By Aijaz Alam
How much do electricians make, and is demand growing?
The median annual wage for US electricians was $63,190 in May 2025, or $30.38 an hour, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The lowest-paid 10% earned under $42,640 and the top 10% over $108,510. BLS projects electrician jobs to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 72,700 openings a year.
- $63,190Median annual wage, US electriciansBLS OEWS, May 2025
- $30.38Median hourly wageBLS OEWS, May 2025
- 9%Projected job growth, 2025 to 2035BLS projections; 3% for all occupations
- 72,700Projected openings each yearBLS, average over 2025-2035
- 1,160,500People employed by electrical and wiring contractorsBLS CES, Aug 2026, preliminary; all staff
The numbers
The full breakdown
Electrician pay in the US, May 2025
| Measure | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| Lowest 10% earned less than | $42,640 |
| 25th percentile | $49,430 |
| Median | $63,190 |
| 75th percentile | $83,940 |
| Highest 10% earned more than | $108,510 |
| Mean (average) | $71,490 |
| Median hourly wage | $30.38 |
| Mean hourly wage | $34.37 |
Electricians (SOC 47-2111). BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics: wage and salary workers only, self-employed workers are not included. Apprentices are counted and earn less than fully trained electricians. The median for all US occupations was $50,980.
Electrician jobs and outlook, 2025 to 2035
| Measure | Number |
|---|---|
| Jobs in 2025 | 821,000 |
| Projected jobs in 2035 | 896,900 |
| Change, 2025 to 2035 | +75,900 |
| Projected growth, 2025 to 2035 | 9% |
| Projected openings each year | 72,700 |
| Growth, all construction trades workers | 6% |
| Growth, all occupations | 3% |
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, as shown in the Occupational Outlook Handbook. Projections, not measured values.
Where electricians work, and median pay there
| Employer | Share of electrician jobs, 2025 | Median annual wage, May 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical contractors and other wiring installation contractors | 66% | $61,570 |
| Self-employed workers | 7% | Not published |
| Manufacturing | 6% | $74,550 |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 3% | $79,820 |
| Employment services | 2% | $57,760 |
The largest employers listed by BLS in the Occupational Outlook Handbook.
States with the highest median pay for electricians, May 2025
| State | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Oregon | $101,310 |
| Illinois | $99,560 |
| Hawaii | $96,460 |
| Washington | $95,220 |
| Alaska | $89,440 |
| Massachusetts | $79,420 |
| District of Columbia | $78,970 |
| New York | $78,750 |
| Minnesota | $78,160 |
| Connecticut | $77,540 |
Top 10 of the 50 states and DC in the BLS OEWS profile. The national median is $63,190.
States with the most electricians, May 2025
| State | Employment | Relative standard error |
|---|---|---|
| Texas | 76,770 | 3.3% |
| California | 73,310 | 2.7% |
| Florida | 49,700 | 4.3% |
| New York | 40,130 | 4.4% |
| Ohio | 28,950 | 2.2% |
| Virginia | 23,630 | 3.3% |
| Michigan | 23,530 | 3.5% |
| Illinois | 23,120 | 4.6% |
| Pennsylvania | 22,730 | 3.4% |
| Georgia | 21,650 | 3.6% |
OEWS wage and salary employment (757,220 nationally), so self-employed electricians are not counted.
People employed by US electrical and wiring contractors (August each year)
| Month | All employees |
|---|---|
| Aug 2024 | 1,102,300 |
| Aug 2025 | 1,114,600 |
| Aug 2026 (preliminary) | 1,160,500 |
BLS Current Employment Statistics series CES2023821001, seasonally adjusted. Every employee of these firms, not only electricians, and it includes commercial work.
Electricians compared with the other home trades
| Occupation | Jobs 2025 | Projected growth 2025-35 | Openings per year | Median pay May 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HVAC mechanics and installers | 440,900 | 11% | 40,600 | $61,010 |
| Electricians | 821,000 | 9% | 72,700 | $63,190 |
| Plumbers, pipefitters and steamfitters | 510,600 | 7% | 42,000 | $63,800 |
| All occupations | n/a | 3% | n/a | $50,980 |
BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 edition.
Over time
Electrician median pay and employment, May 2021 to May 2025
| Year | Median annual wage | Median hourly wage | Employment (OEWS) |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | $60,040 | $28.87 | 650,580 |
| May 2022 | $60,240 | $28.96 | 690,050 |
| May 2023 | $61,590 | $29.61 | 712,580 |
| May 2024 | $62,350 | $29.98 | 742,580 |
| May 2025 | $63,190 | $30.38 | 757,220 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national estimates each May. Wages are in current dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
Why sources differ
Same question, different answers
| Number | When | Who measured | Why it differs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 821,000 | 2025 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook (Employment Projections) | Jobs held by electricians, including the self-employed (7% of the total). |
| 757,220 | May 2025 | BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | Wage and salary workers only; the group its pay figures describe. |
| 1,160,500 | Aug 2026 | BLS Current Employment Statistics | Every employee of electrical and wiring contractors, including office staff and helpers; preliminary. |
| $71,490 | May 2025 | BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics | Mean annual wage, pulled above the $63,190 median by high earners. |
You will see three different counts of electricians from the same agency. The Occupational Outlook Handbook's 821,000 jobs for 2025 come from the BLS Employment Projections program and include self-employed electricians, 7% of the total. The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey reports 757,220 for May 2025 because it covers wage and salary workers only, which is also the group behind the pay figures. The Current Employment Statistics series, 1,160,500 in August 2026 (preliminary), is not a count of electricians at all: it is every employee of electrical and wiring contractors, including estimators, office staff and helpers, and it misses electricians who work in factories or for government. On pay, the mean of $71,490 sits well above the median of $63,190 because the top tenth earn more than $108,510. Quote the median, with its month and year.
What it means
How to use these numbers
Half of US electricians earned more than $63,190 in May 2025, about $12,000 above the median for all occupations. The range is wide, from under $42,640 for the lowest tenth, which includes apprentices, to over $108,510 for the top tenth.
Where you work changes the number more than anything else on this page. Median pay tops $95,000 in Oregon, Illinois, Hawaii and Washington, against $63,190 nationally, and electricians in government and manufacturing earn more than those at contractors. Texas and California have the most electricians, at about 77,000 and 73,000.
BLS projects 9% job growth from 2025 to 2035 and about 72,700 openings a year, the most of the three big home trades. It links the growth to new buildings, solar and wind connections, and the power demand of data centers, which needs grid upgrades. For an electrical contractor, that means competing for staff with utilities, factories and data-center builders, not only with other local firms. The national median has risen only about 5% since May 2021, before inflation, so pay offers that track your state's figures will matter in hiring.
Method and sources
How it was measured
Method
- Publisher
- US Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS, May 2025) for pay, the Occupational Outlook Handbook (2025-35 projections) for jobs and outlook, and Current Employment Statistics for contractor employment
- Sample
- OEWS surveys employers about the jobs and wages of their employees; self-employed workers are not covered. The OOH job counts and projections come from the BLS Employment Projections program.
- Definition
- Electricians (SOC 47-2111), including apprentices. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers earned more and half earned less.
- Released
- OEWS May 2025 estimates and the 2025-35 OOH edition, both in 2026; the OOH page was last modified 27 Aug 2026
- Checked at source
- 31 October 2026: OOH Electricians page, OEWS profiles on data.bls.gov, the BLS public API, OEWS pages for May 2021 to May 2023 and the May 2024 national xlsx; contractor employment read through the BLS public API (August 2026 still the latest month)
- Next release
- BLS updates OEWS wages and the OOH once a year, and contractor employment every month
- Last changed
- 31 Oct 2026
- Data files
- CSV · JSON (stable links)
Sources
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Bureau of Labor Statistics Official data
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FAQ
More questions people ask
How much do electricians make an hour?
The median was $30.38 an hour in May 2025, and the mean $34.37 (BLS OEWS).
Which state pays electricians the most?
Oregon, with a median of $101,310 in May 2025, followed by Illinois ($99,560) and Hawaii ($96,460).
Which employers pay electricians the most?
Among the largest employers, government paid a median $79,820 in May 2025 and manufacturing $74,550, against $61,570 at electrical contractors and $57,760 at employment services.
Why is demand for electricians growing?
BLS points to power systems in new buildings, connecting solar and wind generation to the grid, and rising electricity demand from data centers and AI, which needs grid upgrades and new infrastructure.
Every number on this page was checked at its original source (US Bureau of Labor Statistics). Free to cite with a link to this page.