Tower Climber Salary

Comparative Tower Climber Salaries

Tower climbers perform a vital need, they do the repair work for cellular phone and other wireless communication companies, they keep the world connected and keep cats on peoples walls, people Googling and text messages sending. Foreman are typically responsible for up to 100 sites and oversee the workers at each of these sites, they are responsible for making sure that the job gets done and gets done properly. They are also responsible for making sure that each person has the required skills necessary to do their job. It is a big responsibility and saved for those with years of experience.


While it is a dangerous job, it also pays well. Their mean annual wage is $44,250. The 10% that made the lowest earned around $26,200 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The highest paid percentage earn more than $67,000 per year. Hourly this breaks down into $12.60 per hour at the low end and $32.53 at the high end.

If you want to be in this upper end of the pay scale, the highest paying states on average are, Washington, Missouri, Alaska, Nevada, and Kentucky, all of which pay their tower climbers well over $52,000 per year. Washington has the highest pay scale out of all of these states. The extreme conditions in Alaska prompt higher salaries, just be prepared because storms in Alaska can come without warning. And, if it is 20 degrees on the ground, it is likely to be below zero on the top of a tower.

The lowest tower climber earnings come from Montana, Michigan, and West Virginia which average $35,000 per year, which is still a good living especially in states where there is a lower cost of living and people qualified for certain fields are harder to come by. Due to the dangers associated with this field, both minor and major, companies provide insurance for even their “greenest” workers. Insurance premiums in this field are very high.

On average, those who are employed by wireless telecommunication companies made $5 per hour more than those employed by wired telecommunication companies. Government workers made more on average than either wired or wireless telecommunication employees, and averaged $54,000 per year, and since they qualify as government employees they tend to get better benefits and insurance. On the extreme high end, the most experienced can bill out more than $280 per hour. Because of many of the dangerous conditions tower climbers face, those who work in this field are expected to have at least an associates degree in a related field, such as electrical engineering, and take the proper training courses that are required by their company. They must also stay current on all their certifications. There are currently about 9,900 tower climbers in the United States, it is expected that this number will rise to 12,000 by 2020. There is expected to be continued job growth in this field well through 2030. Even longer as the need for wireless connectivity increases.

Those who go into this field can expect a certain level of job stability for the for

Tower Climber Salary

Life as a Tower Climber

What if you had the kind of job where you had to climb 1000 foot structures on a daily basis for employers that care more about money than they do about your wellbeing?

The life of a tower climber is not one for everyone.

Tower climbers are well aware of the choice they make to climb towers. These brave workers climb on a daily basis, so they are very confident doing their job. This could lead to serious lack of judgment that could result in death. When you get comfortable doing something, anything, there is a chance that you find ways to get results even when the most favorable conditions do not exist. The difference between people who don’t climb towers and those who do, is that any error made in doing their job could be fatal.

Risks and Challenges

All this risk exists without adequate insurance. It is yet unclear just exactly what insurance is required by the employers across the board. Insurance reports show that there is hardly any accountability or regulations when it comes to standard requirements for the tower climbing wireless communication industry.

There are so many factors involved. I think time is the worst factor because it wears down the mind in an insidious manner. The work environments vary and all are quite extreme. Because of the race to be competitive in the marketplace, cell companies put the pressure on to get the lion share of the cell phone business. This puts pressure on the tower climbers to perform. Sometimes over worked, tower climbers are moved around from job to job without consideration of the physical requirements.

Another factor is location which determines weather conditions which is another factor. Tower climbers usually go out to the middle of no where to work. The bad thing about that is if there is an accident on the work site it could take longer for help to arrive on the scene. When every minute saved or lost can make the difference between life and death, tower climbers should have the security and some comfort knowing that if required everything will be done by the employer to help you.

If you are not from a place like California. the time of the year matters. There are some places where it snows or rains profusely. There are many factors at play that when all combined if the necessary precautions are not take, could result in a catastrophic injury. It’s a hard cold fact but the reality is that In the event of a death, employers are thinking of how fast they can replace the worker because in these times tower climbers are expendable.

What drives all this

Communications tower construction cell companies are more cognizant and driven by the thinking that regardless of the weather these towers have to be climbed because people are not going to stop using their cell phones.

As a matter of fact today people are using cell phones even more. There are more towers being built for the growing number of mobile cell phone users than ever before. That means more money for cell phone companies and more money means more power. It is obvious that these companies are abusing their power because they could use this profit to pay Tower Climbers decent salary and give them adequate insurance. Could it be that instead they use their profit to further perpetuate this cycle of injustice by paying off who needs to be paid off so the gravy train can keep running? It is time for Tower climbers to realize our value, that as the people we might not have all the money but collectively we have the numbers. There are more of us and if we realize this and come together great things can and will happen not just for Tower Climbers, which ends up being progress for all mankind alike.

Life as a Tower Climber

Tower Climber Salary

The wild and adventurous life of a tower climber is one that many people, men and women included, often aspire to. However, the dangers that naturally come with working at such heights, in all weathers, usually around live electricity, are usually enough to prevent the majority of people that are interested in a career as a tower climber to think again, and choose something different. For those brave men and women that are persistent, and seriously look at tower climber jobs, there are rich rewards for them.


Of course, the exact numbers of what a tower climber will earn throughout a year will greatly depend on the type of towers that he or she climbs, and the company that they work for. However, just like other people that work in high pressure, stressful, technical and dangerous jobs, such as pilots, doctors, and other electrical engineers, the salary that a tower climber will receive reflects all of these factors. A typical tower climber salary for someone that is just starting off can seem to be incredibly high, but it is a mark of the respect and danger that the job garners. A beginner at tower climbing can expect to be earning around $40,000 a year, and even up to $60,000! That is why tower climber jobs are so popular.

On the other hand, to give a balanced view it must be said that a tower climber salary can vary wildly. In fact, a study has shown that the lowest ten percent of tower climbers are only paid about $26,200 a year, which certainly does not seem like a fair wage. Of course, the longer you work as a tower climber, the higher your wages will become, especially if you progress to become a tower project manager. A tower foreman salary is obviously going to be much higher, because with that extra workload comes extra responsibility. Typical salaries for tower climber foremans can range from $70,000 a year to even a majestic $130,000!

So, if you are considering whether or not to train to become a tower climber, do not let the worries about low wages concern you. There is plenty of money within the business to support you, and even a family if you have one, so why not take the plunge, and begin your journey that leads to some of the most incredible views in the world!

Tower Climber Salary