Telecom Equipment Installers in the Watertown area earn a median of $69,120 a year, 11% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #98 of 320 metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Rochester, but less in Utica.
It's one of 10 New York metros with published pay for this trade; see telecom equipment installers across New York.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom equipment installers here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and in the top 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.5%) and the population is shrinking (-3.9% since 2020).
A summary of the numbers on this page; nothing here is estimated beyond them.
Watertown scorecard for telecom equipment installers Our calculation
Grades compare Watertown 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 Watertown area went from $51,900 in 2020 to $69,120 in 2025, up 33.2%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +6.2% — a real raise.
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 Watertown Our calculation
Prices in Watertown run 12% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $78,823 would in a typical place, ranking #40 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.
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 New York Official source
New York licenses most trades at the city or county level (e.g. New York City). Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
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 NY metros for telecom equipment installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| New YorkNEW YORK · NY | $75,900 | $67,429 | 5,820 |
| RochesterNEW YORK · NY | $73,870 | $76,127 | 330 |
| WatertownNEW YORK · NY | $69,120 | $78,823 | 40 |
| BinghamtonNEW YORK · NY | $63,920 | $68,833 | 50 |
| Kiryas JoelNEW YORK · NY | $62,980 | $57,557 | 160 |
| KingstonNEW YORK · NY | $62,830 | $62,388 | 50 |
| AlbanyNEW YORK · NY | $61,560 | $61,828 | 290 |
| SyracuseNEW YORK · NY | $61,550 | $64,287 | 160 |
| BuffaloNEW YORK · NY | $61,080 | $63,729 | 210 |
| UticaNEW YORK · NY | $58,770 | $63,413 | 120 |
See every metro in New York.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Watertown area's unemployment rate was 4.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom equipment installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.1% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Watertown area is 20 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 79% drive alone, 1% take transit and 7% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Watertown area's population shrank 3.9% from 2020 to 2025 (116,075 → 111,540), ranking #383 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -7,875).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Watertown are up 79% from 2021 to 2025 (161 → 288).
In 2025 the Watertown area approved permits for 288 new homes (226 single-family), or 2.5 per 1,000 residents, ranking #260 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 $69,120 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for. Change any number.
Minimum billing rate
How this calculator works. 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 Watertown with another city →
About this data
- Pay: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2025, local to this metro.
- Pay over time: BLS OEWS May 2020–2025, local; inflation from the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).
- 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.
- Housing: Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year, local (age of homes, ownership, home values).
- Population: Census Bureau population estimates, 2020–2025, 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.
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.