Do Electricians Make Good Money In The USA in 2023? STATES compared

There are many factors that impact an electrician’s annual salary, including education and experience. However, location plays an important role too! In fact, location can be used to help electricians determine salary averages and projections! 

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On average, electricians in the USA earn $56,000 per annum. Electricians working in New York, Alaska, and Hawaii earned upwards of $10,000 more than the national average. Electricians working in states like Arkansas, Florida, and South Dakota earned at least $10,000 less than the national average. 

If you’re interested in how much electricians earn in the USA, we’ll cover everything you want to know. Once we’ve looked at the national average, we’ll consider the states where electricians earn the highest and lowest salaries. We’ll also explain how electricians can determine a more accurate salary projection that accounts for their location, education, and experience! 

How Much Do Electricians Make On Average In The USA?

An electrician’s salary is influenced by many factors, including education, experience, and location. In fact, electricians can use location to determine salary averages and projections. For instance, let’s first consider the average salary of an electrician in the United States. 

Electricians are one of the best jobs in construction. For those without degrees, this career path is also one of the highest-paying avenues! On average, electricians working in the United States earn around $56,000 per annum. Naturally, this has fluctuated over the years. Furthermore, factors like education and experience will also play critical roles in determining specific salaries. 

Generally, electricians working in the USA can expect to earn anywhere between $40,000 and $80,000 per year based on collected data. However, these averages can be inspected to reveal which states earn the highest and lowest electrician salaries! This data can be particularly helpful to those considering this career path. 

States Where Electricians Earn The Highest Salaries : New York and New Jersey

In the above section, we outlined how much electricians in the United States earn on average. However, state salary averages provide a more detailed look at how much electricians truly earn in different states. On the one hand, this allows us to see in which states electricians earn the highest salaries. 

StateAverage income for electricians (USD)
New York$78,000
New Jersey$70,000
Florida$45,000
California and Washington $68,000
North and South Carolina$44,000
Average salaries for an electrician by state.

At the start of 2020, electricians in New York averaged the highest-paid electricians in America, earning around $78,000 annually. Of course, this is nearly 40% higher than the national average. Electricians in Alaska averaged $76,000 per annum, coming in a close second. Electricians in Illinois and Hawaii averaged around $75,000 per year. 

Electricians working in Minnesota and New Jersey had an average annual salary between $70,000 and $72,000 in 2020. For those working in Massachusetts, Washington, California, or Oregon, the yearly average ranged between $68,000 and $69,000. In the above-discussed ten states, electricians earn upwards of $10,000 more than the national average. 

States Where Electricians Earn The Lowest Salaries : Florida and North Carolina

Above, we looked at the states where electricians earn the highest salaries. The same data used to find those averages can also be used to look at the states where electricians earn the lowest salaries. As you’ll see in a moment, many electricians in these states earn salaries that are lower than the national average we discussed in the first section. 

In 2020, compensation data revealed that electricians in Arkansas earned the lowest salaries, which averaged $43,500 per year. Of course, this figure is more than 20% less than the national average. Electricians in North and South Carolina also earn some of the lowest electrician salaries, averaging between $44,000 and $44,5000 per year. 

In Florida and South Dakota, these amounts slightly rise to around $45,000. For electricians working in Alabama or Arizona, the annual salary average was between $47,000 and $48,000 in 2020. Finally, electricians working in Mississippi, Idaho, and Nebraska averaged just over $50,000, which is still nearly $10,000 less than the national average. 

Factors That Affect Electrician Salaries In The States 

There are three main factors that affect an electrician’s annual salary: education, experience, and location. Read on as we take a closer look at each of these factors and how they can impact an electrician’s salary in America. 

Education 

Your level of education is an important factor in determining how much you’ll earn as an electrician. For instance, candidates with degrees may be more sought after than those with diplomas and technical certificates. However, additional skills and certifications are sure to increase your salary range. 

Experience 

Experience is another crucial factor when looking at salary expectations. The more experience you acquire, the higher your salary will be. Naturally, electricians with only a few years of experience will earn less than those that have been working for more than a decade. 

Location 

Of course, location also plays a vital role in how much an electrician will earn in the United States. As we explained, many states have salaries that are higher than the national average, while some states have lower salaries. 

Determining Electrician Pay Targets In The USA

With the help of real-time data about compensation, websites like Salary.com can help workers determine pay ranges and targets. Thanks to today’s data and technology, it is possible to adjust these averages according to location, experience, education, and more. 

While the salary averages discussed earlier will help provide electricians in the United States with overall salary expectations, a more accurate average can be calculated. To do this, electricians can filter their salary average using their location, years of experience, education, and more. 

This online tool from Salary.com allows electricians to input these details before calculating a more specific salary projection based on these factors and real-time compensation data. For the most detailed salary projections, this tool will come in handy for electricians!

How much money do electricians make: career levels discussed

There are various career levels for an electrician. Let’s understand about each level and the kind of money you can earn there-

1.    Journeyman electrician- This is the basic level of an electrician, and you can join a company with this designation immediately after completing your apprenticeship and getting your license/certification. You will earn between $27,000 to $88,000 per annum. We have discussed how to get to become a journeyman here.

2.    Master electrician- After you acquire two years’ experience as a journeyman electrician, you can apply for a license for a master electrician. You can earn anything between $90,000 to $268,000 per annum in this role in a reputed company.

3.    Independent electrical contractor- They are entrepreneurs and they take up independent building projects (residential and commercial) for the entire wiring of the premises. This project will include all types of electrical fittings which are needed to make the building function. From small items like switches to installing air-conditioners, plug points, surge protectors, back-up power units, etc. everything will be covered in this. We have discussed how to become an electrician here.

Most of the independent contractors have a team and their earnings vary depending on the number of projects they completed in a year. Since they have to pay salaries to their staff, rent for their office space, utility bills for their office space, etc. it will take them a few years to break even and start earning profits.

4.    Residential electrician- In every apartment complex, there will be two to three residential electricians who will oversee all the electrical maintenance work for the apartments. They will be responsible to repair the electrical faults in the common areas like the stairways, lobbies, tennis courts, swimming pool area, gym area, laundromat area, etc. They get an average hourly pay of $28.26 if they work on an hourly freelance basis. They can pick up other work along with the responsibility of one building complex. On an average they earn about $42,000 in a year.

5.    Commercial electricians- Just like residential electricians, commercial electricians specialize in commercial properties like office complexes, malls, entertainment parks, resorts, hotels, etc. In different states, they have different rates and they can earn anything between $70,000 to $100,000 per year.

Photo by American Public Power Association on Unsplash

6.    Industrial electrician- They are experts in working in factories and are highly in demand. They are aware of the faults which electrical equipment cause and are paid on an average $62,000 depending on their educational qualifications and experience.

Conclusion

Electricians working in the USA earn an average of $56,000 a year. In states like New York and Illinois, electricians earn salaries that are up to 40% higher than the national average. However, in some states like Arkansas and Florida, electricians often earn well below the national average. Salary calculator tools can be used for more accurate projections. 

Becoming an electrician is a good career overall.

Sources: 

https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/electrician

https://www.salary.com/research/salary/benchmark/electrician-i-salary

https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewdepietro/2019/11/14/electrician-salary-state/?sh=4298dfd067de

https://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/electrician/salary