Telecom Line Installers in the Merced area earn a median of $96,520 a year, 46% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #30 of 235 metros for telecom line installer pay nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Modesto and San Jose, but less in Fresno.
It's one of 21 California metros with published pay for this trade; see telecom line installers across California.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom line 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 higher than in most metros (10.2%) and the population is growing faster than most (+5.1% since 2020).
Merced scorecard for telecom line installers Our calculation
Grades compare Merced 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 ($66,250).
Pay over time
The median pay for telecom line installers in the Merced area went from $98,420 in 2023 to $96,520 in 2025, down 1.9%. Prices rose 6% over the same period, so after inflation that's -7.2% — a real pay cut.
BLS OEWS, May 2023–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among telecom line installers in Merced.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What the pay is really worth in Merced Our calculation
Prices in Merced run 2% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $98,214 would in a typical place, ranking #16 of 233 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 Merced from this pay, local rent and prices.
What telecom line installers do
Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Splice cables, using hand tools, epoxy, or mechanical equipment.
- Inspect or test lines or cables, recording and analyzing test results, to assess transmission characteristics and locate faults or malfunctions.
- Clean or maintain tools or test equipment.
- Set up service for customers, installing, connecting, testing, or adjusting equipment, such as digital subscriber line modems.
- Access specific areas to string lines, or install terminal boxes, auxiliary equipment, or appliances, using bucket trucks, climbing poles or ladders, or entering tunnels, trenches, or crawl spaces.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, telecom line installer jobs are projected to shrink 3.4% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 8,000 openings a year. About 5% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often telecom line installers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for telecom line installers.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for telecom line installers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, telecom line installers have 379 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 4.4× 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 line installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $107,310 | $97,181 | 390 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $103,500 | $89,523 | 1,240 |
| El CentroCALIFORNIA · CA | $101,650 | $106,804 | 40 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $100,970 | $92,597 | 50 |
| StocktonCALIFORNIA · CA | $100,460 | $95,595 | 120 |
| ModestoCALIFORNIA · CA | $100,400 | $96,438 | 120 |
| San Luis ObispoCALIFORNIA · CA | $99,840 | $91,937 | 80 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $99,560 | $92,370 | 180 |
| ChicoCALIFORNIA · CA | $99,040 | $97,869 | 50 |
| VallejoCALIFORNIA · CA | $97,980 | $90,322 | 120 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Merced area's unemployment rate was 10.2% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom line installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 10.3% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Merced area is 32 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 25% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 74% 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).
Population
The Merced area's population grew 5.1% from 2020 to 2025 (282,895 → 297,260), ranking #97 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +6,472) account for part of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Merced are down 23% from 2021 to 2025 (1,017 → 780).
In 2025 the Merced area approved permits for 780 new homes (697 single-family), or 2.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #244 of 393 metros.
Working outdoors in Merced Government data
In an average year, Merced has 100 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 23 at 100°F or more, 28 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 27 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 94°F and winter nights 37°F. That matters for telecom line installers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Merced Muni Airport, CA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $96,520 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 line installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Merced with another city →
Keep exploring
Could this trade pay more somewhere else?
ToolBest cities for telecom line installersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in MercedSee where it falls among local telecom line installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolMerced budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Merced 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 Merced against every other metro for telecom line 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 line installers as a separate industry, so that section is left out.