Makes them a lot easier to get to. Buried infrastructure is fantastic until it breaks. Then it really sucks ass.

A lineman can fix anything on a pole within a few hours. Probably before lunch if they start first thing in the AM. Fixing a buried line can take days or worse depending on what's above it.

When you build a home in the middle of nowhere, you actually have to pay for the power line to be run out to you. Burying utilities is tremendously expensive if you are footing the bill on your own.

Just to add, a lot of the midwestern USA is very swampy.

cost, it’s way more expensive to dig. more red tape.