SalaryExplorer

SOC 49-9052 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers — Fort Wayne

Fort Wayne, IN · 6 metro areas compared

$66,030 /year
$31.75per hour
190jobs in area
−11.2%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Fort Wayne, IN is $66,030 a year, trailing the national median of $74,330 by 11.2%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $74,33010TH$39,01025TH$51,430MEDIAN$66,03090TH$78,240

How pay has moved

$73,840$34,2402019202020212022202320242025$66,030
$40,840 in 2019 to $66,030 in 2025, +61.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to decline

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
-3.1%
Openings per year
8,900
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
On-the-job training
Long-term on-the-job training

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Fort Wayne, IN.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Fort Wayne, IN is $66,030 a year, trailing the national median of $74,330 by 11.2%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $51,430 and $74,350. The lowest tenth earn under $39,010, while the highest tenth earn more than $78,240.

The area has 190 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 1.33 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Bloomington records the highest median at $63,950. Of the 442 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 132nd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Fort Wayne, IN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$39,010−47.5%
25th$51,430−30.8%
Median (50th)$66,030−11.2%
75th$74,350+0.0%
90th$78,240+5.3%
Mean$62,300−16.2%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Indiana

Median annual wage for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Bloomington$63,95050
2South Bend$60,38040
3Lafayette$58,95030
4Indianapolis$58,880440
5Elkhart$58,05070
6Terre Haute$52,69060

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Fort Wayne run 7.4% below the national average, so the median of $66,030 goes as far as $71,307 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 4.1% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$66,030as reported by BLS

Local price level

92.6US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$71,307US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $66,030 a year, 11.2% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $39,010 to $78,240 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 190 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Bloomington, at $63,950.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers in Fort Wayne, IN?

The median annual wage is $66,030, or $31.75 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $74,330, so pay in Fort Wayne, IN is 11.2% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Fort Wayne, IN earns more than $78,240 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $39,010 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Bloomington, at $63,950 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 190 jobs in this occupation in Fort Wayne, IN. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.