How To Become A Locator: What It Is and Career Path

What is a locator and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

It is the duty of a locator to design and prepare utility maps. As a guide, he/she or she drives to different locations to locate pipelines and underground utilities and responds to emergency calls with immediate effect.

It is your responsibility as a locator to ensure that every location and utility marked on the maps is accurate. You may also need to trace faulty underground wires and see to it that it's been fixed immediately to avoid any emergency crisis. A locator is responsible for pinpointing the paths of cables, pipes, and other metal wires that carry electricity underground.

To become a certified locator, you need to have a bachelor's degree in electrical or civil engineering and also have experience in electrical and power transmission installation. A locator would be required to work under different conditions, so good physical strength, endurance, and stability are needed for this role. A locator earns up to $34,000 in a year.

ScoreLocatorUS Average

Salary

2.9

Avg. Salary $36,634

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

7.2

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.85%

Asian 3.91%

Black or African American 8.38%

Hispanic or Latino 20.57%

Unknown 6.11%

White 60.17%

Gender

female 14.12%

male 85.88%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress Level

7.2

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.2

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

3.9

Work Life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a locator

Explore locator education requirements

Most common locator degrees

High School Diploma

42.0 %

Associate

21.1 %

Bachelor's

19.3 %

Start to develop specific locator skills

Skills	Percentages
Necessary Paperwork	15.98%
Working Independently	14.32%
TV	12.91%
Water Lines	7.04%
Professional Appearance	6.42%

Complete relevant locator training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New locators learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a locator based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real locator resumes.

Research locator duties and responsibilities

Work on utility poles, platforms, aerial ladders and manholes and to perform job duties.
Limit use & knowledge of GPR technology.
Create splices from secondary voltage up to 24 KV.
Supply technical support of DSL circuits for high speed internet customers.

Prepare your locator resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your locator resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a locator resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Locator Resume templates

Build a professional Locator resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Locator resume.