	$72,358
45	New Jersey	$77,689
46	Iowa	$78,382
47	Florida	$53,116
48	Virginia	$68,657
49	Maine	$78,677
50	New York	$77,900
51	Hawaii	$78,539

Lineman best states FAQs

What is the best state for linemen?

What is the highest paying state for linemen?

What is the worst state for linemen?

Have more questions? See all answers to common installation, maintenance and repair questions.

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Lineman
Best states for Linemen

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total lineman jobs:	6
Average annual salary:	$103,032
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$79,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$134,000
Location Quotient:	1.18

Best states for a lineman

10 best states for linemen in 2025

1. North Dakota

2. Utah

3. Nevada

4. Alaska

5. West Virginia

6. Oregon

7. New Hampshire

8. Kentucky

9. Michigan

10. Ohio