Electricians in the United States earned a median of $63,190 a year ($30.38 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $49,430 and $83,940, and the top 10% earned more than $108,510.
These figures are from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey for electricians (47-2111), May 2025 estimates, checked as of October 2026. Electricians are a big occupation: about 757,220 wage-and-salary jobs, nearly twice the HVAC count in the same survey. Self-employed electricians are not included.
The full pay range
| Percentile | Annual |
|---|---|
| 10th | $42,640 |
| 25th | $49,430 |
| 50th (median) | $63,190 |
| 75th | $83,940 |
| 90th | $108,510 |
The mean was $71,490, or $34.37 an hour. As with plumbers, the top end stretches a long way above the middle.
To compare an hourly offer with these figures, use the BLS full-time convention:
annual pay = hourly rate × 2,080
So a $40 an hour offer is $83,200 a year before overtime, right around the 75th percentile. A $25 an hour apprentice rate is $52,000, between the 25th percentile and the median.
Pay by state
State medians for May 2025, from the same BLS data:
| State | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Illinois | $99,560 |
| Massachusetts | $79,420 |
| New York | $78,750 |
| California | $76,160 |
| Mississippi | $60,860 |
| Texas | $58,570 |
| Georgia | $58,320 |
| Florida | $57,250 |
One surprise in the sample: Mississippi's median sits above Texas, Georgia and Florida. State medians depend on the mix of work (industrial plants and utilities pay differently from residential service), not only the cost of living. Look up your own metro before you assume.
What moves electrician pay
License level
The BLS notes that most states require electricians to pass a test and be licensed, and that many require continuing education to keep the license. The common path is apprentice, then journeyman, then master or contractor. The BLS describes the usual apprenticeship as 4 or 5 years with 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year plus technical instruction, as of October 2026 on its electricians page. Each license step changes what you can do unsupervised, and pay usually follows.
Type of work
Residential new construction, commercial, industrial maintenance, utilities and service calls pay differently. Service electricians who troubleshoot and quote on site often earn commission on top of hourly. Specialties like solar, EV chargers, generators and controls add value. The electrical industry page covers how panel upgrades, permits and inspections shape an electrical service day.
Union or open shop
Union scale in many metros pushes the upper percentiles. Open shops may offer more overtime or commission. Compare the full package: wage, benefits, overtime rules and how many hours you'll actually get.
Time on the job versus time in the truck
Commission and production pay depend on how many jobs you finish, not how many hours you're on the clock. A day with poor job sequencing costs a service electrician real money. If you're paid partly on production, ask how the shop schedules its calls.
Self-employed electricians
The survey above excludes the self-employed. If you contract on your own, your rate must cover self-employment tax, insurance, the truck and the days you're not billing. See 1099 vs W-2 for technicians for the conversion and how to find subcontract work in the trades for filling your calendar.
What to take away
- BLS May 2025: median $63,190 a year ($30.38 an hour) for electricians.
- The 10th to 90th percentile range runs from $42,640 to $108,510.
- State medians in our sample ranged from $57,250 (Florida) to $99,560 (Illinois).
- License level, type of work and union scale explain most of the spread.
Common questions
How much does a journeyman electrician make?
The BLS doesn't publish pay by license level. A journeyman with a few years of experience will usually land between the median and the 75th percentile, roughly $63,190 to $83,940 nationally in May 2025, with big differences by state and union status.
How much do apprentice electricians make?
Apprentices are paid on a wage schedule that rises as they complete hours and classroom training, usually starting at a share of the journeyman rate. Ask the program or employer for the schedule. The BLS 10th percentile for electricians was $42,640 in May 2025.
Do electricians make more than HVAC technicians?
Nationally, a little. The May 2025 medians were $63,190 for electricians and $61,010 for HVAC technicians. The bigger difference is at the top: the electrician 90th percentile is about $13,000 higher.
Which state pays electricians the most?
Of the states we checked, Illinois had the highest May 2025 median at $99,560. The BLS occupation page lists every state and metro area.