Telecom Equipment Installers in the Hickory area earn a median of $58,720 a year, 6% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #255 of 320 metros for telecom equipment installer pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Johnson City and Charlotte, but less in Kingsport.
It's one of 9 North Carolina metros with published pay for this trade; see telecom equipment installers across North Carolina.
Telecom Equipment Installer pay in Hickory at a glance
- Telecom equipment installers in the Hickory, NC metro earn a median $58,720 a year ($28.23 an hour), #255 of 320 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $49,920 and $92,920.
- After local prices, that median buys what $66,361 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $965 a month, 20% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among telecom equipment installers in Hickory.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom equipment installers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (3.8%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.2% since 2020).
Hickory scorecard for telecom equipment installers Our calculation
Grades compare Hickory 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).
Pay over time
The median pay for telecom equipment installers in the Hickory area went from $48,200 in 2020 to $58,720 in 2025, up 21.8%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -2.8% — a real pay cut. Some years are missing because BLS redrew or didn't publish this metro.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Hickory Our calculation
Prices in the Hickory area run 12% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $66,361 would in a typical place, ranking #166 of 319 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
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.
Want the full picture? Build a monthly budget for Hickory from this pay, local rent and prices.
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.
What the work is like Government data
How often telecom equipment installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes medium preparation (vocational training or an apprenticeship, often 1–2+ years).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in North Carolina Official source
The main state licensing office in North Carolina is the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical and plumbing/HVAC have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for telecom equipment installers.
Official North Carolina licensing site ↗
Requirements for telecom equipment installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
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 NC metros for telecom equipment installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| CharlotteNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $72,600 | $74,578 | 1,150 |
| DurhamNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $66,430 | $68,083 | 140 |
| WinstonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $64,360 | $69,924 | 110 |
| JacksonvilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $63,320 | $68,763 | 40 |
| RaleighNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $61,570 | $62,726 | 600 |
| AshevilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $61,000 | $63,209 | 160 |
| GreensboroNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $60,670 | $65,331 | 250 |
| WilmingtonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $60,550 | $62,797 | 140 |
| HickoryNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $58,720 | $66,361 | 120 |
See every metro in North Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Hickory area's unemployment rate was 3.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom equipment installers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.7% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Hickory area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 12% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 82% drive alone, 0% take transit and 7% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Hickory area's population grew 3.2% from 2020 to 2025 (365,142 → 376,890), ranking #159 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +19,572) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Hickory are up 67% from 2021 to 2025 (1,880 → 3,136).
In 2025 the Hickory area approved permits for 3,136 new homes (2,434 single-family), or 8.5 per 1,000 residents, ranking #46 of 393 metros.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $58,720 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. 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 Hickory with another city →
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ToolCheck an offer in HickorySee where it falls among local telecom equipment installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolHickory budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Hickory metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Hickory against every other metro for telecom equipment installers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.
Report a data issue on this page
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.