An Electrician's Salary Guide: How Much Can You Really Earn?

Published on October 19, 2026 by Staff Writer | Edited by Nate Bortz

Electrical work is one of the few skilled trades where you can start earning right away and see consistent pay increases as you gain experience and apply for additional certifications. No four-year degree is required, and the demand for licensed electricians keeps growing as homes, businesses, and entire industries lean more on electricity every year.

But how much do electricians make? The answer depends on where you work, what you specialize in, and how far you take your career.

The Average Salary in the United States

According to the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, the median annual wage was $62,350 in 2024, or about $29.98 an hour.

Pay varies widely across the field. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $39,430 a year, while the highest-paid 10% brought home more than $106,030. Electricians working in government jobs had a median wage of $77,080, and those in manufacturing earned $71,820.

How does that compare with other skilled trades? Pretty well, actually. According to a Construction Coverage analysis of BLS wage data, electricians earn slightly less than plumbers ($62,970) but more than carpenters ($59,310), roofers ($50,970), and painters ($48,660). Overall, they make about 26% more than the median for all U.S. workers ($49,500).

Salary Based on License Type

Apprentice or Entry-Level

Electricians just starting out typically land near the bottom of the BLS wage range, roughly $39,000 to $45,000 a year nationally, though pay climbs quickly as apprentices gain hours and take on more complex work.

Journeyman

Reaching journeyman status, typically after four to five years of on-the-job training, puts most electricians in the middle of the national wage range, roughly $62,000 to $82,000 a year.

Our journeyman exam prep courses can help you get licensed quickly by making sure you don’t need to retake any exams.

Master

Master electricians, who've passed additional licensing exams and often supervise crews or run their own businesses, reach the top 10% of earners, above $106,000 a year. Many contractors and business owners earn well past that.

Factors That Influence Earnings

Several factors affect what an individual electrician takes home (location, specialty, training, and experience). When taken together, you can understand the pay gap between a new apprentice and a veteran master electrician.

Location

Where you work matters. After adjusting for cost of living, a Construction Coverage analysis of BLS and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis data found that Illinois, Oregon, and Washington offer the best pay, all above $88,000 a year. Minnesota, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Alaska, Missouri, Michigan, and Hawaii are also in the top ten.

Part of the reason for this is strong union presence and demanding licensing requirements. Illinois and Washington both have large, well-organized unions that negotiate higher wages directly into their contracts, while Alaska's premium comes from its remote location and steady demand from the oil and gas industry.

By contrast, seven of the ten lowest-paying states are in the South, where unions are less common, and living costs are typically lower.

Cities also typically pay more. Chicago electricians earn an average of $97,058 per year, followed by Portland ($95,737), Minneapolis-St. Paul ($90,987), Seattle-Tacoma ($89,919), and San Jose ($84,188).

If you're licensed in one state and considering moving for higher pay, check whether your state offers any reciprocity agreements that let you skip some testing requirements.

Specializations and Niche Markets

Choosing to apply your skills in a specific setting can matter as much as your home address. According to the BLS, several related trades consistently out-earn general electricians:

• Elevator and escalator installers and repairers: $106,580
• Power plant operators, distributors, and dispatchers: $103,600
• Electrical power-line installers and repairers, also called linemen: $92,560
• Aircraft and avionics equipment mechanics and technicians: $79,140
• Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians: $77,180

Other specialized roles pay well, too. Indeed's career data found that industrial electricians make $67,464 per year, electrical forepersons and supervisors earn $70,282, and substation technicians earn $69,382.

Renewable energy work is also growing fast: solar installers average $62,622 according to Indeed, while experienced union solar installers in high-demand markets frequently cross the $100,000 mark.

Certifications and Advanced Training

Additional training can literally pay for itself. Electricians who earn specialized certifications typically make more, including those trained in:

• EV charging station installation
• Solar and photovoltaic systems
• Programmable logic controllers (PLCs) and industrial automation
• Lineman and high-voltage work

These specialties often require finishing additional coursework beyond base license requirements. But they can open the door to the higher-paying niches listed above.

PLCs typically work in industrial and manufacturing settings. So even a basic working knowledge of them can make you a stronger candidate for an industrial electrician role.

Career Outlook and Job Demand

Demand for electrical work isn't slowing down. The BLS projects that employment will grow 9% from 2024 to 2034, roughly three times faster than the 3% growth rate projected for all U.S. occupations.

There were 818,700 electrician jobs in 2024, and the BLS expects the field to add 77,400 more by 2034, with about 81,000 openings projected every year as retiring workers are replaced.

Two important things driving that growth include shifts toward electrification and a wave of retirements among veteran electricians.

The U.S. Department of Energy has reported that electricity demand from data centers is climbing sharply as artificial intelligence and cloud computing expand, and that surge is straining a power grid that wasn't built for it.

Utilities and developers are also racing to modernize infrastructure and connect new solar and wind capacity, and all of that work needs licensed electricians.

Additionally, a large share of the existing workforce is approaching retirement age, so replacing outgoing electricians will account for a large share of the 81,000 annual job openings projected by the BLS.

How to Increase Your Salary

If you want to earn more than average, pursuing these strategies can pay off.

Specialize

Certifications in renewable energy, industrial automation, or high-voltage work can move you into higher-paying roles, like the ones we listed earlier. Specialized work can also be more insulated from market fluctuations, especially in residential construction, since industrial and utility clients tend to have steadier project pipelines.

Go Union

Union electricians typically earn a higher total wage than non-union electricians, thanks to better benefits like employer-paid insurance and pensions, though the differences vary by location and experience. Union apprenticeship programs also tend to offer more structured pay progression, so you know in advance what a raise looks like at each stage of training.

Pursue Additional Licensure

Advancing from apprentice to journeyman to master is still the most reliable way to raise your pay ceiling. Each license typically unlocks a new tier of work you're legally allowed to perform unsupervised, which is usually reflected directly in your pay.

Start Your Own Business

Master-level electricians who start their own contracting business can earn significantly more than employees, since they capture the markup a company would otherwise charge for their labor.

That said, running a business requires additional licensing in most states, as well as skills such as bidding, scheduling, and managing your own crew.

Getting Started: Your Path to Becoming a High-Earning Electrician

Every aspiring electrician started with the same first step: getting licensed. Whether you're preparing for your first journeyman exam or working toward a master license, JADE Learning's exam prep and continuing education (CE) courses are built to help you pass the first time and maintain your license for years to come.

Our exam prep courses tell you exactly what to expect on test day, so you’re not surprised by anything. They are created using a combination of expert knowledge, actual test questions, and official exam handbooks.

When it’s time to renew your license, our online CE courses are reviewed and approved by all relevant licensing authorities, so you never need to worry about your credits not counting towards CE requirements. We also have one-click course bundles that cover all of the required subjects needed to complete a renewal.

Wherever you are on the apprentice-to-master timeline, the data is clear about this: electricians who are willing to take the time to train, work on getting advanced licenses, and stay open to specializing tend to earn more than those who don't.