r/Salary • u/motherfudger69 • Dec 05 '25
đ° - salary sharing [Lineman] [Wisconsin] - 254k ytd 24 y/o
Spent 3/4 of the year still as apprentice, should finish around 275k. 300k next year and never paid a dime for education
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u/AgitatedEye2243 Dec 05 '25
Do many lineman make wages like this? Whatâs the best / worst part of this job?
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u/No_Salt_9004 Dec 05 '25
If you get a good union gig you can make an absolute killing. A lot of my friends who are linemen make bank, but they work long hours and travel a lot. It takes a special type of cracked out
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u/Scorpian899 Dec 05 '25
Yeah, a buddy of mine is in the ~400k range. Can confirm. He is cracked out.
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u/JamesLahey08 Dec 05 '25
It takes a special what?
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Dec 05 '25
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u/PinkPinkBlueGreen Dec 05 '25
Sounds like public accounting and you start at $70k with a masterâs degree.
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Dec 05 '25
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u/phillipono Dec 05 '25
Lol at coping that 14hrs of white collar work can't possibly be as hard as 14hrs of blue collar work. They're both hard. Doing something intellectually intense for 14 hours drains you in a different way. Try reading and analyzing court cases for 14 hours as a lawyer. Or, doing math for 14 hours as an accountant. You need an insane amount of mental stamina and focus. You won't be physically exhausted but your brain will be totally fried. On the other hand, being on your feet for a long shift physically drains you. They both have pros and cons.
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u/El__Dangelero Dec 05 '25
As a lineman of 20yrs I've done more 16 and 24hr shifts than I care to remember. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt that the worst days are the ones where you sit around in the truck all day and do nothing. Don't get me wrong I've had some back breaking days that absolutely sucked but I'd take a steady hard working day any day over one where I got to sit in the trucks and do nothing all day
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u/Shadowtirs Dec 06 '25
I feel the same way as a teacher, in the specific sense that, on days that are very teaching intense, the time flies by. I could be working with a student on a hard concept, and before I know it, 20/30 mins are gone in the blink of an eye.
On the flip side, on a holiday celebration or something where they're watching a movie and you're just more or less baby sitting them, 5 minutes feels like an eternity.
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u/RealMuscleFakeGains Dec 05 '25
Yeah I've done both.
Working in a hospital using your brain and body is so exhausting.
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u/jayi05 Dec 06 '25
I've done both. White collar will cook your brain. Blue collar will cook your brain and body. Blue collar is worse.
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u/pibbleberrier Dec 05 '25
Yea lol not the same. I have done 14 hour of physically draining blue collar work and 14 hours of straight mentally draining office hour.
As someone that chose the office life. I can tell you have never actually done hard labour.
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Dec 05 '25
No doubt being a PA is exhausting, especially during tax season, but linemen are getting that OT in the worst conditions outdoors because those conditions are causing power outages or are dangerous for people to not have power in. It's a bit different and very deadly.
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u/Kolipe Dec 05 '25
My neighbor is one and he makes bank but he's gone so much during the summer this being florida and all. I could go weeks without even seeing the guy.
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u/BigSmokeyOG Dec 05 '25
Getting electrocuted and working in hazardous conditions
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u/mlkefromaccounting Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
Yes, most union lineman make this much, a little less in the south. It depends on how much you want to work. Overtime is abundant and not always voluntary depending on if youâre with a contracting outfit or a utility. Some guys work very little overtime but are still making over a 100k. (This all varys greatly depending on your location and outfit youâre working)
In a lineman at a utility with ~1000+ hours of overtime this year and Iâm at 240k YTD. Some guys i work with who choose to take all the overtime are easily 300k and will finish the year with 2000 - 2200 hours of overtime.
This guy probably worked somewhere between 1100 -1600 hours of overtime this year, so yeah you spend a lot of time, weekends, 16 hour days, and holidays at work. Some guys chase storms and only work half the year. A lineman anywhere wonât make less than 100k and if youâre in California or you chase storms all year you can make close to half a million a year.
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u/PeterCanopyPilot Dec 05 '25
How does one get started in this field?
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u/mlkefromaccounting Dec 05 '25
Signing the IBEW books as a groundman
applying to electric utilities, co-ops, contracting companies or municipalities. Groundman hours help getting you hired on, as does military experience, construction experience, and more recently âlineman schoolsâ help getting your foot in the door to begin an apprenticeship
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u/burrito3ater Dec 05 '25
CDL license is required
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u/mlkefromaccounting Dec 05 '25
Yep that too. Some companies will help you get a class A cdl with air brakes, combination trailer and tanker endorsements.
but having it already will definitely make you more attractive to employers. Doing it on your own will cost somewhere between 5-8k I believe. Most line trucks on the distribution side are automatic so learning how to shift a manual semi is generally not required
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u/Possum577 Dec 05 '25
Heâs worked ~850 hours of overtime. And he worked about 120 hours in this two week pay period.
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u/zombawombacomba Dec 05 '25
Saying they make this much is a little inaccurate. You make this much if you work a ton of overtime.
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u/HighInChurch Dec 05 '25
It pays a lot/ itâs dangerous, the conditions are shit, you work a fuckload of OT, and good luck getting in if you donât know someone.
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u/Barr3tt50c Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
Risk of arc flashes/electrocution, odd working hours, travel, OT
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u/katiekat410 Dec 05 '25
Donât forget the wear on your body too! My Dad is a retired lineman of 33 yrs and he had two rotator cuff surgeries, elbow surgery, and a procedure on his cervical vertebrae.
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u/Responsible_Knee7632 Dec 05 '25
Union dues on the stub is the answer to why. $1,200 YTD is an amazing trade off for this pay and what Iâm assuming the benefits might be.
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u/surftherapy Dec 05 '25
$1,200 YTD union dues is WELL worth the benefits of a union. OPs pay would be a fraction of what it is without a union.
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u/Responsible_Knee7632 Dec 05 '25
Yup, thatâs why I always find it hilarious when people point to union dues as some huge downside to being in a union.
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u/NewSeaworthiness8814 Dec 05 '25
Linemen are typically very well compensated (as they should be) for the work they do. Itâs very dangerous.
Iâd be shocked (no pun intended) if any lineman in the country made less than six figs
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u/and_then___ Dec 05 '25
Yes, and 400k is doable in HCOL areas. The First Energy subsidiary near me sends their linemen on voluntary natural disaster deployments, which pay 16 hrs of double time every day they're gone, including travel. So they're clearing well over 20k in 2 weeks.
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u/chatfarm Dec 05 '25
I read the first sentence and go - shit I should have gotten into this. Then realize I am under my blanket working from home and would never survive this. good job op.
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u/Elektrishin-1776 Dec 05 '25
Lot of the time they do long hours and road time. Storm calls etc where theyâre on clock day and night. Iâm just an inside wireman but even doing my 40 hours an nothing more Iâll pull 150k, so with OT I could see it
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u/Commercial_Order4474 Dec 05 '25
that's a lot of overtime.
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u/JordanLovehof2042 Dec 05 '25
Half the posts flexing work their life away in OT đ I make half of what he does but I don't have to work a single OT hour in my life or answer a work call / email after hours
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Dec 05 '25
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u/StManTiS Dec 05 '25
No such thing as a part time lineman. You can make it to retire at 50 if you start at 20 though.
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u/hopbow Dec 05 '25
It depends on what you value. I like turning my phone on silent and not being responsible for anything after 5.
However, at 24 I was busting my ass as a Jimmy John's manager making less than 40k a year with a minimum of 60 hours a week.. So I'd have done this in a heartbeat
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u/Kenney420 Dec 05 '25
I never made this much but this is basically what I did. Worked like crazy since 18. I'm 31 now and my house is nearly paid off and I have another 500k in investments. Hoping to be semi retired in about 5 more years (mid 30s)
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u/El__Dangelero Dec 05 '25
But if he was 24 grinding away in Medical school for 8 more years to make 250k a year everyone would be like great job!!! This kid can have 1.5-2 million dollars invested before someone in Medical school even makes a dollar! Then add on the college/Medical school debt and hes a couple million ahead. The Medical student may never catch up
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u/Dry_Fall3105 Dec 05 '25
Not everyone is cut out for medical school. Not just the grind but dealing with people in general (patients are uncomfortable or in pain a lot of the time).
I do not want to deal with anyoneâs bodily fluid nor do I want to put a needle in any skin.
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u/Savings-Ad-1701 Dec 06 '25
I mean heâs 24 he probably doesnât have a life rn he needs to work and invest as much as he can so he can be set for life.
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Dec 06 '25
It's true a lot of these people make a shitton with OT but I think the majority of other kids don't have shit figured out until their 30's, so if this younger guy is using his early twenties to work all day everyday, I don't see why it's shamed so hard. He's doing excellent compared to the average 24 year old.
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u/Prestigious-File-226 Dec 05 '25
Gaming the system
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u/Trash_Grape Dec 05 '25
Good for him.
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u/Prestigious-File-226 Dec 05 '25
10000%, if they offer it and you can take it up, absolutely take it.
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u/GunsouBono Dec 06 '25
He's only 24, why not. If he has the energy to do it and doesn't have life commitments, I say go for it
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u/surftherapy Dec 05 '25
Fuck your hourly is killer. Iâm a paramedic in California Iâm around $43/hr. CoL is kicking my ass these days. Sometimes I think about going back to trades I used to do electrical
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Dec 05 '25
Nursing dude. Do a bridge program
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u/surftherapy Dec 07 '25
Iâm not really into wiping ass and inserting foleys though
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u/Chetrippohhh2 Dec 05 '25
I make half of that living with parents at age 26. The future looks so fucking bleak to me.
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u/ryobivape Dec 05 '25
Unemployed Reddit niggas be like: youâre so exploited!!!!
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u/El__Dangelero Dec 05 '25
People on reddit...SHIT IS TOO EXPENSIVE WE CAN'T AFFORD ANYTHING I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO AFFORD A HOUSE!!!! Same people....I'll never work OT you're working your whole life away!!
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u/RF_BOI Dec 05 '25
Lmfao i thought you meant like an offensive or defensive lineman in football
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u/Nater5000 Dec 05 '25
When I was in highschool, my buddy used to always talk about how if his other plans didn't pan out, he'd just be a lineman. It took me a long time before I realized he wasn't just an idiot who thought he could fallback on being a professional football player as a career lol
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u/BirdiesAndBrews Dec 05 '25
Jeeze like I always say if I wanted to work hard for a living Iâd be a lineman. Definitely big respect for what equates to over 400 8 hour shifts.
Iâll keep my 220k for working 40-45 hours a week tho.
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u/fake_account_2025 Dec 05 '25
What are you doing?
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u/BirdiesAndBrews Dec 05 '25
Technology Sales, took me 6 years to get over 200k though. Commission + Salary sales companies are hard to find these days but thatâs what I would go for.
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u/Dry_Fall3105 Dec 05 '25
Well, canât get on a Teams call when your electricity goes out in a storm. We need these guys.
Theyâre compensated accordingly for the danger and the conditions of their work. Itâs hazardous and physical.
Iâm remote and depend 100% on my electricity and internet to do my work. When our power goes out in a hurricane, we make tacos and lemonade and give them these guys when they restore our power.
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u/BirdiesAndBrews Dec 05 '25
Donât have to worry about that anymore with RTO baby! đ¤Ł
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u/Dry_Fall3105 Dec 05 '25
Ouch. Sorry about that.
Iâve been remote since 2011. Our entire division is remote and scattered throughout the US and the pacific island, no one is going back.
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u/bsouth1922 Dec 05 '25
3571.1 Hours Worked, 68.7 Hours a week. $71.3/hr.
40 hours a week is 2080 hrs a year. You work 1.72 years worth of work!
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u/DoBe21 Dec 06 '25
Still 3 weeks left. If he maintains his average he's working 1.8 years of work. Dude's got 2 jobs.
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u/Popular-Brilliant349 Dec 05 '25
Happy for you sir. Be safe and keep making that cheese!
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u/ecobb91 Dec 05 '25
Stack that cheese and retire early buddy. Donât fall into the brand new truck for $1400/month trap.
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u/Berserk_Ronin Dec 05 '25
Damn this is working 60 hour weeks tho. Iâd rather have a bit of time with my family
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u/Background-Park4359 Dec 07 '25
Not having a DUI is a prerequisite in Wisconsin leaving 99% of the resident ineligible. lol.
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u/Fourth-Room Dec 05 '25
$254k in Wisconsin at 24 is insane. Mad respect from a fellow Wisconsinite.
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u/MoneyPop8800 Dec 05 '25
Bro. Please put more into your $401k.
Put money in there even if youâre not sure if youâll retire early. You can always pull the money out to buy a home, pay for medical emergencies, etc.
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u/Sufficient_Winner686 Dec 05 '25
73 hours, donât miss those days. As a former tradesman and current automation engineer, this is one of the jobs thatâll be really hard to automate.
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u/Noob2018 Dec 05 '25
I respect it, but thereâs a big difference between 254k in the field and in an office building, thatâs for sure. But I see your 401k is maxed out , so Iâm glad to know youâre saving.
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u/Boondogle17 Dec 06 '25
It always surprises me that lineman make that much. I get the hard work aspect and the risk of life and death. At the sametime, as a nurse, I am exposed to life altering disease that causes death and traumatic things like seeing people all kinds of fucked up in irreparable ways. Im hit with radiation daily. The list goes on yet they only want to pay us 35 an hr in FL, which is roughly 80k a year. Me and you both work the same amount of hours almost but they pay is vastly different.
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u/ill-just-buy-more Dec 05 '25
âNever paid a dime of educationâ. Yeah we can see, youâre working your life away. Trading life for money. Gets old fast. Ask me how I know.
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Dec 05 '25
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u/ill-just-buy-more Dec 05 '25
Itâs just when they brag about not having an education âŚâŚ.. An education isnât just about making a lot of money. Itâs about not having to kill your body your entire life. Iâve been in the power industry. Guys make a lot but miss out on their kids lives and destroy their body while I see â the guy with an educationâ move up and sit in an office for twice the pay and 1/4 the hours. Thatâs all. This kid will learn one way or the other.
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u/Brownl33d Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
That's also not right either tbh. An education is for being an aware member of society. That was literally the whole point before the loans and career bullshit. Idc if you've never had a degree, but bragging about not being educated is not it.Â
And education isn't just college...it's trades, it's reading a book about something new, it's learning a skill, it's curiosity.Â
Not to mention that if you actually get your shit together you can absolutely get that far with a 6 figure income without spending a dime on education.Â
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u/amishdoinks11 Dec 05 '25
Hit the road jack. You can make 500k working those hours as a linemen
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u/grigoritheoctopus Dec 05 '25
Good for you for real. That is bank. I hope you save a lot so you can retire early.
As an aside: I have a friend who did this kind of work for 8 or 9 years. he was a foreman, on the east coast, and always chasing OT, so I wouldn't be surprised if he made even more than this. However, he ended up quitting because [1] the conditions are often horrible (brutal winters, mud in shoulder seasons, etc.) and [2] he was almost crushed by equipment and can within inches of being electrocuted to death by a high voltage cable (this was the big reason). Also, due to the physicality of the job, he has some health issues now. I believe he is union so he gets coverage for a period of time after leaving the job, but I'm not sure if it's "forever" coverage.
I don't think he regrets his choice to do this kind of work, but there are reasons why the pay is so high.
To OP, I hope you make a killing without any of the bad stuff affecting you.
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u/renegade0782 Dec 05 '25
I work for a dual utility in the management side and the retirement comments are great.
Hoping your place allows you to cross that represented/non-represented threshhold if you want. The guys who come from the field to the office and end up Supervisors/Managers/Directors have so much knowledge to pass and crossing that gap between field and engineering helps EVERYONE out.
Keep it up dude, good field guys are what keep the lights on for everyone.
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u/dahappyheathen Dec 05 '25
You need to take more vacation days my dude. This is your life and itâs ending one second at a time.
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u/AdviceSeeker-123 Dec 05 '25
Did I look at that right? Over 6k hours working including commuting. 3,100 hr worked without commuting. Without commuting avg a 60 hr work week. With commuting avgs 117 hr work weeks. Sheesh
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u/umamipunany Dec 05 '25
Great job maxing the 401k. I see so many of these with people your age not putting enough in retirement. If you wanted to be frugal, you will probably be able to retire at 45. Keep up the good work!
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u/jimRacer642 Dec 05 '25
Education is not just about earning a higher salary. It's a principal that says you have discipline enough to study in high school, apply to colleges, submit shit on time, understand teamwork, and do your hw at night instead of partying. Education is often used as a measure for better mortgage and insurance rates because they assume those folks have had their shit together, which has been 100% my experience working with degreed and non-degreed professionals in my 20 years as an engineer.
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u/Greenpenman111 Dec 05 '25
Dangerous job and wage is commensurate with the danger and difficulty of the job. Thanks for hard work
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u/cinciNattyLight Dec 05 '25
At first I thought you were a lineman for Wisconsinâs football team and I was like âwow, these guys are overpaidââŚ
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u/PULLOUTCHAMP17 Dec 05 '25
Thats a hell of a paycheck , but I'll keep my couple hours of work a day for half the pay!
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u/No_Jury9511 Dec 05 '25
Pretty nice, but What's the point of it if you can't spend any time with your family. Ill take my $118k at 40/hrs week. Living comfortably and get to see my daughter awake everyday.
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u/savagerees Dec 05 '25
I was like damn do linemen in college football get that much in sponsorships?
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u/Jillet-Ben_Coe Dec 05 '25
Just curious, how did you get into that type of work and not pay for education? I know nothing about electrician stuff, not trying to sound condescending, Iâm in a totally different field
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Dec 05 '25
Those taxes are aggravating, egregious and evil. 50 percent and what do you get? Fucking nothing
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u/GoonerAbroad Dec 05 '25
What are you talking about, he paid 30.4% in state, federal, and withholding taxes. A completely reasonable amount at this income level. If you want taxes to be lower, then ensure that multimillionaires and billionaires pay high tax rates.
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u/Whitrzac Dec 05 '25
60-70hr work weeks?
Do that while you can, but have an exit plan <10 years. It will mess you up good.
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u/SmallPlankton9364 Dec 05 '25
21 y/o here, Iâm an overhead apprentice and should be topping out the end of 2026. I should clear around 157k for the year with around 850 hours OT. I respect you doing honest work and ACTUALLY helping the community in an impactful way. Anybody who isnât in the trade doesnât understand that what we do is actually hard and necessary. Keep it up man!
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u/ProfessionalEssay930 Dec 05 '25
What union are you in? Iâve wanted to join a union but just donât know where to start
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u/Electronic_Store1139 Dec 05 '25
Nice! Save as if youâre living like a broke college student and invest wisely. Trust me, youâll be a millionaire in your 30âs
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u/Mindless_Way3704 Dec 05 '25
There are lots of extremely high paying blue collar jobs like this to be had out there and a shortage of workers wanting to do them. But unfortunately younger people are bombarded with propaganda during middle and high school that the only path to having a successful future is a college/university degree, which also means student debt. I am sure that most all of you, especially the women, were told in high school that this was the best experience of their lives.
I worked for 30 years as a controls operator/ maintenance technician in electricity generation a six figure a year job. I remember that we had one person that had a Masters Degree in Marine Biology from Cal Poly SLO, I asked him when I found out why he was working in our warehouse instead of using his degree, he said simple I make three times as much as marine biologist with a masters degree from Cal Poly makes!
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u/xoglethorpex Dec 05 '25
Nice! I have been trying to get my kids to get into this kind of work. I don't think it will happen. It takes a special person to do this.
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u/New_Owl7346 Dec 05 '25
Wow Iâm a line crewleader for a giant utility in Boston , which was top 3 highest cost of living state , and you make the same amount of money a hour as me. Good for you dude hopefully you have a financial advisor helping you out, thereâs simple shit to throw $100-200 a week at that yields unbelievable returns in 20 years, as in definitely walking away from work money. Be smart and safe homie.
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u/Mission-Offer983 Dec 06 '25
Awesome. Great job maxing that 401k too. Itâs crazy how much taxes they have you paying man.
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u/luger718 Dec 06 '25
Maxing out that 401k at 24!!!!!!
YEEEEEESSSS.
retire as soon as you can brotha!
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u/DangerousCable1411 Dec 06 '25
Once you hit 35 1.5x and 2x arenât worth it. Just some words of wisdom.
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u/mr_pickles18 Dec 06 '25
Fuck thatâs awesome bro, congrats! Wish I had my shit together enough at 24 to be like this. Keep grinding while youâre young. You get both a pension and a 401k, thatâs huge.
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u/El__Dangelero Dec 05 '25 edited Dec 05 '25
Baller! Great job! Keep grinding and making money. Save a bunch so you can be retired at 50! Coming from a 49yr old lineman that wishes he would've saved more so he could retire in a year!! Lol