How much do electricians make?
The median electrician in the United States earns $30.38 an hour, or $63,190 a year. The bottom 10% earn under $20.50 an hour; the top 10% clear $52.17. There are about 757,220 people doing this work nationally.
Those are US Bureau of Labor Statistics figures for employed workers, which is the honest baseline — and also the number most people are actually looking for. What you can bill as a self-employed contractor is a different question, and we cover it below.
The full range
| Percentile | Hourly | Annual equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 10% | $20.50 | $42,640 |
| Median | $30.38 | $63,190 |
| Average (mean) | $34.37 | $71,490 |
| Top 10% | $52.17 | $108,514 |
The top decile earns 2.5× what the bottom decile earns, and 72% above the median. That gap is the useful part of this data: it is not really one job with one wage, it is a wide range where skill, licence and market decide where you land.
Where it pays most
Oregon pays the highest median at $48.71 an hour; Arkansas the lowest at $23.59. That is a 2.1× difference for the same job.
Highest paying states
| State | Median hourly | Annual | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $48.71 | $101,310 | +60% |
| Illinois | $47.87 | $99,560 | +58% |
| Hawaii | $46.38 | $96,460 | +53% |
| Washington | $45.78 | $95,220 | +51% |
| Alaska | $43.00 | $89,440 | +42% |
Lowest paying states
| State | Median hourly | Annual | vs national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas | $23.59 | $49,070 | -22% |
| Alabama | $26.78 | $55,690 | -12% |
| North Carolina | $27.31 | $56,800 | -10% |
| Florida | $27.52 | $57,250 | -9% |
| Georgia | $28.04 | $58,320 | -8% |
Cost of living explains a lot of that spread but not all of it — licensing regimes and the local mix of commercial versus residential work matter too. We have a page for all 51 jurisdictions: see every state's electricians pay data.
What actually moves the number
Licensing tier is the single biggest lever — journeyman to master is usually a step change, not a raise. After that: industrial and utility work pays above residential, and union locals in the north-east and west set higher scale than the residential market.
Employed pay vs what you can bill
Everything above measures employed electricians — W-2 wages. If you work for yourself, your billed rate has to cover a great deal that a wage does not: self-employment tax, insurance, vehicle and tools, unbillable hours spent quoting and chasing payment, and time lost between jobs.
A useful rule is that a self-employed rate needs to be roughly two to three times the equivalent employed wage before you are genuinely ahead. Our profit margin calculator works that out properly from your own overhead rather than a rule of thumb.
FAQ
How much do electricians make an hour?
The national median is $30.38 an hour. The range runs from about $20.50 at the bottom tenth to $52.17 at the top tenth, so where you sit depends heavily on licence level, specialisation and state.
What is a good salary for a electrician?
Above the $63,190 median puts you in the upper half nationally. Clearing $108,514 puts you in the top 10% of the occupation. Adjust for your state — the gap between Oregon and Arkansas is roughly 2.1×.
Which state pays electricians the most?
Oregon, at a median of $48.71 an hour — 60% above the national median. Cost of living offsets some of that, so compare take-home rather than headline rate.
Can electricians make six figures?
As an employee it is uncommon: the top 10% reach about $108,514. It is far more achievable running your own business, where you keep the margin on other people's labour as well as your own — but that is a different job, with the overhead and risk to match.
Where does this data come from?
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics programme, 2025 release, for Electricians (SOC 472111). It is the same source used across our state-by-state rate pages, so the figures are directly comparable.