Electrician helpers — mean annual wage
About $21.19/hour equivalent at 2,080 hours. Helpers are a separate BLS occupation; apprentices are classified with the skilled trade rather than helper occupations.
Electrician Career Earnings · May 2025 BLS Data
What can an electrician expect to earn from day one to late career?
A realistic national guide built around current Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data—without pretending one salary applies everywhere.
Data vintage: May 2025 OEWS · Page reviewed October 2, 2026
Official wage benchmarks
Start with the BLS distribution—not a made-up salary ladder.
BLS explains that workers newer to an occupation may expect wages nearer the lower percentiles, while greater experience and education can move workers toward higher percentiles. Experience is only one factor; location, industry, specialty, overtime, and responsibility matter too.
Median annual wage
Equivalent to about $30.38/hour. Half of electricians earn more and half earn less.
Highest-paid 10%
The top 10% of electricians earned more than this annual amount in May 2025—roughly $52.17/hour equivalent.
Construction first-line supervisors — mean
A broad construction-supervisor benchmark, equivalent to about $41.56/hour. Electrical foreman and supervisor pay varies by market and employer.
Rough career progression
How pay often develops over an electrical career.
The stages below are TRADECAIRN planning guidance anchored to BLS data—not official BLS experience bands and not guaranteed wages.
DAY ONEHelper / first-year apprenticeOften around the lower end of the local market
For context, electrician helpers averaged $44,080 nationally in 2025. Registered apprentice wages are program-specific and may start as a percentage of the local journeyworker rate.
APPRENTICESHIPProgressing apprenticePay should rise as skill and responsibility increase
BLS states apprentices earn less than fully trained electricians but receive more pay as they learn more. Many apprenticeship programs use scheduled wage steps.
JOURNEY LEVELFully trained electrician$63,190 national median benchmark
This is the strongest general national reference point. Your state, metro area, industry, overtime, and collective bargaining or employer pay scale can move the number substantially.
EXPERIENCEDSenior / specialty electricianPotential to move toward upper OEWS percentiles
Industrial systems, controls, instrumentation, government, manufacturing, service, prevailing-wage work, overtime, and hard-to-fill specialties can support higher compensation.
LEADERSHIPForeman / first-line supervisor$86,450 broad construction-supervisor mean
Foreman compensation may include wage premiums, overtime, bonuses, vehicle allowances, or benefit packages that are not visible in a base hourly rate.
LATE CAREERMaster, superintendent, estimator, specialist or ownerVery wide range
At this point the occupation itself no longer predicts income well. Responsibility, specialty, management scope, ownership, location, benefits, and business performance increasingly drive total compensation.
Why location matters
The national number is only the starting point.
OEWS publishes May 2025 electrician wage estimates by state and by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area. TRADECAIRN will use those official tables for geographic comparisons rather than applying one national estimate everywhere.
State wage data
Compare employment, hourly and annual wages, and percentile information for electricians in the state where you plan to work.
BLS state tables →Metro & nonmetro data
Pay can differ substantially within a state. OEWS publishes metropolitan and nonmetropolitan estimates to make local comparisons possible.
BLS area tables →Type of employer
BLS reports 2025 electrician medians of $79,820 in government, $74,550 in manufacturing, $61,570 with electrical contractors, and $57,760 in employment services.
How to read the numbers
Base wage is not total career value.
OVERTIMEHours can change annual income
Two electricians with the same base rate can finish the year far apart if one works substantial overtime, shutdowns, travel, or emergency service.
BENEFITSCompare total compensation
Health insurance, pension, retirement match, paid time off, training, per diem, vehicle, and tool allowances all have real value.
PREVAILING WAGEProject type matters
Public and prevailing-wage projects can create compensation structures very different from ordinary private work.
SPECIALTYScarce skills can pay more
Controls, instrumentation, industrial troubleshooting, service, medium voltage, commissioning, and other specialties can change market value.
LOCATIONCompare pay with cost of living
A higher nominal wage does not always mean greater purchasing power after housing, taxes, transportation, and local expenses.
OWNERSHIPBusiness income is different
Contractor ownership can create much higher upside—and much more risk, overhead, unpaid management time, and income variability.
Source standard
Where these numbers come from.
BLS OEWS tables
May 2025 national, state, area, and industry wage estimates.
OEWS tables →BLS electrician profile
Current national median, lower/upper wage thresholds, industry medians, employment outlook, and apprenticeship pay context.
Electricians profile →TRADECAIRN interpretation
Career-stage language is explanatory guidance. We do not label a BLS percentile as a specific apprenticeship year unless an actual program publishes that wage schedule.
Wage estimates are not offers, guarantees, union scales, prevailing-wage determinations, or local apprenticeship schedules. Always check current employer, apprenticeship, collective-bargaining, government, and local-market information.
Beyond the pay chart
Which electrical career path fits your next stage?
Pay is only one variable. Compare hands-on specialty work, field leadership, estimating, project management, inspection and business ownership before choosing the next skill or credential.