Electricians salary in the US
Here is where pay for electricians stands nationally, built from Census microdata rather than job-board postings.
How much do electricians earn?
If you lined up all electricians by pay, the person in the middle would earn about $62,968 a year — 20% more than the $52,508 median for all US earners aged 25 and older. That is good for 71st place out of 171: better than most, yet well below the highest-paid fields. 41,063 respondents aged 25+ reported this occupation, which is what the median is calculated from.
| Position | Annual earnings |
|---|---|
| Top 10% start at | $122,202 |
| Top 25% start at | $91,651 |
| Median (top 50%) | $62,968 |
| Bottom 25% earn below | $41,979 |
How wide is the pay range?
The top 25% of electricians earn at least $91,651, and the top 10% start near $122,202 — about 1.9 times the median. A quarter of workers in the field made $41,979 or less over the year — a figure shaped by part-time and seasonal work as much as by hourly rates. Put differently, the middle earner makes 1.5× what someone at the 25th percentile does.
Earnings by age
Earnings build steadily with age, from a median of $53,696 at 25–34 to $71,594 at 45–54 (+33%). By 65+ the median is $47,780, down 33% from the high point, as many people phase into retirement.
Men and women
Women in this occupation have a median of $54,572, 13% below the $62,968 men report. In the raw sample, roughly 2 in 100 workers in this job are women. Differences in hours, specialty and seniority account for part of any gap, which the survey doesn't separate out.
| Group | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| Men | $62,968 | 40,110 |
| Women | $54,572 | 953 |
Does education change the pay?
Degrees matter less than in many fields: $69,655 with some college or an associate degree versus $59,108 with a professional degree. The largest group in the sample has some college or an associate degree (19,388 records). Levels with fewer than 100 records are left out rather than estimated.
| Education | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| High school or less | $59,211 | 18,029 |
| Some college / associate | $69,655 | 19,388 |
| Bachelor's | $63,545 | 3,008 |
| Master's | $60,915 | 496 |
| Professional degree | $59,108 | 100 |
| Doctorate | Not shown (<100 records) | 42 |
Where the most work, and what they earn there
In terms of headcount in the survey, California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Pennsylvania lead the country. Pay differs noticeably even across these five: $67,032 in California versus $50,274 in Florida. These are nominal dollars — living costs differ just as much between states and aren't adjusted for. 48 states have enough records (100+) for their own figure.
| State | Median earnings | Survey records |
|---|---|---|
| California | $67,032 | 3,919 |
| Texas | $55,313 | 3,334 |
| Florida | $50,274 | 2,424 |
| New York | $67,032 | 2,305 |
| Pennsylvania | $67,032 | 1,691 |
Occupations with similar pay
For comparison, these jobs have medians within a few thousand dollars: industrial and refractory machinery mechanics ($63,242), postal service mail carriers ($62,049), property, real estate, and community association managers ($61,101), and correctional officers and jailers ($61,101). The jobs differ in training and working conditions; matching medians just means the typical paycheck is comparable.
| Occupation | Median earnings | vs. this job |
|---|---|---|
| Industrial And Refractory Machinery Mechanics | $63,242 | 0% |
| Postal Service Mail Carriers | $62,049 | −1% |
| Property, Real Estate, And Community Association Managers | $61,101 | −3% |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $61,101 | −3% |
| Production, Planning, And Expediting Clerks | $61,101 | −3% |
About these figures
A note on definitions: figures cover everyone 25+ with earnings in this occupation over 2020–2024, inflation-adjusted to 2024, full-time or not. Medians are weighted to the US population; suppressed cells are those under 100 records. The occupation total is 41,063 records.
See where your pay ranks among electricians
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Open the calculatorSource: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-Year Public Use Microdata Sample (PUMS) — personal earnings (PERNP) in 2024 dollars, person-weighted
Reference statistics only — not financial advice.