U.S. electricians earn a median of $63,190 per year ($30.38 per hour) according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025), with the lowest 10 percent earning under $42,640 and the top 10 percent clearing $108,510. Where you land on that ladder depends on three things: your license stage (apprentice, journeyman, master), the industry you work in, and whether you stay W-2 or build your own book of customers.
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Get jobs on AllBetter →The short version: The median U.S. electrician made $63,190 in May 2025 (BLS). Apprentices start near the bottom of the range and earn more each program year; journeymen cluster around the median; masters and specialty electricians push toward the top 10 percent ($108,510+). Elevator installers — an electrical specialty path — post a $109,910 median. Demand is strong: BLS projects 9% growth through 2034, much faster than average, with about 81,000 openings a year.
Quick answer — how much do electricians make in 2026?
- Median: $63,190/year ($30.38/hour, BLS May 2025)
- Bottom 10%: under $42,640 · Top 10%: over $108,510
- Highest-paying industry segment: government work ($79,820 median)
- Job outlook: +9% through 2034 — much faster than average
This guide breaks down electrician pay by career stage, industry, and specialty — all from Bureau of Labor Statistics data — and then gets into the part BLS doesn’t measure: what independent electricians can do about it. If you’re already licensed and want more work in your service area right now, you can browse open electrical jobs on AllBetter JobPro while you read.
Electrician Salary by Experience Level
BLS doesn’t split wages by license stage, but the wage distribution maps closely to how the career actually progresses. Here’s the honest way to read it:
| Career stage | Where it sits in the BLS wage distribution | Typical annual pay* |
|---|---|---|
| Apprentice (years 1–4/5) | Bottom of the range, rising each program year | ~$42,600 to mid $50Ks |
| Journeyman | The middle band around the median | ~$55,000–$78,000 |
| Master / specialty / supervisory | Top quartile toward the 90th percentile | ~$80,000–$108,500+ |
| Self-employed owner | Not captured cleanly by W-2 wage data | Depends on volume, pricing, and overhead — see below |
*Interpretation of the BLS May 2025 wage distribution ($42,640 at the 10th percentile, $63,190 median, $108,510 at the 90th); BLS reports wages by occupation, not license level.
Apprenticeships run 4–5 years with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training per year plus technical instruction — you’re earning the whole time, and pay steps up as you progress. After the program you’re a journey worker; with additional requirements and experience you can test up to master electrician, which is where supervisory pay and contractor licensing open up.
How Much Do Electricians Make Per Hour and Per Month?
The BLS median works out to $30.38 per hour. On a standard full-time year, the median electrician grosses about $5,266 a month ($63,190 ÷ 12). Overtime is common in the trade — almost all electricians work full time, and evening, weekend, and storm-response work pushes real take-home above the base in many shops.
National Salary Distribution (BLS Data)
| Percentile | Annual wage (May 2025) | What it typically represents |
|---|---|---|
| 10th | < $42,640 | Early apprentices, low-cost-of-living markets |
| 50th (median) | $63,190 | Working journeyman |
| 90th | > $108,510 | Masters, specialty and supervisory roles, high-cost metros |
That spread — more than 2.5× between the bottom and top of the same occupation — is the widest lever in the trades. The rest of this guide is about moving up it.
Electrician Pay by Industry
Same license, different employer, different paycheck. BLS May 2025 median wages by industry segment:
| Industry | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Government | $79,820 |
| Manufacturing | $74,550 |
| Electrical contractors & wiring installation | $61,570 |
| Employment services | $57,760 |
Notice the twist: the segment that employs 65% of electricians — contractors — pays the lowest median of the four. That’s not because contractor work is worth less; it’s because the value the customer pays for splits between the shop and the electrician on the truck. It’s also why the self-employed path keeps pulling experienced electricians out of W-2 roles.
Self-Employed Electrician Income: What You Actually Keep
About 8% of electricians are self-employed (BLS), and wage surveys undercount them because owner income isn’t a wage. The honest math: an independent electrician’s income is billed revenue minus overhead — vehicle, tools, insurance, licensing, and above all, the cost of finding the next job. Two owners billing the same rate can take home very different money depending on what customer acquisition costs them.
That last line item is the one you control fastest. When homeowners in your area post electrical jobs on AllBetter, matched pros get notified and place bids directly — JobPro puts open local jobs in front of you, you only pay when you win, and the invoice is escrow-funded, so once the customer approves the work you can be paid in as little as about 30 minutes. To see what homeowners in your market are paying for common electrical work, our electrical wiring cost guide and outlet repair cost breakdown show the price ranges customers actually see.
Highest-Paying Electrical Specialties
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Get jobs on AllBetter →The fastest way past the median is specialty work. BLS May 2025 medians for electrical-adjacent specialty occupations:
| Specialty path | Median annual wage | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Elevator & escalator installers/repairers | $109,910 | Union-heavy, apprenticeship-gated — the top of the electrical ladder |
| Electrical power-line installers | $95,320 | Outdoor/utility work, storm premiums |
| Electrical & electronics repairers | $74,090 | Commercial & industrial equipment focus |
| General electrician | $63,190 | The baseline this guide covers |
| Solar PV installers | $53,140 | Growing field; pays below licensed electrical work — get the license first |
Inside general electrical work, the premium niches follow the same logic: EV charger installation, panel upgrades, smart-home and low-voltage integration, and industrial controls all bill above bread-and-butter service calls because fewer licensed pros compete for them.
How to Increase Your Electrician Income
- Finish the license ladder. The jump from journeyman to master is the single biggest verified pay move in the BLS distribution — it’s the gate to supervisory rates and pulling your own permits.
- Pick a premium niche. EV chargers, panel upgrades, and controls work bill above standard service calls.
- Chase the right industry. Government roles pay roughly $18K above the contractor median for the same license.
- Go independent when your pipeline supports it. Owner economics beat W-2 pay only if job flow is steady — our guide on starting a contracting business covers the sequencing, and these 10 cost-saving tips for electrician businesses protect the margin once you’re running.
- Cut your cost of finding work. The apps contractors use to find work vary wildly in what they cost you — and that cost comes straight out of your effective hourly rate. The big lead-gen sites charge whether or not the job pans out; AllBetter’s model is only pay when you win.
Electrician Salary vs. Other Trades
| Trade / group | Median annual wage (May 2025) |
|---|---|
| Elevator installers (electrical specialty) | $109,910 |
| Power-line installers | $95,320 |
| Electricians | $63,190 |
| HVAC technicians | $61,010 |
| Construction trades overall | $59,540 |
| All U.S. occupations | $50,980 |
Electricians out-earn the construction-trades median by about $4K a year and the all-occupations median by about $12K — before overtime. For the plumbing side of the comparison, see our plumber salary guide.
Is Electrician a Good Career in 2026? (Job Outlook)
By BLS projections, yes — and unusually so. Employment is projected to grow 9% from 2024 to 2034 (much faster than the 3% average across all occupations), from 818,700 working electricians to a projected 896,100, with about 81,000 openings per year from growth and retirements. Electrification is the tailwind: EV charging, solar interconnection, and grid upgrades all run through licensed electricians. Demand shows up on the homeowner side too — homeowners searching for an electrician near me can post the job on AllBetter and start comparing bids.
Data centers are making the shortage worse
The pressure is not only from electrification. Associated Builders and Contractors estimates the construction industry needs 349,000 new workers in 2026 just to keep labor supply and demand in balance, rising to 456,000 in 2027, and most of the 2026 need comes from replacing retiring workers rather than from new projects (ABC, January 2026). Data centers compete for the same people: electrical work is 45% to 70% of a data center’s construction cost, according to the IBEW (reported by Fortune, March 2026). Every new site pulls licensed electricians toward large commercial projects, which tightens the pool available for the residential and small-business work that independent electricians build their books on.
Why Independent Electricians Use AllBetter JobPro
| What you get | Why it matters to your income |
|---|---|
| Stripe Identity–verified profile | Homeowners see an ID-verified pro, so your bids convert on trust you’ve already earned |
| Escrow-funded invoices | The money is committed before you start — no chasing checks |
| Fast payout after approval | Once the customer approves the work, you can be paid in as little as ~30 minutes |
| Only pay when you win | No pay-to-play — your cost tracks jobs won, not clicks |
| Direct homeowner relationships | The customer you win is yours to keep for the repeat work |
Running a crew instead of a solo book? AllBetter Field’s electrical contractor software handles quoting, scheduling, and invoicing — free to start, with your first 3 invoices on us.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do electricians make?
The median U.S. electrician earned $63,190 per year ($30.38/hour) as of the BLS May 2025 survey. The lowest 10 percent earned under $42,640 and the top 10 percent earned over $108,510.
What is the average electrician salary in the U.S.?
BLS reports the median at $63,190 per year (May 2025). Pay varies most by license stage, industry, and metro — government roles post a $79,820 median, with manufacturing at $74,550.
How much does a journeyman electrician make?
Journeymen typically sit in the middle band of the BLS wage distribution — roughly $55,000–$78,000 a year depending on region and industry, around the $63,190 national median.
How much do apprentice electricians make?
Apprentices earn from day one and step up each program year. First-year pay typically starts near the bottom of the BLS range (around the $42,640 10th-percentile mark), rising toward journeyman scale across the 4–5 year program with about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training per year.
What does a master electrician earn?
Masters, specialty, and supervisory electricians occupy the top of the distribution — roughly $80,000 up past the $108,510 90th-percentile mark, with self-employed masters’ income set by their book of business rather than a wage scale.
What is the highest-paying electrical specialty?
Elevator and escalator installers/repairers — an apprenticeship-gated electrical specialty — post a $109,910 median (BLS May 2025). Power-line installers follow at $95,320.
Is being an electrician a good career in 2026?
BLS projects 9% employment growth from 2024 to 2034 — much faster than average — with about 81,000 openings a year. Electrification (EV charging, solar, grid work) is expanding the trade’s ceiling.
How long does it take to become an electrician?
Most electricians complete a 4–5 year paid apprenticeship, then work as licensed journey workers; master licensing comes after additional experience and testing. Most states require a license at both stages.
How can a new electrician get more jobs?
Pipeline beats marketing spend. Alongside referrals, list where homeowners already post work: on AllBetter JobPro you browse local electrical jobs, bid directly, and only pay when you win — no pay-to-play while you build your book.
For working electricians
Don’t risk a month of gaps between jobs.
Homeowners near you are posting electrical work right now. Bid on the jobs you want, and once the customer approves the escrow-funded invoice, you can be paid in as little as ~30 minutes.
- ✓ Stripe Identity–verified profile homeowners trust
- ✓ Escrow-funded invoices — the money is behind the job
- ✓ Only pay when you win — no pay-to-play
- ✓ The customers you win stay yours
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Electricians (May 2025 OEWS wage data; employment projections 2024–34).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (percentile wage distribution, industry medians).
- U.S. Department of Labor — Apprenticeship.gov (registered electrical apprenticeship structure and hours).
- CareerOneStop (U.S. DOL) — state licensing requirements for journeyman and master electricians.
- Associated Builders and Contractors — Construction Industry Must Attract 349,000 Workers in 2026 (January 15, 2026 release; 2027 projection 456,000; retirements as the main driver).
- Fortune — AI data centers and the electrician shortage (March 2, 2026; IBEW estimate that electrical work is 45–70% of data center construction cost).
