Skilled Wages

Lineman salary in Oklahoma

Median $36.54 an hour for 3,290 linemen, May 2025, with the union scale by county, the job trend since 1999 and the state's own outlook.

$36.54/hrMedian hourly wageOklahoma, May data
$76,010/yrMedian annual payfull-time equivalent
$23.38 – $56.2610th to 90th percentilehourly range
3,290Jobs countedemployer survey

Data compiled by Skilled WagesBLS OEWS May 2025; prevailing wage as of 2026-11-06

Lineman pay in Oklahoma: the full range

Wage percentiles, OklahomaMarket wage, 10th-90th pctU.S. reference$20$40$60$80/hrOklahoma: 10th $23.38 · 25th $28.99 · median $36.54 · 75th $47.15 · 90th $56.26Oklahoma$36.54$23.38$56.26United States: 10th $24.74 · 25th $32.34 · median $45.83 · 75th $52.76 · 90th $61.87United States$45.83
Hourly wage percentiles for linemen: Oklahoma vs United States, May 2025.

Oklahoma ranks 49th of 51 states for median lineman pay, and 41st once adjusted for cost of living (the cost-of-living-adjusted median is $41.62). 3,290 linemen work in the state. The top 10% earn 2.4× what the bottom 10% earn.

Career stage (approximate)HourlyAnnualWhere it sits in the distribution
Apprentice / entry level$23.38 – $28.99$48,630 – $60,300roughly the 10th to 25th percentile
Journeyman$28.99 – $47.15$60,300 – $98,060the middle half, around the median
Master, foreman or specialist$47.15 – $56.26$98,060 – $117,020the 75th to 90th percentile and above

Where does your pay fall?



Lineman pay by metro in Oklahoma

Ranked median wages$0$20$40$60/hrLawton: $47.52Lawton$47.52Fort Smith: $45.58Fort Smith$45.58Tulsa: $38.89Tulsa$38.89Oklahoma City: $38.21Oklahoma City$38.21
Median hourly wage for linemen by metro area in Oklahoma, May 2025.
Metro10thMedian $/hrCost-of-living adjusted90thJobsvs state
Lawton$29.89$47.52$55.32$56.504030% above
Fort Smith$28.27$45.58$53.06$56.057025% above
Tulsa$23.57$38.89$43.60$56.977406% above
Oklahoma City$21.75$38.21$42.27$57.577205% above

Cost-of-living adjusted: median divided by the BEA regional price parity for the metro (2024, US = 100).

Lineman wages in Oklahoma over time

Oklahoma, 1999-2025OklahomaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages$10$20$30$40$50200020052010201520202025$45.83United States$36.54Oklahoma
Median hourly wage for linemen, Oklahoma vs United States, 1999–2025, nominal dollars.
Table
YearOklahoma $/hrIn 2025 $US $/hrJobs
1999$18.01$34.80$20.971,390
2000$18.91$35.35$22.011,210
2001$19.76$35.92$22.701,390
2002$21.04$37.65$23.331,440
2003$20.56$35.97$23.541,210
2004$19.85$33.83$23.611,490
2005$20.88$34.42$24.111,760
2006$19.54$31.20$24.411,660
2007$19.50$30.28$25.271,790
2008$21.45$32.07$26.491,760
2009$21.91$32.88$27.241,890
2010$22.89$33.80$27.901,630
2011$22.61$32.36$28.941,840
2012$23.38$32.78$30.411,830
2013$22.76$31.45$30.852,180
2014$23.56$32.04$31.702,180
2015$25.58$34.75$31.951,990
2016$24.81$33.28$32.702,070
2017$26.32$34.57$33.361,910
2018$26.96$34.57$34.092,010
2019$29.99$37.77$34.861,840
2020$32.84$40.85$36.071,880
2021$29.98$35.62$37.652,220
2022$32.46$35.71$39.592,160
2023$30.27$31.98$41.072,370
2024$32.14$32.99$44.502,900
2025$36.54$36.54$45.833,290

In today's dollars, the median lineman wage in Oklahoma changed by +5.2% over the last ten years of data and by -3.2% since 2019.

Are there more lineman jobs in Oklahoma?

+78.8%Jobs since 20191,840 then, 3,290 in 2025
+65.3%Jobs over 10 years2015 to 2025, employer survey
1.9Jobs per 1,000 in the stateconcentration 2.3× the US share, 3rd of 51 states

Since 1999, the number of linemen counted in Oklahoma has changed by +136.7%, against +32.3% for the country as a whole. Since 2019 the state count changed by +78.8%.

Electrical power-line installers and repairers in Oklahoma vs United States, 1999 = 100OklahomaUnited StatesSOC 2010SOC 2018 / Method changeExact wages50100150200250300200020052010201520202025237Oklahoma132United States
Jobs counted by the BLS employer survey, Oklahoma vs United States, indexed to 1999 = 100. Shaded bands mark survey method changes.
Table
YearOklahoma jobsOklahoma indexUS index
19991,390100100
20001,2108797
20011,390100100
20021,44010497
20031,2108796
20041,490107103
20051,760127107
20061,660119112
20071,790129111
20081,760127113
20091,890136110
20101,630117106
20111,840132106
20121,830132114
20132,180157112
20142,180157116
20151,990143116
20162,070149119
20171,910137118
20182,010145116
20191,840132113
20201,880135116
20212,220160125
20222,160155121
20232,370170121
20242,900209125
20253,290237132

Job counts are BLS OEWS survey estimates built from three years of samples, so moves of a few percent from one year to the next are within the survey's margin. Self-employed tradespeople are not counted. Areas with fewer than 3,000 jobs or a large sampling error are shown as a single figure rather than a trend.

Outlook for linemen in Oklahoma

+5.8%Projected growth in Oklahoma2024–2034, state agency
250Openings per yeargrowth plus replacements
3,010Jobs in 20243,180 projected for 2034
+10.3%US projected growth2025-35, BLS, for comparison

Oklahoma's labor market agency projects the number of linemen in the state to change by +5.8% between 2024 and 2034, from 3,010 to 3,180, with about 250 openings a year. Nationally, BLS projects +10.3% over 2025-35. State counts include the self-employed and use a different base year, so they do not match the 3,290 counted by the BLS employer survey.

Source: Oklahoma labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034 long-term projections (state projections page).

Is construction work growing in Oklahoma?

93.5kConstruction jobsOklahoma, 2026-09
+3.8%Change over 12 monthsseasonally unadjusted
Construction employment, 1990-202620k40k60k80k100k120k1990199520002005201020152020202594kSep 2026
Construction employment in Oklahoma (thousands), construction supersector, BLS CES, not seasonally adjusted. Grey bands are recessions.

Keep comparing

Lineman pay in neighbouring states

Other trades in Oklahoma

More on Oklahoma

Questions this page answers

How much do linemen make in Oklahoma?

The median lineman in Oklahoma earned $36.54 an hour ($76,010 a year) in May 2025, 20% below the national median of $45.83. The middle half earn $28.99–$47.15; the top 10% earn more than $56.26.

Where does Oklahoma rank for lineman pay?

Oklahoma ranks 49th of 51 states for lineman pay, with a median of $36.54 an hour, and 41st after adjusting for Oklahoma's cost of living (BEA price parity 87.8, US = 100).

What is the union lineman rate in Oklahoma?

Davis-Bacon determinations do not list a lineman classification for most Oklahoma counties, or the trade is not covered; the BLS wage figures above are the best available measure.

How many linemen work in Oklahoma?

BLS counted 3,290 linemen in Oklahoma in May 2025, 1.9 per 1,000 jobs (location quotient 2.29; 1.0 is the national average concentration).

Is lineman work growing in Oklahoma?

The BLS employer survey count of linemen in Oklahoma went from 1,990 in 2015 to 3,290 in 2025, +65.3%, and +78.8% since 2019. Oklahoma's labor market agency projects +5.8% growth for linemen between 2024 and 2034, from 3,010 to 3,180 jobs.

How many lineman openings a year are there in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma projects about 250 openings a year for linemen over 2024–2034, counting both new positions and replacements for people who retire or change occupation. Nationally BLS projects about 10,900 a year.

Sources and notes

  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Oklahoma and metro areas, SOC 49-9051. Job counts are survey estimates and exclude the self-employed.
  • BLS Current Employment Statistics, state construction employment through 2026-09.
  • BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 annual averages.
  • BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (cost-of-living adjustment).
  • SAM.gov Davis-Bacon wage determinations, current revisions as of 2026-11-06. Not the official determination.
  • BLS Employment Projections, national, 2025-35.
  • State projection: Oklahoma labor market information agency via Projections Central, 2024–2034, fetched 2026-10-05.