US Energy Says 20,000 New Linemen Needed for Rising Electricity Needs

Electrical linemen—highly-trained and well-paid—are needed in the next decade to power up a rapidly expanding grid.

A lineman works to restore service in Perry, Fla., on Aug. 31, 2023. Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Billy Lang is a commercial truck driver, medic, tree-trimmer, pole-climber, high-wire engineer, and whatever else it takes to keep the lights on.

Lang, 33, of New Milford, Connecticut, is a Class B Journeyman Lineman, one of about 120,000 who tend 450,000 miles of powerlines, 180 million utility poles, and 2.7 million transmission towers across the United States, according to the Department of Energy.