Lineman Central Verified Data Report

Lineman and Powerline Statistics

Lineman Facts and Statistics

There are around 120,376 linemen working the US grid at the moment with the career rate growing 2.94% each year.
90% of power lines are not covered in electrical insulation. Many have weather-resistant coatings but are still located outside bare and insulated.
In 2024, there are an estimated 6,250 female line workers.
Power Lines buzz more loudly when it rains. This is because moisture in the air causes ionizes to happen quickly, making the buzzing sound (corona) louder.
Over 60,000 lineman travel each year for tropical storm and hurricane recovery
Lineman in the US service over 2.7 million transmission towers
In 2024, the average cost of installing one mile of overhead powerline surpassed $41,600
The lineman profession began in the 1840s with the introduction of the telegraph. Lines were installed on trees, and eventually poles, to allow for long-distance communication.
In 2024, the state with the largest number of lineman was Texas.
In 2024, the state with the highest paying average lineman salary was Hawaii ($99,870).

Powerline Facts and Statistics

There are an estimated 180 million utility poles around the United States today
Bringing electricity to the more than 318 million people living in America requires a lot of power lines: 450,000 miles of them, to be exact, according to Energy.gov.
The world’s tallest power line suspension towers, which flank the Yangtze River in Jiangyin, China, are 1,137 feet tall
The first utility poles, as we know them today anyway, were erected in the middle 19th century and used to carry telegraph wires.
Huge transmission lines, which are usually suspended from metal lattice towers or very tall concrete poles (you often see these in rural areas), may carry wires with 150,000 to 300,000 volts or more.
While there are many causes of power outages, severe weather comes in at number one, costing the U.S. economy up to $33 billion a year.
In the Northeast, the average life of a distribution pole is 56 years old. Yet, some of these poles are still present for decades after this, some lasting for 85 years.
The World Health Organization study has found showed an elevated risk of leukemia among children living in homes with distances much greater than 60 m from high voltage power lines.
At the beginning of the 20th century, more than 4,000 individual electric utilities operated in isolation from each other.
Usually, the top 3 wires — which are called primary conductors — carry most of the electricity on the pole.; as you come down the utility pole, the next set of wires consists of secondary conductors — they deliver power to buildings and homes.