Telecom Equipment Installers in the El Centro area earn a median of $89,600 a year, 44% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #6 of 320 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in San Diego.
El Centro scorecard for telecom equipment installers Our calculation
Grades compare El Centro with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($62,240).
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in El Centro Our calculation
Prices in El Centro run 5% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $94,143 would in a typical place, ranking #7 of 319 on real pay.
Two different views, don't combine them. Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
What telecom equipment installers do
Install, set up, rearrange, or remove switching, distribution, routing, and dialing equipment used in central offices or headends. Service or repair telephone, cable television, Internet, and other communications equipment on customers' property. May install communications equipment or communications wiring in buildings.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Note differences in wire and cable colors so that work can be performed correctly.
- Test circuits and components of malfunctioning telecommunications equipment to isolate sources of malfunctions, using test meters, circuit diagrams, polarity probes, and other hand tools.
- Drive crew trucks to and from work areas.
- Assemble and install communication equipment such as data and telephone communication lines, wiring, switching equipment, wiring frames, power apparatus, computer systems, and networks.
- Inspect equipment on a regular basis to ensure proper functioning.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, telecom equipment installer jobs are projected to shrink 3.3% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 11,300 openings a year. About 1% are self-employed.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, telecom equipment installers have 168 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is overexertion and repetitive strain.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for telecom equipment installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $92,290 | $79,827 | 1,850 |
| El CentroCALIFORNIA · CA | $89,600 | $94,143 | 50 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $87,950 | $79,648 | 1,060 |
| Yuba CityCALIFORNIA · CA | $86,140 | $82,642 | 40 |
| Santa CruzCALIFORNIA · CA | $83,030 | $75,553 | 60 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $79,410 | $73,675 | 120 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $77,890 | $71,431 | 90 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $76,970 | $68,793 | 1,030 |
| Santa MariaCALIFORNIA · CA | $75,690 | $69,569 | 110 |
| ChicoCALIFORNIA · CA | $75,190 | $74,301 | 40 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The El Centro area's unemployment rate was 18.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom equipment installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 18.0% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the El Centro area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 1% take transit and 6% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
New construction
New-home permits in El Centro are down 56% from 2021 to 2025 (555 → 242).
In 2025 the El Centro area approved permits for 242 new homes (224 single-family), or 1.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #342 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the minimum you'd need to bill to match a $89,600 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get telecom equipment installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare El Centro with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Real pay: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024, local.
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2027, local (county rents weighted by population).
- Job outlook, education, training: BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national.
- Duties: O*NET 31.0, national.
- Safety: BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024, national.
- New construction: Census Building Permits, 2021–2025, local.
- Commute: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local, all workers.
- Unemployment: BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, 2021–2025 annual averages, local, all workers (2025 preliminary).
- Competition: Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 and County Business Patterns 2023, local, reported by industry, so related trades can share one figure.
- Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions. Grades rank this metro against all others for the same trade.
The Census doesn't publish one-person business or competition figures for telecom equipment installers as a separate industry, so that section is left out.