CenterPoint Energy owns the poles and wires across Greater Houston, serving nearly 2.8 million metered customers inside ERCOT, with 8 GW of new electric service planned by 2029. That growth number is the whole story for a job seeker: it means sustained new construction work, not just maintenance backfill. CenterPoint journeyman roles commonly want two years of high-voltage construction and maintenance experience, so if you are short of that, the contractors are your way in. The salary-by-state guide puts Texas pay in national context.
The territory owner; journeyman postings typically ask for two years of high-voltage construction and maintenance.
Houston-headquartered, and the largest contract line construction outfit working the metro.
Utility and energy infrastructure work across the Gulf Coast corridor.
Distribution construction and storm restoration crews, with heavy hurricane-season deployment.
Regional line contractor with roots in the north Houston market.
Pasadena, Pearland, Baytown, Sugar Land, and Conroe pull from the same crew pool as central Houston.
Houston sits in the Gulf hurricane corridor, with season running June through November, and restoration work after a landfall is when contractor crews go to seven-day rotations. That is also where a Houston lineman's real annual earnings separate from base pay, since the reported $56,000 average does not reflect an active storm year. The storm pay guide breaks down how that math works.
The Houston average is around $56,000 a year, which is a blended figure across apprentice and journeyman and does not account for hurricane-season overtime. In a landfall year, a storm-eligible contractor lineman clears that baseline substantially.
Not usually as a journeyman. CenterPoint commonly requires two years of high-voltage construction and maintenance experience, so most people build that time with Quanta, Primoris, Pike, or North Houston Pole Line first.
Texas is a right-to-work state and much of the Houston contractor market runs non-union, so union membership is not the gate here that it is in the Northeast. If you want the hall route, check the IBEW local finder for coverage.