Telecom Line Installers in the Portland area earn a median of $61,520 a year, 7% below the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #155 of 235 metros for telecom line installers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in Olympia and Yakima, but less in Salem.
It's one of 5 Oregon metros with published pay for this trade; see telecom line installer pay in Oregon.
What this means Our calculation
Pay for telecom line installers here is below average compared with other U.S. metros, and in the bottom 20% once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (4.9%) and the population is growing slowly (+1.0% since 2020).
Portland scorecard for telecom line installers Our calculation
Grades compare Portland 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 Portland area went from $58,270 in 2020 to $61,520 in 2025, up 5.6%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's -15.8% — a real pay cut.
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 Portland.
Comparing two real offers with overtime and commutes? Use the job offer checker.
What the pay is really worth in Portland Our calculation
Prices in Portland run 5% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $58,356 would in a typical place, ranking #197 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 Portland 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 Oregon Official source
The main state licensing office in Oregon is the Oregon Construction Contractors Board. It can point you to the right license for telecom line installers.
Official Oregon 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 OR metros for telecom line installers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| PortlandOREGON · OR | $61,520 | $58,356 | 430 |
| CorvallisOREGON · OR | $60,420 | $58,087 | 40 |
| BendOREGON · OR | $58,200 | $56,174 | 50 |
| SalemOREGON · OR | $57,750 | $55,717 | 140 |
| EugeneOREGON · OR | $55,550 | $54,692 | 40 |
See every metro in Oregon.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Portland area's unemployment rate was 4.9% 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 Portland area is 25 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 14% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 63% drive alone, 3% take transit and 20% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Portland area's population grew 1.0% from 2020 to 2025 (2,517,518 → 2,542,282), ranking #251 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +10,189) account for part of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
New construction
New-home permits in Portland are down 45% from 2021 to 2025 (15,023 → 8,318).
In 2025 the Portland area approved permits for 8,318 new homes (6,133 single-family), or 3.3 per 1,000 residents, ranking #204 of 393 metros.
Working outdoors in Portland Government data
In an average year, Portland has 16 days at 90°F or hotter (fewer than most metros; typical metro 33), including 1 at 100°F or more, 28 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 101 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 79°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, Portland Troutdale Airport, OR 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 $61,520 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 Portland with another city →
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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 PortlandSee where it falls among local telecom line installers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolPortland budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Portland 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 Portland 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.