2027 Salary Guide · Skilled Trades
The typical electrician earned $63,190 in May 2025, or $30.38 an hour, according to BLS; at 3.1% annual wage growth that becomes about $67,000 in 2027. Where an electrician works moves pay sharply: the median in Portland, Oregon was $105,090, about $48,290 more than in Raleigh.
Career path
BLS says most electricians learn the trade in a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training each year. BLS does not publish pay by license level; these stages map the ladder onto the national percentiles.
Up to about $42,640 to $49,430 (10th to 25th percentile)
Paid on-the-job training plus classroom hours. Apprenticeships are sponsored by unions and contractor associations, among others, and apprentice pay usually rises in steps as hours are completed.
About $49,430 to $83,940 (25th to 75th percentile)
Most states require electricians to pass a test and be licensed, and requirements vary by state.
About $83,940 to $108,510+ (75th to 90th percentile)
Runs crews, pulls permits or holds the license a contracting business operates under. In Seattle and the Bay Area the 90th percentile tops $150,000.
Pay distribution
The bottom tenth earned under $42,640 ($20.50 an hour) and the top tenth more than $108,510 ($52.17 an hour). Apprentices, journey-level electricians and foremen are all counted in this one range.
Typical for the Electrician title: $49,430 to $83,940 (25th to 75th percentile of Electricians)
| Percentile | BLS, May 2025 | 2027 planning estimate |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $42,640 | $45,500 |
| 25th percentile | $49,430 | $52,500 |
| Median | $63,190 | $67,000 |
| 75th percentile | $83,940 | $89,000 |
| 90th percentile | $108,510 | $115,500 |
Local pay
Three metros in this guide have electrician medians above $100,000. Many of the largest Sun Belt markets, including Dallas-Fort Worth (20,930 electricians), Houston, Atlanta, Miami and Tampa, sit below $60,000. BLS does not split union and non-union pay, so this table cannot show how much of the gap reflects negotiated wage scales.
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | $105,090 +66% | $60,360 – $134,380 | 7,340 |
| Chicago | $102,350 +62% | $49,890 – $124,070 | 17,720 |
| Seattle | $101,780 +61% | $55,690 – $151,290 | 9,750 |
| San Francisco Bay Area | $92,830 +47% | $55,360 – $182,340 | 9,060 |
| Detroit | $81,990 +30% | $46,660 – $107,330 | 11,210 |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul | $81,890 +30% | $48,970 – $123,250 | 8,810 |
| Boston | $79,910 +26% | $47,240 – $129,320 | 13,410 |
| New York City | $79,020 +25% | $46,170 – $132,170 | 36,550 |
| Buffalo | $77,930 +23% | $37,820 – $104,710 | 2,340 |
| Hartford | $77,680 +23% | $46,220 – $99,610 | 2,870 |
| Metro area | Median | 10th – 90th | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | $76,160 +21% | $47,890 – $126,260 | 8,060 |
| Washington, DC | $75,930 +20% | $44,690 – $121,570 | 16,580 |
| Albany | $74,890 +19% | $46,130 – $106,520 | 1,820 |
| Philadelphia | $74,590 +18% | $46,980 – $132,610 | 10,090 |
| Providence | $73,980 +17% | $42,760 – $102,840 | 3,560 |
| Los Angeles | $73,810 +17% | $46,140 – $131,680 | 20,610 |
| Pittsburgh | $69,340 +10% | $45,780 – $106,840 | 5,210 |
| Baltimore | $65,590 +4% | $45,390 – $113,090 | 6,930 |
| Nashville | $63,340 +0% | $45,900 – $93,200 | 6,220 |
| Denver | $63,150 +-0% | $46,070 – $94,160 | 10,450 |
| Phoenix | $61,210 -3% | $46,920 – $86,800 | 17,240 |
| Austin | $60,390 -4% | $39,260 – $78,820 | 7,340 |
| Houston | $59,180 -6% | $38,800 – $84,470 | 19,730 |
| Charlotte | $59,080 -7% | $43,770 – $76,310 | 5,250 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth | $59,010 -7% | $38,740 – $81,660 | 20,930 |
| Atlanta | $58,650 -7% | $37,380 – $84,000 | 13,430 |
| Miami | $58,630 -7% | $38,360 – $80,840 | 12,990 |
| Tampa | $57,450 -9% | $38,960 – $76,700 | 7,170 |
| Raleigh | $56,800 -10% | $45,700 – $73,760 | 3,740 |
BLS metro estimates, May 2025. Percent compares the metro median with the national median. "Jobs" is BLS estimated employment in the metro; blank where BLS does not publish it.
Read the numbers right
The BLS wage survey reports straight-time pay. It excludes overtime, and BLS's own career guide says overtime is common for electricians, with schedules that can include evenings and weekends. An electrician working regular overtime can take home noticeably more than the hourly rate in these tables suggests.
The survey also leaves out the self-employed, about 7% of electricians, and does not count employer-paid benefits such as health and pension contributions.
Electrical contractors employ 66% of electricians, according to BLS. Manufacturing plants (6%) and the federal government (3%) employ smaller shares, often in maintenance electrician roles with different schedules.
Outlook
BLS projects much faster than average growth for a trade of about 821,000 workers, with roughly 72,700 openings a year through 2035.
BLS Employment Projections via O*NET OnLine. Projections cover Electricians as a whole.
For hiring managers
Say whether you need an apprentice, a licensed journey-level electrician or a master, and which state license. Requirements vary by state.
Service calls in homes, new commercial construction and plant maintenance draw different candidates. Name the setting in the title.
State expected overtime, shift and weekend work up front. Electricians compare offers on hours as well as the base rate.
In Chicago or Portland a national-median offer is about $40,000 under the local median. Use the city table.
Compare
Electricians and plumbers are within about $610 of each other at the median. Both out-earn HVAC technicians and general maintenance technicians.
| Role | BLS median | 2027 estimate | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrician | $63,190 | $67,000 | Much faster than average |
| Plumber | $63,800 | $68,000 | Much faster than average |
| HVAC Technician | $61,010 | $65,000 | Much faster than average |
| Maintenance Technician | $49,590 | $52,500 | Average |
| Construction Manager | $114,990 | $122,000 | Much faster than average |
FAQ
Electricians earned a median of $63,190 a year in May 2025, according to BLS, or $30.38 an hour. The middle half earned between $49,430 and $83,940. Adding two years of wage growth at 3.1% gives a 2027 planning median of about $67,000. These figures exclude overtime.
At the median, electricians earned $30.38 an hour in May 2025. The 10th percentile was $20.50, the 25th $23.76, the 75th $40.36 and the 90th $52.17. Rates are higher in metros such as Portland, Chicago and Seattle, where annual medians exceed $100,000.
Apprentice wages are not a separate BLS figure. Apprentices are paid while they train, and their wages usually rise as they complete hours, so most fall toward the bottom of the electrician range: the 10th percentile was $42,640 and the 25th $49,430 in May 2025. Local apprenticeship sponsors publish their own wage schedules.
BLS says most electricians learn the trade through a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship, with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year plus technical instruction. Most states then require electricians to pass a test and be licensed. Requirements vary by state, so check your state licensing board.
No, overtime is left out. The BLS wage survey reports straight-time pay and excludes overtime, while BLS notes that overtime is common for electricians. It also leaves out self-employed electricians, about 7% of the trade. Treat the tables as base pay rather than total earnings.
Careerscape recruiters who specialize in skilled trades fill contract, temporary and direct-hire electrician roles. Job seekers never pay a fee.
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