Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers
Install or repair cables or wires used in electrical power or distribution systems. May erect poles and light or heavy duty transmission towers.
Also called: Class Gloving Electrical Lineman, Class Rubber Gloving Lineman, Electrical Lineman, Electrical Lineworker, Lineworker, Power Lineman
- Median pay in Greater Boston
- $111,490
- $53.60/hr
- Jobs in Greater Boston
- 1,550
- Massachusetts 2024–2034
- +13.3%
- 240 openings a year
- Typical U.S. entry requirement
- High school diploma or equivalent
- plus Long-term on-the-job training
Greater Boston: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area, May 2025. Growth and openings: Massachusetts statewide projection.
Pay range in Greater Boston
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $81,230 | $94,370 | $111,490 | $126,620 | $128,560 |
10% of workers earn less than the first figure and 10% earn more than the last.
What you’d do
- Adhere to safety practices and procedures, such as checking equipment regularly and erecting barriers around work areas.
- Drive vehicles equipped with tools and materials to job sites.
- Open switches or attach grounding devices to remove electrical hazards from disturbed or fallen lines or to facilitate repairs.
- Climb poles or use truck-mounted buckets to access equipment.
- Install, maintain, and repair electrical distribution and transmission systems, including conduits, cables, wires, and related equipment, such as transformers, circuit breakers, and switches.
- Inspect and test power lines and auxiliary equipment to locate and identify problems, using reading and testing instruments.
AI and this job
AI exposure: how much of this job’s work AI tools can do or help with, based on national research. It is not a forecast of job loss.
Lower exposure10 of 100
The index averages three national research measures, each shown as a percentile of all jobs:
- AIOE 13
- Language-model AIOE 14
- GPTs-are-GPTs 3
Observed AI use today: Little or none (Anthropic Economic Index)
AI exposure for this job is lower, and observed AI use is little or none. AI tools might help with things like planning routes or keeping records. The core work is physical and hands-on: climbing poles, using bucket trucks, making lines safe, and repairing equipment outdoors. AI tools do not do those tasks.
Likely to change
- Planning routes and job schedules
- Keeping equipment and safety records
Still relies on people
- Climbing poles and working from buckets
- Making fallen or damaged lines safe
Written with AI from the data on this page. Check with a career coach before making a decision.
Next steps from here
Related jobs that build on what you already do.
Structural Iron and Steel Workers
Safety habits and hands-on field work carry over. This move offers a higher Boston median pay of $120,840 and apprenticeship training.
- Pay difference
- +$9,350 median
- AI exposure
- Lower
- MA growth
- +6.1%
- To get started
- High school diploma or equivalent
Training near Boston
College and school programs in the Boston metro area that lead to this job, with 2023-24 completions (IPEDS).
No college programs near Boston map to this job. Many people enter through on-the-job training or apprenticeship.
Talk to a career coach at the Office of Workforce Development about apprenticeships and City partner programs.
Related occupations
- Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
- Helpers--Electricians
- Electricians
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
- Hoist and Winch Operators
- Riggers
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers
- Pipelayers
- Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
- Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
Talk to a career coach
A coach at the Office of Workforce Development can help you plan your next step, and connect you with training, apprenticeships and City partner programs that are not listed here.
Talk to a career coach