How Much Does a Telecommunications Tech Make? (2024)
Electrical · SOC Code 49-2022 · 4-year apprenticeship
The average telecommunications tech earns $66,876 per year ($32/hour) as of 2024, according to BLS data. Yearly income ranges from $57,740 to $85,670 depending on city, with entry-level workers earning about $56,410 and top earners making $130,410+.
Yes — top-decile telecommunications techs clear $100K in 3 of 30 metros
The 90th-percentile telecommunications tech in San Francisco, CA earns $130,410 per year ($63/hour). Reaching that tier typically takes journeyman-to-master progression plus union membership, specialization, or running a small contracting business. Median telecommunications tech pay nationally is $66,876 — the $100K mark is the high-earner ceiling, not the middle.
National Salary Range
Telecommunications Tech salaries range from $57,740 to $85,670 median across cities, depending on location, union membership, and experience level.
Telecommunications Tech Salary by City
| City | Median | Range (10th-90th) | COL-Adjusted | Grade | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | $85,670 | $56,410 – $130,410 | $45,089 | D | 2,070 |
| New Orleans, LA | $81,110 | $59,480 – $95,820 | $85,379 | C | 680 |
| Boston, MA | $80,880 | $53,830 – $103,860 | $53,211 | D | 0 |
| Seattle, WA | $77,210 | $49,890 – $98,870 | $51,819 | D | 1,880 |
| Portland, OR | $74,460 | $46,170 – $98,290 | $57,277 | D | 1,310 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $74,080 | $52,840 – $98,420 | $44,627 | D | 4,790 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $72,470 | $48,030 – $89,200 | $68,368 | C | 870 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $71,250 | $50,050 – $76,980 | $68,510 | C | 780 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $71,200 | $48,580 – $95,310 | $61,913 | C | 2,130 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $69,100 | $46,060 – $90,170 | $66,442 | C | 1,110 |
| Charlotte, NC | $68,760 | $48,180 – $92,070 | $70,163 | C | 1,870 |
| Denver, CO | $67,820 | $51,290 – $96,750 | $52,984 | D | 1,890 |
| Chicago, IL | $67,310 | $44,940 – $99,100 | $62,907 | C | 4,410 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | $66,780 | $45,310 – $97,950 | $72,587 | C | 830 |
| New York, NY | $65,250 | $45,120 – $110,040 | $34,893 | D | 7,400 |
| Kansas City, MO | $63,140 | $40,340 – $84,000 | $67,170 | C | 1,030 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $63,110 | $46,700 – $78,930 | $69,352 | C | 540 |
| St. Louis, MO | $62,890 | $35,860 – $90,800 | $69,878 | C | 1,730 |
| Detroit, MI | $62,870 | $45,970 – $97,080 | $70,640 | C | 2,500 |
| Columbus, OH | $62,360 | $47,770 – $99,450 | $67,054 | C | 780 |
| Miami, FL | $61,480 | $48,400 – $94,210 | $50,393 | D | 3,680 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $61,350 | $39,980 – $92,270 | $59,563 | C | 1,610 |
| Raleigh, NC | $61,270 | $48,280 – $81,230 | $61,270 | C | 970 |
| Tampa, FL | $60,690 | $47,270 – $88,690 | $60,089 | C | 1,390 |
| Nashville, TN | $59,640 | $42,680 – $95,060 | $57,903 | D | 820 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $59,630 | $49,740 – $76,660 | $62,115 | C | 750 |
| San Antonio, TX | $59,470 | $36,240 – $83,790 | $66,078 | C | 980 |
| Atlanta, GA | $58,690 | $45,630 – $95,190 | $55,368 | D | 4,750 |
| Dallas, TX | $58,590 | $35,900 – $86,850 | $57,441 | D | 6,100 |
| Houston, TX | $57,740 | $36,070 – $81,010 | $60,146 | C | 3,710 |
About Telecommunications Tech Pay
Telecommunications Techs earn a national median salary of $66,876 based on 2024 BLS occupational wage data. The highest-paying city for this trade is San Francisco at $85,670 median, while Houston offers the lowest at $57,740.
Becoming a telecommunications tech typically requires a 4-year apprenticeship program. Entry-level workers (10th percentile) can expect around $56,410, while master-level tradespeople (90th percentile) earn $130,410 or more. With 1% wage growth over the past 5 years, this trade is growing at a steady pace.
See how this compares to other trades on our highest paying trades ranking, or browse the best cities for trade workers.
Thinking about becoming a telecommunications tech?
Step-by-step path: 4-year apprenticeship, certifications, state licensing, and apprentice-to-master pay timeline.
Related Electrical Trades
Frequently Asked Questions
The average telecommunications tech salary is $66,876 per year ($32/hour) based on 2024 BLS OEWS data. Average yearly income ranges from $57,740 to $85,670 depending on city, experience, and union status.
Telecommunications Techs earn an average hourly wage of $32/hour based on a 2,080-hour work year. Entry-level (10th percentile) hourly pay is about $27/hour, while top earners (90th percentile) make $63/hour or more.
San Francisco offers the highest median pay for telecommunications techs at $85,670. However, cost of living matters, the COL-adjusted pay may tell a different story. Check our city-by-city breakdown above.
With a Trade Pay Score of C and 1% wage growth over 5 years, telecommunications tech offers steady career prospects. There are approximately 63,360 jobs nationwide across 30 metro areas.
Becoming a telecommunications tech typically requires a 4-year apprenticeship program combining on-the-job training with classroom instruction. Entry-level pay starts around $56,410 (10th percentile).
Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) 2024. Trade Pay Scores are a composite of median wage vs. metro income, wage growth, job demand, and COL-adjusted pay.
The this entity record above pulls directly from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. What follows is the per-entity context — how this entity sits in the broader U.S. skilled-trade wage data distribution and which underlying factors drive the headline numbers.
Every number on this page links back to the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey; the methodology page describes the inputs, refresh cadence, and known limitations of the underlying data product.
Practical use of this page is in combination with the comparison and ranking pages elsewhere on the site, which surface the same data for this entity’s peers within U.S. trades, cities, and states. A single-entity reading without peer context can be misleading when an entity is an outlier on one axis but typical on another.