Telecom Equipment Installers in the Fargo area earn a median of $74,460 a year, 20% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #62 of 320 metros for telecom equipment installer pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Grand Forks and Bismarck, but less in Sioux Falls.
It's one of 3 North Dakota metros with published pay for this trade; see telecom equipment installers across North Dakota.
Telecom Equipment Installer pay in Fargo at a glance
- Telecom equipment installers in the Fargo, ND metro earn a median $74,460 a year ($35.80 an hour), #62 of 320 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $50,800 and $98,910.
- After local prices, that median buys what $81,940 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $903 a month, 15% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among telecom equipment installers in Fargo.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom equipment installers here is in the top 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is lower than in most metros (2.7%) and the population is growing faster than most (+7.7% since 2020).
Fargo scorecard for telecom equipment installers Our calculation
Grades compare Fargo 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 Fargo area went from $61,960 in 2020 to $74,460 in 2025, up 20.2%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -4.2% — a real pay cut.
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 Fargo Our calculation
Prices in Fargo run 9% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $81,940 would in a typical place, ranking #26 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 Fargo 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 Dakota Official source
The main state licensing office in North Dakota is the North Dakota Secretary of State. Contractor licensing; electricians and plumbers have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for telecom equipment installers.
Official North Dakota 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 ND metros for telecom equipment installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| BismarckNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $89,260 | $98,062 | 70 |
| Grand ForksNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $88,820 | $102,489 | 80 |
| FargoNORTH DAKOTA · ND | $74,460 | $81,940 | 110 |
See every metro in North Dakota.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Fargo area's unemployment rate was 2.7% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom equipment installers), below the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 2.5% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Fargo area is 17 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 5% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 77% drive alone, 1% take transit and 9% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Fargo area's population grew 7.7% from 2020 to 2025 (250,255 → 269,528), ranking #57 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +13,068) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Fargo are down 35% from 2021 to 2025 (2,289 → 1,498).
In 2025 the Fargo area approved permits for 1,498 new homes (812 single-family), or 5.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #110 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 $74,460 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 Fargo with another city →
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ToolBest cities for telecom equipment installersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in FargoSee where it falls among local telecom equipment installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolFargo budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Fargo 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 Fargo 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.