State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
Electrician Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Electricians is $63,190 a year ($30.38/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 9.5% through 2034, with about 81,000 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
SOC 47-2111Construction and ExtractionLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $63,190
- Projected growth
- +9.5%
- Openings a year
- 81,000
- Typical education
- High school
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Control Electrician, Electrical Journey Person, Electrical Troubleshooter, Electrician, Housing Maintenance Electrician, Industrial Electrician.
How much do Electricians make?
10th percentile$42,640
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$49,430
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$63,190
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$83,940
Upper quartile
90th percentile$108,510
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $63,190 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $30.38/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $71,490 |
| People employed | 757,220 |
Versus all US occupations
At $63,190, Electricians earn 24% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $12,210 a year.
Versus construction and extraction occupations
Inside the Construction and Extraction group, where the middle occupation pays $57,430, this is 10% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $108,510 or more while the bottom 10% earn $42,640, a gap of 2.5×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 48% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
Oregon posts the highest raw median ($101,310), but once local prices are taken into account Illinois leads at $99,602 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Electricians the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $101,310 | $98,016 | 10,590 |
| Illinois | $99,560 | $99,602 | 23,120 |
| Hawaii | $96,460 | $87,730 | 3,070 |
| Washington | $95,220 | $88,980 | 19,380 |
| Alaska | $89,440 | $87,379 | 1,870 |
| Massachusetts | $79,420 | $75,097 | 17,810 |
| District of Columbia | $78,970 | $71,856 | 2,440 |
| New York | $78,750 | $72,970 | 40,130 |
| Minnesota | $78,160 | $79,253 | 14,350 |
| Connecticut | $77,540 | $74,838 | 7,710 |
Is Electrician a growing career?
Electricians9.5%
All US occupations3.1%
+9.5% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
Much faster than average
BLS projects employment of Electricians to change 9.5% over 2024–2034, roughly 3.1× the 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 77,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 81,000 openings are projected each year, 9.9% of the 818,700 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Nearly every building has electricity. Electricians are needed to install and replace these power systems. Alternative power generation, such as solar and wind, is a growing field that should require more electricians for installation. Electricians will continue to be needed to link these alternative systems to homes and power grids over the projections decade. However, employment growth stemming from these alternative sources may depend on government provisions, such as credits, net metering, and tax incentives, that spur consumer demand by lowering installation costs.
How to become an Electrician
Most electricians learn through an apprenticeship, but some start out by attending a technical school. Most states require electricians to be licensed. For more information, contact your local or state electrical licensing board.
| Typical entry-level education | High school diploma or equivalent |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Some preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Apprenticeship |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as electricians.
- Post-Secondary Certificate61.7%
- High School Diploma30.6%
- Less than a High School Diploma2.3%
- Some College Courses2.3%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)1.8%
What does an Electrician do?
Install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. Ensure that work is in accordance with relevant codes. May install or service street lights, intercom systems, or electrical control systems.
Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems in homes, businesses, and factories.
Day-to-day tasks
- Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.
- Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
- Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
- Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps.
- Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
- Test electrical systems or continuity of circuits in electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using testing devices, such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, or oscilloscopes, to ensure compatibility and safety of system.
- Repair or replace wiring, equipment, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
- Plan layout and installation of electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, based on job specifications and local codes.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Where electricians work
| Electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors | 65% |
|---|---|
| Self-employed workers | 8% |
| Manufacturing | 6% |
| Employment services | 3% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 3% |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition.
Core skills
- Active Listening3.4/5
- Speaking3.4/5
- Critical Thinking3.4/5
- Active Learning3.3/5
- Reading Comprehension3.1/5
- Monitoring3.1/5
- Writing3.0/5
- Mathematics3.0/5
Transferable skills
- Troubleshooting4.0/5
- Repairing3.5/5
- Installation3.3/5
- Quality Control Analysis3.3/5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3/5
- Coordination3.1/5
- Complex Problem Solving3.1/5
- Operations Monitoring3.1/5
Tools and software
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Accounting software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Industrial control software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits an Electrician?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary7.0
Investigative2.7
Artistic1.2
Social1.3
Enterprising1.8
Conventionalprimary4.1
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Electrician: frequently asked questions
How much do Electricians make?
Electricians earn a median of $63,190 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 24% above the $50,980 US median across all occupations. That works out at $30.38/hr. The middle half earn between $49,430 and $83,940. The top 10% earn $108,510 or more.
Do you need a degree to become an Electrician?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Electricians. BLS also lists apprenticeship as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 61.7% hold post-secondary certificate.
Is Electrician a growing career?
Yes, strongly. Employment is projected to grow 9.5% over 2024–2034, more than double the 3.1% projected for all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 81,000 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does an Electrician do?
Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical power, communications, lighting, and control systems in homes, businesses, and factories. A core O*NET task: prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Document management software, Electronic mail software.
Which states pay Electricians the most?
The highest state medians for Electricians are Oregon ($101,310), Illinois ($99,560), Hawaii ($96,460) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Illinois moves to the top at $99,602.
What personality type suits an Electrician?
O*NET scores Electricians highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.