With a national median of $103,020 and +9.7% projected job growth through 2035, Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay offers both strong financial return and stable long-term demand.
This page sets out what the federal data says about working as a electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay: what the job pays, how fast it is growing, and what it takes to get in. Most people arrive through a degree in Electrical and Power Transmission Installers and what it leads to, though it is not the only route.
Inspect, test, repair, or maintain electrical equipment in generating stations, substations, and in-service relays.
Also known as:
Most powerhouse & substation repairers take home around $103,020 a year, well above what most college graduates make. Half earn somewhere between $81,860 and $118,870, so where you land depends a lot on employer, specialty and city. Worth weighing against how long the training takes. Source: BLS.
A wage on its own says nothing about whether the degree behind it pays for itself, which is a question of lifetime earnings set against the total cost of getting there.
Well above average for college graduates.
25th to 75th percentile. Most workers earn within this band.
This is what the job actually looks like on a Tuesday: 5 core activities and 5 skills the work depends on. Read it before the salary, because pay matters less than whether you would want to spend your days doing this. Source: O*NET.
Hands-on tasks, physical activity, or working with tools and real materials are central parts of the daily work here.
Success depends on precision and structured processes, where detail-oriented people who work consistently within established systems perform best.
This career demands analytical thinking: researching problems, interpreting data, and applying logical reasoning to find practical solutions.
What the physical and mental conditions of this job actually look like day to day, based on O*NET Work Context data collected from people working in this occupation.
Split between indoor and outdoor or field settings.
Mix of sitting and movement throughout the day.
High time pressure and significant consequences for errors. Deadline-driven or high-stakes decisions are common.
Through 2035 the BLS expects this field to change by +9.7%, meaning it is growing faster than most occupations, so jobs should be easier to find over time. Around 1,800 roles open up each year, which is the number that matters most if you are starting out. Source: BLS.
Growth rates are only meaningful next to other occupations, and the full list of careers with their projected growth puts this one in context.
Faster than average.
New positions plus replacements for retirees and career-changers.
Total US employment as of BLS May 2025.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035 and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025.
The five states below employ the most Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay professionals nationwide. State-level wages can differ significantly from the $103,020 national median. Research your specific market before committing to a program.
| # | State | Jobs | Median Wage | vs. National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York | 3,160 | $98,310 | -4.6% |
| 2 | Texas | 2,360 | $102,470 | -0.5% |
| 3 | California | 1,680 | $121,520 | +18.0% |
| 4 | Ohio | 1,120 | $98,700 | -4.2% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 1,110 | $101,660 | -1.3% |
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Employment figures rounded. Read our methodology →
To get hired here you will usually need a postsecondary nondegree award. The 4 programs below are the most common routes in, ordered by how many people actually graduate from each one.
The next most common path is an Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians program and the colleges offering it, which suits a different kind of applicant.
A medium amount of preparation is required, often an associate degree, certificate program, or apprenticeship, plus some related experience.
| # | Program | Graduates/yr | 4yr Median | Colleges |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Electrical and Power Transmission Installers | 29,904 | — | 635 |
| 2 | Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | 8,331 | $84,599 | 572 |
| 3 | Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians | 7,979 | — | 384 |
| 4 | Energy Systems Technologies/Technicians | 1,230 | $85,557 | 222 |
Colleges offering the degree programs that lead to this career, ranked by UCD Score. A strong program plus solid outcomes is a good place to begin your search.
| # | College | UCD Score | Net Price | Salary 10yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI | 91 | $13,138 | $83,648 |
| 2 | California State University-Long Beach Long Beach, CA | 90 | $10,440 | $64,403 |
| 3 | Victor Valley College Victorville, CA | 90 | $1,947 | $36,119 |
| 4 | Turtle Mountain College Belcourt, ND | 88 | $3,428 | $32,079 |
| 5 | Brazosport College Lake Jackson, TX | 88 | $4,732 | $45,910 |
| 6 | South Georgia Technical College Americus, GA | 86 | $1,164 | $30,364 |
Once you've sized up Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay, these tools turn the numbers into a plan. Estimate the real cost of a degree that leads here, weigh the long-term payoff, compare specific colleges side-by-side, and find programs that match your profile.
See if the degree that leads to Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay pays off. Weighs each college's cost against the earnings graduates see.
Enter a budget and see the colleges whose net price fits, with the out-of-pocket cost and likely loan load for each.
Put any 2–4 colleges side-by-side. Admissions, cost, outcomes, and earnings, all on one screen, no tab-hopping.
Answer six quick questions and see your best-fit colleges ranked by budget, field of study, and what matters most to you.
Strong earnings and growing demand make Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay a compelling path. The 4 strengths and 1 trade-offs below are drawn from BLS wage data and employment projections.
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Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
Scout uses AI and can make mistakes. Verify important numbers on the page.
