Electrician: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.
The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.
10% of electricians earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $42,640
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
25% of electricians earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $49,430
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Half of electricians earn more than this and half earn less.
- Annual
- $63,190
- Hourly
- $30.38
- Source
- BLS May 2025
75% of electricians earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $83,940
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
90% of electricians earn less than this amount.
- Annual
- $108,510
- Hourly
- n/a
- Source
- BLS May 2025
Electricians install, maintain, and repair electrical wiring, equipment, and fixtures. The median pay is $63,190 a year ($30.38 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a post-secondary certificate (62% of workers surveyed by O*NET).
- Median pay
- $63,190
- BLS May 2025
- Employed in the U.S.
- 757,220
- BLS May 2025
- Preparation
- Job Zone 3 of 5
- medium preparation
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate
- 62% of workers
Every page for Electricians
Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.
Open →How to becomeElectrician how to becomeEducation, training and the skills to build first.
Open →ResumeElectrician resumeKeywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.
Open →Interview questionsElectrician interview questionsQuestions with what they test, plus practice mode.
Open →Career changeElectrician career changeWhere these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.
Open →Free toolCheck your resumeParsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.
Open →What electricians do day to day
Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).
- Prepare sketches or follow blueprints to determine the location of wiring or equipment and to ensure conformance to building and safety codes.
- Place conduit, pipes, or tubing, inside designated partitions, walls, or other concealed areas, and pull insulated wires or cables through the conduit to complete circuits between boxes.
- Work from ladders, scaffolds, or roofs to install, maintain, or repair electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures.
- Use a variety of tools or equipment, such as power construction equipment, measuring devices, power tools, and testing equipment, such as oscilloscopes, ammeters, or test lamps.
- Assemble, install, test, or maintain electrical or electronic wiring, equipment, appliances, apparatus, or fixtures, using hand tools or power tools.
- Connect wires to circuit breakers, transformers, or other components.
- Maintain current electrician's license or identification card to meet governmental regulations.
- Plan layout and installation of electrical wiring, equipment, or fixtures, based on job specifications and local codes.
Ranked by importance to the job
Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.
Knowledge areas: Building and Construction, Administration and Management, Mechanical, Mathematics, Design, Customer and Personal Service.
Software electricians use
Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.
- Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
- AVEVA InTouch HMIIndustrial control software
- Construction Master ProAnalytical or scientific software
- Electrosoft FlashWorksAnalytical or scientific software
- Elite Software E-CoordAnalytical or scientific software
- Elite Software InpointAnalytical or scientific software
- Elite Software OutpointAnalytical or scientific software
- Elite Software ShortAnalytical or scientific software
- Elite Software VDROPAnalytical or scientific software
- Lighting calculation softwareAnalytical or scientific software
- One Mile Up Panel PlannerComputer aided design CAD software
- Programmable logic controller PLC softwareIndustrial control software
Also called: Control Electrician, Electrical Journey Person, Electrical Troubleshooter, Housing Maintenance Electrician, Industrial Electrician.
Similar careers to explore
How this page is built
Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.
- How a specific employer defines the job.
- Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
- Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
- O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).