GeraJobs / US Real Pay Index / Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
Best States to Be a Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers
After 2025 state income tax and 2024 cost of living, a telecommunications line installers and repairers salary goes furthest in Rhode Island — a $103,810 BLS median worth $98,199 in real terms (Gera US Real Pay Index 138.8).
Which US states are best for a telecommunications line installers and repairers after cost of living and tax?
For a telecommunications line installers and repairers, the Gera US Real Pay Index ranks Rhode Island #1: a $103,810 BLS median becomes $98,199 in cost-of-living-and-tax-adjusted terms (index 138.8). Oklahoma ranks last ($53,635, index 75.8). Real BLS OEWS May 2025 across 51 states; re-dated annually.
Gera US Real Pay Index
Rhode Island ranks #1 of 51 states for a telecommunications line installers and repairers. Index 100 = the average state; 138.8 means pay goes 38.8% further after tax and cost of living.
How this is calculatedTelecommunications Line Installers and Repairers — real pay by state (best first)
| # | State | BLS median | State tax | Cost (RPP) | Real pay | Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rhode Island | $103,810 | $3,372 | 102.3 | $98,199 | 138.8 |
| 2 | West Virginia | $89,690 | $3,388 | 89.5 | $96,430 | 136.3 |
| 3 | Alaska | $97,450 | — | 102.4 | $95,204 | 134.6 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $103,410 | $4,951 | 105.8 | $93,100 | 131.6 |
| 5 | Maine | $92,120 | $4,637 | 97.0 | $90,142 | 127.4 |
| 6 | Connecticut | $97,140 | $3,768 | 103.6 | $90,119 | 127.4 |
| 7 | New Jersey | $102,090 | $4,313 | 108.8 | $89,864 | 127.0 |
| 8 | Delaware | $93,850 | $4,853 | 99.8 | $89,168 | 126.0 |
| 9 | New York | $100,960 | $5,009 | 107.9 | $88,908 | 125.7 |
| 10 | California | $97,980 | $4,990 | 110.7 | $83,986 | 118.7 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $97,600 | $5,421 | 109.9 | $83,875 | 118.5 |
| 12 | New Hampshire | $86,370 | — | 104.2 | $82,917 | 117.2 |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | $81,020 | $2,487 | 97.6 | $80,487 | 113.8 |
| 14 | Texas | $75,740 | — | 97.1 | $78,037 | 110.3 |
| 15 | Montana | $75,720 | $3,329 | 94.6 | $76,487 | 108.1 |
| 16 | Maryland | $82,380 | $3,580 | 105.0 | $75,077 | 106.1 |
| 17 | Virginia | $79,090 | $3,748 | 101.1 | $74,519 | 105.3 |
| 18 | Michigan | $74,360 | $2,914 | 96.2 | $74,255 | 104.9 |
| 19 | Nevada | $72,230 | — | 100.0 | $72,245 | 102.1 |
| 20 | Minnesota | $73,710 | $3,523 | 98.6 | $71,168 | 100.6 |
| 21 | Washington | $76,070 | — | 107.0 | $71,085 | 100.5 |
| 22 | Tennessee | $63,510 | — | 91.9 | $69,130 | 97.7 |
| 23 | Wyoming | $63,660 | — | 92.7 | $68,680 | 97.1 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $79,880 | $4,541 | 110.0 | $68,521 | 96.8 |
| 25 | Kentucky | $64,010 | $2,430 | 90.2 | $68,302 | 96.5 |
| 26 | Kansas | $63,560 | $2,747 | 90.1 | $67,519 | 95.4 |
| 27 | Arkansas | $60,840 | $2,164 | 86.9 | $67,492 | 95.4 |
| 28 | Illinois | $70,700 | $3,359 | 100.0 | $67,370 | 95.2 |
| 29 | Iowa | $60,890 | $2,274 | 87.8 | $66,790 | 94.4 |
| 30 | Ohio | $62,860 | $946 | 92.8 | $66,736 | 94.3 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $59,280 | — | 89.0 | $66,637 | 94.2 |
| 32 | Alabama | $60,890 | $2,780 | 88.8 | $65,423 | 92.5 |
| 33 | Wisconsin | $63,560 | $2,216 | 94.1 | $65,193 | 92.1 |
| 34 | Missouri | $59,080 | $1,896 | 90.8 | $62,966 | 89.0 |
| 35 | Colorado | $66,020 | $2,245 | 103.1 | $61,886 | 87.5 |
| 36 | South Carolina | $59,790 | $2,100 | 93.7 | $61,537 | 87.0 |
| 37 | Vermont | $61,970 | $1,708 | 98.0 | $61,518 | 86.9 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $58,130 | $1,618 | 92.2 | $61,285 | 86.6 |
| 39 | Indiana | $58,920 | $1,738 | 93.3 | $61,270 | 86.6 |
| 40 | Florida | $61,740 | — | 103.4 | $59,702 | 84.4 |
| 41 | Georgia | $58,760 | $2,520 | 96.3 | $58,405 | 82.5 |
| 42 | North Carolina | $56,680 | $1,867 | 94.3 | $58,110 | 82.1 |
| 43 | Utah | $60,090 | $2,734 | 98.9 | $58,015 | 82.0 |
| 44 | Arizona | $58,600 | $990 | 100.7 | $57,223 | 80.9 |
| 45 | Idaho | $56,340 | $2,088 | 95.5 | $56,812 | 80.3 |
| 46 | South Dakota | $49,560 | — | 88.6 | $55,946 | 79.1 |
| 47 | Mississippi | $49,360 | $1,367 | 87.0 | $55,195 | 78.0 |
| 48 | Louisiana | $48,770 | $1,088 | 88.2 | $54,057 | 76.4 |
| 49 | Oregon | $60,330 | $4,475 | 103.4 | $54,039 | 76.4 |
| 50 | Nebraska | $50,070 | $1,507 | 90.1 | $53,897 | 76.2 |
| 51 | Oklahoma | $48,900 | $1,785 | 87.8 | $53,635 | 75.8 |
"Real pay" = BLS median − 2025 state income tax, divided by the state's 2024 BEA cost of living (US = 100). Only the 51 states for which BLS publishes a median for this occupation are ranked; suppressed cells are excluded, never set to zero.
Where does your salary go furthest?
Enter a salary and a state. We adjust for 2025 state income tax and the 2024 BEA cost of living to show your real, purchasing-power-equivalent pay — then rank every state.
In Rhode Island, a $103,810 salary is worth about $95,416 in cost-of-living-and-tax-adjusted terms.
State income tax $6,218 (≈ top marginal 5.99% (upper bound)) · take-home $97,592 · BEA cost of living 102.3 (US = 100).
The same salary goes furthest in South Dakota — worth $117,186, a $21,769 gain over Rhode Island.
| # | State | Real value | Cost (RPP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Dakota | $117,186 | 88.6 |
| 2 | Arkansas | $114,751 | 86.9 |
| 3 | Louisiana | $114,158 | 88.2 |
| 4 | Mississippi | $114,133 | 87.0 |
| 5 | Iowa | $113,791 | 87.8 |
| 6 | North Dakota | $113,777 | 89.0 |
| 7 | Tennessee | $112,997 | 91.9 |
| 8 | Oklahoma | $112,563 | 87.8 |
| 9 | Wyoming | $111,996 | 92.7 |
| 10 | Alabama | $111,029 | 88.8 |
| 11 | Kentucky | $110,535 | 90.2 |
| 12 | West Virginia | $110,402 | 89.5 |
Estimate only. State income tax is approximated from each state's 2025 flat rate (or top marginal rate as an upper bound for graduated states) and ignores federal tax, deductions and credits. The pre-published occupation and state pages use exact 2025 bracket math. Cost of living is the 2024 BEA Regional Price Parity (All Items).
Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers — real pay FAQ
- What is the best state to be a telecommunications line installers and repairers?
- By the Gera US Real Pay Index, Rhode Island is the best state for a telecommunications line installers and repairers: a BLS median of $103,810 is worth $98,199 after the 2025 state income tax ($3,372) and the 2024 BEA cost-of-living adjustment (RPP 102.3), an index of 138.8 where the average state is 100.
- Does the highest-paying state also leave you best off?
- Not necessarily. Rhode Island has the highest headline BLS median for a telecommunications line installers and repairers at $103,810, but after state tax and cost of living it ranks #1 of 51 on real pay (index 138.8). That gap is exactly what the Gera US Real Pay Index reveals.
- Where does a telecommunications line installers and repairers salary go least far?
- Oklahoma ranks last of 51 states for a telecommunications line installers and repairers: a $48,900 BLS median is worth only $53,635 after tax and cost of living (index 75.8). Higher local prices and/or income tax less far than the national average erode the headline pay.
Compare other occupations
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- General and Operations ManagersSouth Dakota
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- CashiersWashington
- Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, HandNorth Dakota
- Stockers and Order FillersWyoming
- Customer Service RepresentativesIowa
- Office Clerks, GeneralNorth Dakota
- Waiters and WaitressesVermont
- Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping CleanersWashington
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Related on GeraJobs
- Gera US Real Pay Index — all states ranked — and how the index is calculated.
- Methodology — the exact BLS + BEA + tax computation.
- Browse US jobs with salary ranges — roles hiring now.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (May 2025 state estimates, US federal public domain); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (All Items), by state (2024 (US = 100)); Tax Foundation — 2025 State Individual Income Tax Rates and Brackets. The Gera US Real Pay Index for a telecommunications line installers and repairers is computed by GeraJobs from these figures; no figure is modelled or interpolated.