Salary & Licensing · Updated May 2026

Electrician salary by state

What electricians earn in every state — median pay and the real 10th-to-90th percentile range — plus the part most salary pages skip: licensing requirements, reciprocity, the taxes you may owe on your work, and the gotchas that trip people up.

Key facts

  • National median wage: $63,190 (mean $71,490); the range runs from under $42,640 (10th percentile) to over $108,510 (90th) — BLS, May 2025.
  • Highest-paying: Oregon, Illinois, Hawaii, Washington, and Alaska (medians ~$89,000–$101,000). Lowest: Arkansas, Alabama, and North Carolina (~$49,000–$57,000).
  • Licensing varies hugely. Most states require a journeyman/master license — but Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Arizona, and Nevada have no statewide license and defer to local jurisdictions.
  • Taxes are a trap: four states (HI, NM, SD, WV) tax services by default, and many others tax repair work but not real-property improvements.

National pay range

A single figure hides a wide spread. Nationally, electrician pay ranges like this (BLS, May 2025) — driven by experience, license level, specialty, region, and whether you own the business:

PercentileAnnual wage
Bottom 10%$42,640
25th percentile$49,430
Median (50th)$63,190
75th percentile$83,940
Top 10%$108,510

Mean (average) wage: $71,490. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (national).

Electrician salary by state

Median annual wage with the actual 10th–90th percentile range, highest to lowest. National median: $63,190.

Rank State Median 10th–90th range
1 Oregon $101,310 $59,550 – $131,530
2 Illinois $99,560 $49,240 – $123,660
3 Hawaii $96,460 $45,730 – $124,590
4 Washington $95,220 $52,170 – $133,950
5 Alaska $89,440 $58,420 – $123,200
6 Massachusetts $79,420 $46,990 – $128,210
7 District of Columbia $78,970 $51,950 – $125,790
8 New York $78,750 $45,740 – $131,640
9 Minnesota $78,160 $47,480 – $118,820
10 Connecticut $77,540 $47,680 – $104,280
11 New Jersey $77,250 $48,570 – $130,860
12 Montana $76,760 $49,130 – $89,510
13 Wisconsin $76,540 $44,830 – $101,770
14 Michigan $76,270 $42,980 – $103,120
15 California $76,160 $46,800 – $140,340
16 Wyoming $76,120 $48,240 – $104,000
17 Maine $75,380 $54,180 – $115,720
18 Rhode Island $74,090 $42,990 – $102,840
19 Nevada $73,570 $46,110 – $121,200
20 Maryland $73,490 $46,450 – $118,370
21 Indiana $68,490 $43,190 – $99,310
22 Pennsylvania $67,600 $45,600 – $122,620
23 Kansas $65,860 $42,660 – $96,830
24 North Dakota $65,710 $46,440 – $101,020
25 Missouri $65,410 $43,860 – $104,060
26 West Virginia $64,810 $43,620 – $95,140
27 Ohio $64,700 $40,750 – $99,280
28 Delaware $63,700 $38,280 – $105,340
29 Vermont $63,430 $47,470 – $132,080
30 Idaho $63,000 $38,830 – $95,470
31 Virginia $62,900 $40,780 – $105,720
32 New Hampshire $62,840 $43,190 – $91,850
33 Colorado $62,230 $45,520 – $94,160
34 Utah $62,000 $39,940 – $89,110
35 Louisiana $61,540 $38,750 – $81,810
36 South Dakota $61,390 $44,320 – $80,060
37 Tennessee $61,090 $39,600 – $92,160
38 Arizona $61,060 $45,540 – $89,600
39 Oklahoma $61,010 $37,900 – $92,740
40 Iowa $60,860 $39,770 – $89,480
41 Mississippi $60,860 $38,200 – $76,540
42 Nebraska $60,820 $40,400 – $94,040
43 Kentucky $59,720 $37,110 – $85,260
44 South Carolina $58,740 $44,330 – $77,800
45 Texas $58,570 $37,920 – $80,300
46 New Mexico $58,390 $36,650 – $86,830
47 Georgia $58,320 $37,180 – $84,000
48 Florida $57,250 $38,190 – $77,180
49 North Carolina $56,800 $40,130 – $75,060
50 Alabama $55,690 $37,640 – $78,230
51 Arkansas $49,070 $34,910 – $74,460

Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, extracted via the BLS public API. Median and 10th/90th-percentile annual wages are actual BLS values per state. Figures aren't cost-of-living adjusted — many top-paying states are also high-cost — and self-employed electricians aren't included.

Licensing requirements by state

Electrician licensing is set at the state level and varies widely. Most states license in tiers — apprentice → journeyman → master electrician — with each step requiring documented experience (journeyman often needs ~4 years / ~8,000 hours) plus a passed exam. Master and contractor levels usually add a business/law exam, a surety bond, and insurance.

But several states have no statewide electrician license and defer wholly or partly to local jurisdictions. In these states you'll usually still need a city or county license:

Reciprocity: about a third of states recognize an out-of-state license, usually through regional compacts — for example the Southeast (AL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN), the Mid-Atlantic (MD, VA, WV), and bilateral deals like Utah–Colorado. Accepted license levels and required hours differ, so confirm with the destination state's board. Requirements change often — always verify with your state electrical board (and your city/county) before bidding work.

Do you charge sales tax on electrical work?

This is where a lot of electricians get caught. Whether your labor is taxable depends on the state and the job:

This is general information, not tax advice. Confirm the rules with your state revenue department.

Other gotchas

Salary vs. what you can charge

One critical caveat: these are employee wages — BLS doesn't survey the self-employed. If you run your own shop, your take-home depends on what you charge and how many hours you actually bill, which is usually higher than the employee median but only if you price correctly. Work out the rate you need with the free hourly rate calculator.

Run an electrical business?

JobStack helps solo electricians schedule, quote, invoice, and get paid — without the back office. Launching soon.

Notify me at launch

Electrician salary & licensing FAQ

How much do electricians make?
The national median wage for electricians is $63,190 a year (mean $71,490), per BLS May 2025 data. The lowest 10% earn under $42,640 and the top 10% earn over $108,510. State medians range from about $49,000 in the lowest-paying state to over $101,000 in the highest.
Which states pay electricians the most?
By median wage, the highest-paying states are Oregon (~$101,310), Illinois (~$99,560), Hawaii (~$96,460), Washington (~$95,220), and Alaska (~$89,440) — largely strong-union, high-cost-of-living states.
Which states pay electricians the least?
The lowest median wages are in Arkansas (~$49,070), Alabama (~$55,690), North Carolina (~$56,800), Florida (~$57,250), and Georgia (~$58,320) — often where the cost of living is lower.
Do you need a license to be an electrician?
In most states, yes — typically a journeyman and/or master electrician license earned through documented experience hours and an exam. But several states have no statewide license and defer to local jurisdictions, including Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, New York, Arizona, and Nevada. Even there, a city or county license is usually required.
Can I transfer my electrician license to another state?
Sometimes. About a third of states offer reciprocity, often through regional compacts — for example the Southeast (AL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN), the Mid-Atlantic (MD, VA, WV), and bilateral deals like Utah–Colorado. Requirements and accepted license levels vary, so confirm with the destination state's board.
Do electricians charge sales tax on their work?
It depends on the state and the job. Hawaii, New Mexico, South Dakota, and West Virginia tax services by default. New York taxes repair, maintenance, and installation work. Many states distinguish real-property improvement (often not taxed to the customer) from repairs of tangible property (often taxed). This isn't tax advice — confirm with your state revenue department.

Methodology & sources

All wage figures — national and per-state median, 10th, and 90th percentiles — are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program, May 2025, extracted via the BLS public API. Figures aren't cost-of-living adjusted, and self-employed workers are excluded. Licensing and reciprocity details are compiled from NECA, state licensing boards, and industry guides; tax treatment from state revenue departments. Rules change frequently — verify with the relevant state board and revenue department. Not legal or tax advice.

More: plumber salary by state, HVAC salary by state, and JobStack by trade. Free to cite with attribution to JobStack.