United States · Licensing examElectrician pay at a glance (May 2025)
BLS reports a median, the point where half earn more and half earn less, rather than an average. Its hourly figure is pay to the electrician, not what a contractor charges a customer.
| Measure | Pay |
|---|---|
| Median, per year | $63,190 |
| Median, per hour | $30.38 |
| Lowest 10% earned less than | $42,640 |
| Highest 10% earned more than | $108,510 |
Is the electrician salary the same in every industry?
No. Employment services paid the lowest median of the industries BLS lists:
| Industry | Median pay, May 2025 |
|---|---|
| Government (not state and local education or hospitals) | $79,820 |
| Manufacturing | $74,550 |
| Electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors | $61,570 |
| Employment services | $57,760 |
Electrical contractors employ 66% of all electricians, more than any other employer group.
Journeyman, master and apprentice pay
BLS doesn't split pay by license level, so there's no official journeyman or master electrician salary in its figures. It does say apprentices earn less than fully trained electricians and that their pay rises as they learn to do more. What apprentices start on is on the apprenticeship page.
Pay in your state or city
BLS publishes electrician wages for each state and metro area in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data, linked from the State & Area Data tab of its electrician page. Use those tables rather than one national number when you compare an offer.
Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Checked October 2026.
Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.
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