How much does an electrician make?

The median electrician salary in the United States is $63,190 per year ($30.38/hour). Salaries range from $42,640 (10th percentile) to $108,510 (90th percentile). There are 757,220 electrician jobs in the U.S. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS.

Which state pays electricians the most?

The highest paying state for electricians is Oregon at $101,310 median salary.

Is electrician a good career?

Electrician employment is projected to grow 9.5% from 2024 to 2034 (faster than average). There are approximately 81,000 job openings per year. Typical education required: High school diploma or equivalent.

What interview questions are asked for electrician roles?

Common electrician interview questions include: "What size wire do you use for a 30-amp branch circuit at 240V, 100 feet away?", "Walk me through your safety procedure for working on a 480V panel.", "Tell me about a mistake you made on a job.". Interview format at top employers ranges from behavioral panels (STAR method) to technical case rounds — for example IBEW Local (Union — via Joint Apprenticeship Committee) typically uses 1-2 rounds (aptitude test + interview).

What is the career ladder for electricians?

The typical electrician career ladder: Apprentice Electrician (0-4 yrs, $32k-$55k (starts ~40% of journeyman rate, tiers up)) → Journeyman Electrician (4-8 yrs, $55k-$85k · Union in high-cost cities $85k-$120k) → Foreman / General Foreman (6-15 yrs, $75k-$120k + overtime · Union $110k-$160k with premium OT) → Master Electrician / Shop Owner (8+ yrs, $85k-$150k+ · Owner take-home varies with revenue).

What certifications should electricians get?

Top-ROI certifications for electricians: OSHA 30 (Construction) ($150-200 for the 30-hour course.); NFPA 70E — Arc Flash / Electrical Safe Work Practices ($300-600 for initial 2-day course.); NICET Fire Alarm Systems (Level II/III) ($150-400 per level exam.).

How do you negotiate a electrician salary?

Anchor on documented market data (BLS median $63,190, p75 $83,940), specific outcomes you've delivered, and the specific band for your years of experience. For union work: base is scale, negotiate on: dispatched jobs (getting the good foremen), travel pay, per diem, and specialty referrals. For non-union shops: Given my [X years] as a journeyman, my [specialties: fire alar...

Electrician Salary

Bureau of Labor Statistics title: Electricians

The median electrician salary in the United States is $63,190 per year ($30.38/hour). Salaries range from $42,640 at the entry level to $108,510+ for the top 10% of earners. There are 757,220 electrician jobs nationwide. Employment is projected to grow 9.5% through 2034.

Last updated: June 2026 · Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

Also known asElectricianJourneyman ElectricianMaster Electrician

Median Salary

$63,190

per year

Hourly Rate

$30.38

per hour

Employment

757,220

jobs in the U.S.

Salary Distribution

10th percentile

$42,640

25th percentile

$49,430

Median

$63,190

75th percentile

$83,940

90th percentile

$108,510

Job Growth (2024-2034)

+9.5%

Faster than average

Annual Openings

81,000

jobs/year (growth + replacements)

Education Required

High school diploma or equivalent

Training Needed

Apprenticeship

Electrician Career Guide

Interview questions, resume templates, and a career ladder written specifically for electricians.

Electricians install and maintain electrical systems in residential, commercial, and industrial settings. Pay is driven more by union status and specialty than by tenure — a 5-year IBEW journeyman in a Tier-1 city outearns a 20-year non-union residential apprentice by 40%+. Career path is regulated: apprenticeship (4-5 years) → journeyman license → optional master's license. Employers screen for: NEC (National Electrical Code) knowledge, blueprint reading, safe work practices, and physical stamina. High-voltage, industrial controls, and low-voltage/data specialties command premium pay.

Core Skills Hiring Managers Screen For

National Electrical Code (NEC / NFPA 70)

Updated every 3 years. Journeyman-level electricians reference sections from memory. Every state adopts a specific edition with local amendments.

Blueprint and schematic reading

Interpreting electrical prints, one-line diagrams, ladder logic. Ability to translate print to install without needing a foreman to explain.

Wire pulling and terminations

Sizing conductors, box fill calculations, correct torque, proper terminations. Every commercial job is inspected.

Conduit bending

EMT, IMC, rigid. Hand bender, mechanical, and hydraulic bends. Precise 90s and offsets separate journeyman from apprentice on visual inspection.

Troubleshooting

Multimeter fluency, understanding of series vs parallel behavior in fault conditions, ability to work backwards from symptom to cause without shotgun replacing parts.

Safety — OSHA 30 + NFPA 70E arc flash

Lockout/tagout, PPE for arc flash boundaries, working on energized equipment procedures. Non-negotiable in any commercial/industrial shop.

Motor controls / PLC basics

For industrial track: contactors, VFDs, PLC ladder logic, HMI interaction. Adds $8-20k/year over general electrical.

How to Become a Electrician

1
Apply for an apprenticeship
IBEW/NECA joint programs (union) or ABC/IEC (non-union). 4-5 year programs. IBEW pays higher journeyman rates; ABC starts higher for apprentices in some regions. Apply Sept-Feb for a fall start.
2
Complete required hours
~8,000 hours of on-the-job training + ~600 hours of classroom instruction. States require specific breakdown across residential, commercial, industrial, and grounding.
3
Pass the journeyman exam
State- or municipal-level exam, ~4 hours, closed or open book depending on state. NEC-heavy. Pass rate varies 40-70%.
4
Get your journeyman license
Now you can pull permits, sign off on work, and supervise apprentices. Rate jumps 40-70% overnight.
5
Specialize
Options: industrial controls, high-voltage (linework — different career path), fire alarm, data/low-voltage, solar. Each adds ~$8-25k/year with the right cert.
6
Master electrician (optional)
1-3 more years of experience + master's exam. Required to own a shop or pull commercial permits in most states.

Career Progression

Apprentice Electrician

0-4 yrs$32k-$55k (starts ~40% of journeyman rate, tiers up)

•Assist journeyman: material handling, hole drilling, conduit prep
•Attend classroom instruction 1-2 nights/week or half-day/week
•Progress through 4-5 wage tiers as hours accumulate

Next: Pass journeyman exam.

Journeyman Electrician

4-8 yrs$55k-$85k · Union in high-cost cities $85k-$120k

•Pull permits and work independently on residential/commercial
•Supervise 1-2 apprentices
•Own an entire task from print to inspection

Next: Foreman, specialty, or master.

Foreman / General Foreman

6-15 yrs$75k-$120k + overtime · Union $110k-$160k with premium OT

•Manage crews of 4-20 electricians on large projects
•Interface with GC, other trades, and inspectors
•Estimate labor and materials for change orders

Next: Project manager, superintendent, or master license.

Master Electrician / Shop Owner

8+ yrs$85k-$150k+ · Owner take-home varies with revenue

•Pull permits under master's license
•Own or manage a shop with employees, trucks, inventory
•Bid work, invoice customers, run payroll

Project Manager / Estimator

8+ yrs$85k-$140k (office role, less overtime)

•Estimate large commercial and industrial projects
•Manage schedule, budget, and change orders
•Interface with GC, engineer, and owner

Interview Questions & Answers

5 free questions below. Career Kit unlocks 15 total plus resume bullets for every level.

Q1. What size wire do you use for a 30-amp branch circuit at 240V, 100 feet away?technical

Start with the base: NEC 210.19 and 310.16 give #10 THHN copper for 30A. But 100 feet triggers a voltage drop check. NEC recommends max 3% drop on branch circuits. For 100 feet at 240V single-phase, 30A: run VD = (2 × K × I × D) / CM, K=12.9 for copper. Solve for CM ≈ 10,750 CM → #10 is 10,380 CM (borderline), #8 gives 16,510 (comfortable margin). Answer: #10 minimum by code, but #8 for the voltage drop. Show your math — interviewers screen for whether you actually run the calc or hand-wave it.

Q2. Walk me through your safety procedure for working on a 480V panel.technical

Verify the source is de-energized: LOTO the upstream breaker, verify with a known-good meter (test-verify-test). Wear appropriate arc-flash PPE for the calculated boundary — usually Cat 2 minimum at 480V, could be higher based on the panel's arc flash label. If you must work energized, have a written energized work permit signed by the site EHS, use insulated tools, wear class 0 gloves minimum, and have a second person present. Never work in a live panel alone.

Q3. Tell me about a mistake you made on a job.behavioral

STAR. Pick a real mistake with a good learning outcome. Example: over-torqued a lug on a service and cracked the compression, had to cut it out and redo. Describe how you caught it (test after energizing, inspection), owned it with the foreman, and what you now do (use a torque wrench for all service work, not just when the print calls for it). Interviewers screen for ownership + specific correction, not perfection.

Q4. Why do you want to work for our shop?behavioral

Concrete beats generic. If it's union: 'I'm looking for the training progression and benefits package your local offers.' If specialty: 'You do a lot of industrial controls work and that's the specialty I want.' If quality: 'Your inspection pass rate at the city and the referrals I've heard from other trades tell me you run a quality shop.' Not: 'I need a job.'

Q5. Explain a GFCI to me.technical

Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. Monitors the current imbalance between hot and neutral — if more than 4-6 mA leaks to ground (via a person, water, or fault), it trips within 25ms. Required by NEC 210.8 for locations near water: bathrooms, kitchens, garages, outdoors, unfinished basements, laundry. Different from AFCI (arc fault) which detects arcing. Nuisance trips usually mean shared neutral or wet load — troubleshoot don't just replace.

Resume Template — Apprentice Electrician (0-4 yrs)

Copy these bullets into your resume as a starting point. Career Kit includes bullets for every level of the ladder.

Apprentice Electrician (0-4 yrs)

▸Completed 6,200 hours of on-the-job training and 480 hours of classroom instruction through IBEW Local [XXX] apprenticeship, on track for journeyman exam Q2 2025.
▸Rough-in and finish work on 40+ residential projects and 8 light commercial buildings including two Type II construction sites.
▸OSHA 30, NFPA 70E, First Aid/CPR, and Confined Space Entry certifications maintained current.
▸Recognized as apprentice of the month at Local [XXX] for punctuality and safety compliance across 2023.

What Gets You Rejected

✗Missing or expired safety certifications — OSHA 10 minimum for entry, OSHA 30 preferred.
✗Inability to explain a basic code reference in interview. Non-union shops still expect NEC fluency.
✗History of failed drug tests or on-site injuries not disclosed proactively.
✗Attitude that safety procedures are 'optional' or 'for new guys.' Insurance-driven immediate DQ at real shops.
✗Showing up to a shop interview in dirty clothes or without a valid driver's license.
✗Not knowing the difference between MC cable, AC cable, and NM cable.

Salary Negotiation Levers

✓Union card + Local transfer — for out-of-town work at travel rates.
✓Specialty certifications: Fire Alarm (NICET), Solar (NABCEP), PLC (RSLogix), Fiber optic — each worth $3-12/hour premium.
✓OSHA 30, NFPA 70E, Confined Space — worth being current before interviews.
✓Data/low-voltage license (some states have separate) — opens telecom and BMS work.
✓Willingness to travel for outages or storm response — 1.5-2x pay for emergency work.
✓Class A CDL — for utility line work, adds $8-15k/year.
✓Bilingual (Spanish especially) — most shops value it, some pay a premium.

Electrician Resume Review — $29

Personalized resume review from someone who has hired electricians. Purchase, email your resume to support@weblabra.com, and receive detailed written feedback within 7 days.

✓ Occupation-specific critique (not generic)
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✓ Formatting + ATS-readability feedback
✓ 7-day turnaround, 100% refund if we miss it

Electrician Career Kit — $19

✓ All 15 interview questions with expert answers
✓ 10 real questions aggregated from Glassdoor, Blind, Reddit, LinkedIn
✓ Interview format intel for 5 top employers
✓ 3 copy-paste salary negotiation emails
✓ Resume bullets for every level of the career ladder
✓ 30–60–90 day plan for your first role
✓ Cover letter templates specific to this occupation
✓ Detailed salary negotiation script
✓ Ranked list of certifications with cost + ROI
✓ Downloadable PDF for offline access
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Electrician Salary by State

Best Cities (cost-adjusted) →

Salary Map — Click a state for details

$49K

$101K■ No data

Top Paying States

Vertical line = national median. Click a state for full details.

State	Median	vs. National	Employment
Oregon	$101,310	+60.3%	10,590
Illinois	$99,560	+57.6%	23,120
Hawaii	$96,460	+52.7%	3,070
Washington	$95,220	+50.7%	19,380
Alaska	$89,440	+41.5%	1,870
Massachusetts	$79,420	+25.7%	17,810
District of Columbia	$78,970	+25.0%	2,440
New York	$78,750	+24.6%	40,130
Minnesota	$78,160	+23.7%	14,350
Connecticut	$77,540	+22.7%	7,710

Showing 1–10 of 51

Electrician Salary by Metro Area

Metro Area	Median	vs. National
Kankakee, IL	$105,500	+67.0%
Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA	$105,090	+66.3%
Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA	$104,510	+65.4%
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN	$102,350	+62.0%
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA	$101,780	+61.1%
Champaign-Urbana, IL	$100,320	+58.8%
Urban Honolulu, HI	$100,270	+58.7%
Albany, OR	$100,230	+58.6%
Corvallis, OR	$99,880	+58.1%
Kennewick-Richland, WA	$99,850	+58.0%

Showing 1–10 of 393

Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Data reflects the most recent annual survey.

How does this compare to pro athletes?

A electrician earning $63,190/year would need 943 years to match Stephen Curry's NBA salary, or 1013 yearsto match Patrick Mahomes' NFL contract.

See all sports & celebrity salaries →

📈 See how electrician salaries have changed over the past decade.

View Electrician salary trend (2011–2024) →