A Cable TV Tech's Salary

Cable TV technicians are paid to ensure proper cable line installation.

Cable television technicians help keep the world connected to news and entertainment programming. These technicians install and repair cable television lines and receivers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 12,560 of these technicians employed in the United States in 2010. Salaries for those working in this field tend to be below the average salaries earned by other telecommunications line installers nationwide.

Average Salary

Cable television technicians earned an average salary of $45,970 per year in 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This salary was lower than the average salary for telecommunications line installers and repairers throughout the country who made an average salary of $50,080 per year in 2010. By comparison, the highest paid technicians worked in the broad category of "other telecommunications" and made $59,700 on an annual basis.

Pay Scale

Placing the salary of cable TV technicians within the larger pay scale for other telecommunications line installers and repairers nationwide can provide some additional context. The BLS indicates that the median salary for those working in this field was $50,850 per year in 2010. Those comprising the middle half of the pay scale earned between $35,180 and $64,890 on an annual basis. The lowest-paid technicians made less than $26,910 per year, while those at the top of the pay scale made more than $73,320.

Location

Location also has an influence on how much the cable technician can expect to make. According to the BLS, those working in the state of New York made the highest annual salaries, bringing home an average of $62,690 per year in 2010. Those employed in California earned $53,820, while Texas technicians earned an average salary of $43,930. Florida technicians averaged $45,680 per year, while those working in New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts all made average salaries over $58,000 per year.

Job Outlook

According to projections made by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of jobs in this field will only grow by about 2 percent during the decade from 2008 to 2018. This slower than average growth will occur despite the fact that the bureau expects rapid population growth to occur and the demand for the work of these technicians to grow with it.

References

• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Line Installers and Repairers
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: 49-9052 Telecommunications Line Installers and Repairers