Telecom Line Installers in the Paducah area earn a median of $66,250 a year, 0% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #118 of 235 metros for telecom line installers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays less in Clarksville.
It's one of 4 Kentucky metros with published pay for this trade; see telecom line installer pay in Kentucky.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom line installers here is about average compared with other U.S. metros, and also about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.6%) and the population is shrinking (-1.2% since 2020).
Paducah scorecard for telecom line installers Our calculation
Grades compare Paducah 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).
Compared with nearby metros
Check your pay here
Enter a rate to see where it falls among telecom line installers in Paducah.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What the pay is really worth in Paducah Our calculation
Prices in Paducah run 14% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $76,960 would in a typical place, ranking #102 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 cost-of-living budget for Paducah 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 Kentucky Official source
The main state licensing office in Kentucky is the Kentucky Department of Housing, Buildings and Construction. The state licenses electrical, plumbing and HVAC; general contractors are licensed locally. It can point you to the right license for telecom line installers.
Official Kentucky 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 KY metros for telecom line installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louisville/Jefferson CountyKENTUCKY · KY | $75,610 | $81,236 | 790 |
| PaducahKENTUCKY · KY | $66,250 | $76,960 | 70 |
| ElizabethtownKENTUCKY · KY | $64,710 | $71,446 | 50 |
| LexingtonKENTUCKY · KY | $62,800 | $67,608 | 200 |
See every metro in Kentucky.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Paducah area's unemployment rate was 4.6% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom line installers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 4.9% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Paducah area is 20 minutes each way, shorter than the typical metro (24 min). 8% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 81% 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 Paducah area's population shrank 1.2% from 2020 to 2025 (103,454 → 102,259), ranking #337 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%).
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Paducah are down 9% from 2024 to 2025 (195 → 178).
In 2025 the Paducah area approved permits for 178 new homes (96 single-family), or 1.7 per 1,000 residents, ranking #318 of 393 metros.
Working outdoors in Paducah Government data
In an average year, Paducah has 50 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 1 at 100°F or more, 83 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 76 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more, and 9 inches of snow. Summer afternoons average 89°F and winter nights 30°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, Paducah, KY 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 $66,250 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 Paducah with another city →
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ToolCheck an offer in PaducahSee where it falls among local telecom line installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolPaducah budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Paducah 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 Paducah 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.