Telecom Line Installers in the Winston area earn a median of $48,170 a year, 27% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #222 of 235 metros for telecom line installer salaries across the U.S..
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Hickory and Charlotte.
It's one of 8 North Carolina metros with published pay for this trade; see statewide telecom line installer pay.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom line installers here is in the bottom 20% of U.S. metros, and also in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is about the same as in most metros (3.9%) and the population is growing faster than most (+5.3% since 2020).
Winston scorecard for telecom line installers Our calculation
Grades compare Winston 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 Winston area went from $54,000 in 2020 to $48,170 in 2025, down 10.8%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -28.9% — a real pay cut. Some years are missing because BLS redrew or didn't publish this metro.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–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 Winston.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What the pay is really worth in Winston Our calculation
Prices in the Winston area run 8% below the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $52,334 would in a typical place, ranking #217 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 Winston budget on this pay 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 North Carolina Official source
The main state licensing office in North Carolina is the North Carolina Licensing Board for General Contractors. Electrical and plumbing/HVAC have their own state boards. It can point you to the right license for telecom line installers.
Official North Carolina 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 NC metros for telecom line installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| HickoryNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $64,100 | $72,441 | 40 |
| WilmingtonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $59,470 | $61,677 | 290 |
| CharlotteNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $59,080 | $60,689 | 760 |
| AshevilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $58,190 | $60,297 | 110 |
| FayettevilleNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $50,710 | $55,133 | 80 |
| RaleighNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $50,020 | $50,959 | 360 |
| DurhamNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $49,800 | $51,039 | 70 |
| WinstonNORTH CAROLINA · NC | $48,170 | $52,334 | 140 |
See every metro in North Carolina.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Winston area's unemployment rate was 3.9% in 2025 (all workers, not just telecom line installers), below 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 Winston area is 24 minutes each way, about the same as the typical metro (24 min). 11% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 76% drive alone, 1% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Winston area's population grew 5.3% from 2020 to 2025 (676,371 → 712,206), ranking #91 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +39,797) account for more than all of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Winston are up 12% from 2021 to 2025 (4,206 → 4,699).
In 2025 the Winston area approved permits for 4,699 new homes (4,342 single-family), or 6.8 per 1,000 residents, ranking #86 of 393 metros.
Working outdoors in Winston Government data
In an average year, Winston has 33 days at 90°F or hotter (about typical; typical metro 33), 64 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 76 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 86°F and winter nights 32°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, Winston Salem Rynlds Airport, NC 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 $48,170 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 Winston with another city →
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ToolCheck an offer in WinstonSee where it falls among local telecom line installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolWinston budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Winston 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 Winston 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.