Telecom Line Installers in the Santa Maria area earn a median of $95,340 a year, 44% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #34 of 235 U.S. metros nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Luis Obispo and Bakersfield, but less in Oxnard.
Santa Maria scorecard for telecom line installers Our calculation
Grades compare Santa Maria 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 Santa Maria area went from $85,270 in 2023 to $95,340 in 2025, up 11.8%. Prices rose 6% over the same period, so after inflation that's +5.8% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2023–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 Santa Maria Our calculation
Prices in the Santa Maria area run 9% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $87,630 would in a typical place, ranking #52 of 233 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 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.
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 Santa Maria area's unemployment rate was 4.8% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom line installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 5.8% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Santa Maria area is 21 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 10% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 66% drive alone, 3% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Santa Maria area's population shrank 1.4% from 2020 to 2025 (448,325 → 442,065), ranking #350 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). More people moved out than in (net -15,917).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Santa Maria are up 19% from 2021 to 2025 (1,152 → 1,371).
In 2025 the Santa Maria area approved permits for 1,371 new homes (433 single-family), or 3.1 per 1,000 residents, ranking #215 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 $95,340 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 line installer pricing & estimate templates →Compare Santa Maria 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.
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.