Electrician Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

Government estimates of jobs for electricians total about 705,000. This career is ranked high for jobless rates in comparison to other careers. The unemployment rate for employees was about 6% in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

Relative to population, you will find the most electricians in Mount Vernon (Washington), Appleton (Wisconsin), and Lewiston (Idaho), and the least in Lawrence (Massachusetts), McAllen (Texas), and Springfield (Ohio).

Statistics show that you can earn the most in this career in Trenton (New Jersey), San Francisco (California), and New York (New York), and will have the lowest earnings in McAllen (Texas), Brownsville (Texas), and Laredo (Texas).

Training and Education

People often have long-term on-the-job training before landing a job in this field. Four year degrees are held by 7% of electricians. About 42% of workers started college but did not get a 4 year degree. A high school education is the highest level achieved by 51% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Part-time workers represent 2% of all electricians. Workers working on their own represent 11% of the total.

Electricians: An Introductory Video

Electricians Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of electricians compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for electricians.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$42,000	2,980
Mobile	$37,000	1,290
Huntsville	$43,000	800
Montgomery	$36,000	660
Tuscaloosa	$38,000	600
Auburn	$39,000	260
Florence	$35,000	260
Decatur	$39,000	250
Dothan	$30,000	250
Anniston	$38,000	190
Gadsden	$40,000	170

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$69,000	1,140
Fairbanks	$64,000	320

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$43,000	10,500
Tucson	$38,000	2,120
Yuma	$41,000	300
Kingman	$48,000	280
Prescott	$41,000	280
Flagstaff	$40,000	210

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Little Rock	$37,000	1,330
Fayetteville	$39,000	800
Fort Smith	$41,000	370
Hot Springs	$34,000	270
Jonesboro	$35,000	130

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Santa Ana	$51,000	6,640
San Diego	$48,000	6,250
Riverside	$46,000	5,170
Sacramento	$48,000	4,390
San Jose	$70,000	4,230
Oakland	$68,000	4,090
San Francisco	$83,000	3,670
Bakersfield	$55,000	1,770
Fresno	$48,000	1,360
Santa Rosa	$58,000	960
Stockton	$52,000	940
Santa Barbara	$56,000	870
Modesto	$54,000	770
Oxnard	$54,000	750
Visalia	$35,000	470
Vallejo	$57,000	440
San Luis Obispo	$51,000	380
Napa	$61,000	360
Salinas	$63,000	350
Redding	$56,000	220
Chico	$52,000	220
El Centro	$48,000	200
Santa Cruz	$69,000	190
Merced	$49,000	160
Yuba City	$44,000	100
Madera	$50,000	70
Hanford	$48,000	70

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Denver	$47,000	8,140
Colorado Springs	$43,000	1,650
Fort Collins	$42,000	700
Grand Junction	$43,000	480
Boulder	$54,000	440
Greeley	$35,000	420
Pueblo	$47,000	360

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hartford	$53,000	2,400
Bridgeport	$54,000	1,260
New Haven	$51,000	1,040
Norwich	$52,000	570
Danbury	$58,000	410
Waterbury	$54,000	410

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$53,000	1,680
Dover	$43,000	350

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$53,000	11,580

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Orlando	$37,000	5,900
Tampa	$38,000	4,760
Fort Lauderdale	$41,000	4,050
Miami	$41,000	3,540
Jacksonville	$42,000	3,490
West Palm Beach	$41,000	3,340
Port St Lucie	$39,000	1,210
Cape Coral	$40,000	1,160
Lakeland	$39,000	1,150
Sarasota	$39,000	1,130
Palm Bay	$46,000	1,100
Naples	$42,000	1,020
Deltona	$35,000	870
Pensacola	$41,000	840
Tallahassee	$34,000	690
Gainesville		480
Fort Walton Beach	$34,000	460
Ocala	$33,000	450
Panama City	$37,000	420
Sebastian	$42,000	270
Palm Coast	$35,000	100

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Atlanta	$43,000	9,990
Savannah	$44,000	1,110
Augusta	$37,000	740
Gainesville	$39,000	520
Macon	$40,000	510
Columbus	$32,000	410
Athens	$42,000	220
Valdosta	$39,000	210
Albany	$39,000	210
Rome	$42,000	180
Brunswick	$37,000	140
Dalton	$39,000	140
Warner Robins	$38,000	120

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$59,000	1,930

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$44,000	1,080
Idaho Falls	$41,000	510
Coeur Dalene	$44,000	350
Lewiston	$52,000	260
Pocatello	$43,000	170

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Chicago	$70,000	18,100
Peoria	$59,000	870
Rockford	$52,000	680
Champaign	$63,000	650
Springfield	$63,000	380
Bloomington	$66,000	280
Kankakee	$51,000	190
Danville	$50,000	120

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$53,000	5,370
Gary	$63,000	1,940
Evansville	$52,000	1,340
Fort Wayne	$55,000	1,140
Elkhart	$42,000	590
South Bend	$50,000	570
Lafayette	$51,000	490
Kokomo	$66,000	390
Terre Haute	$55,000	270
Bloomington	$47,000	210
Anderson	$54,000	200
Michigan City	$54,000	200
Columbus	$42,000	190
Muncie	$45,000	140

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Des Moines	$49,000	1,340
Davenport	$55,000	1,220
Cedar Rapids	$49,000	820
Waterloo	$44,000	350
Sioux City	$47,000	300
Iowa City	$49,000	280
Ames	$41,000	190
Dubuque	$44,000	110

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$43,000	1,520
Topeka	$45,000	410
Lawrence	$41,000	200

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$43,000	2,910
Lexington	$39,000	1,290
Bowling Green	$36,000	400
Owensboro	$47,000	330
Elizabethtown	$45,000	170

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New Orleans	$45,000	3,380
Baton Rouge	$43,000	2,580
Shreveport	$43,000	890
Lafayette	$37,000	750
Lake Charles	$40,000	730
Houma	$46,000	540
Monroe	$35,000	340
Alexandria	$46,000	150

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$43,000	510
Bangor	$44,000	280
Lewiston	$56,000	220

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Baltimore	$48,000	7,880
Bethesda	$51,000	2,050
Hagerstown	$41,000	680
Salisbury	$36,000	370
Cumberland	$43,000	280

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boston	$61,000	6,100
Springfield	$51,000	1,110
Worcester	$51,000	1,040
Framingham	$61,000	860
Lowell	$47,000	630
Haverhill	$58,000	450
Barnstable Town	$59,000	420
Brockton	$49,000	290
New Bedford	$51,000	140
Leominster	$59,000	130
Pittsfield	$57,000	100
Lawrence	$49,000	100
Taunton	$59,000	90

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Warren	$61,000	6,080
Detroit	$61,000	3,660
Grand Rapids	$49,000	2,050
Lansing	$62,000	1,050
Ann Arbor	$68,000	860
Flint	$70,000	790
Kalamazoo	$49,000	660
Holland	$41,000	570
Saginaw	$61,000	510
Muskegon	$51,000	290
Battle Creek	$53,000	240
Monroe	$63,000	210
Jackson	$57,000	190
Niles	$55,000	160
Bay City	$60,000	150

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$61,000	6,560
Duluth	$59,000	770
Rochester	$52,000	520
St Cloud	$51,000	490

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$44,000	1,490
Gulfport	$40,000	600
Hattiesburg	$37,000	310

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$62,000	6,590
Kansas City	$53,000	4,620
Springfield	$35,000	1,150
Jefferson City	$54,000	350
Columbia	$37,000	340
Joplin	$43,000	300
St Joseph	$53,000	280

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$41,000	230
Missoula	$53,000	220
Great Falls	$50,000	120

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Omaha	$45,000	3,160
Lincoln	$40,000	790

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$57,000	6,630
Reno	$54,000	1,190
Carson City	$50,000	120

New Hampshire

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Manchester	$48,000	600
Portsmouth	$46,000	390
Nashua	$51,000	350
Rochester	$47,000	200

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Newark	$64,000	4,490
Edison	$66,000	3,010
Camden	$60,000	2,070
Atlantic City	$56,000	1,170
Trenton	$79,000	810
Vineland	$46,000	320
Ocean City	$47,000	150

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$45,000	1,750
Farmington	$49,000	410
Las Cruces	$40,000	260

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
New York	$73,000	25,560
Nassau	$65,000	5,930
Buffalo	$49,000	2,070
Albany	$47,000	2,010
Rochester	$48,000	1,620
Syracuse	$49,000	900
Poughkeepsie	$61,000	730
Binghamton	$55,000	490
Utica	$45,000	480
Kingston	$56,000	200
Ithaca	$50,000	170
Glens Falls	$43,000	150
Elmira	$67,000	130

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charlotte	$39,000	4,500
Greensboro	$36,000	1,630
Durham	$39,000	1,080
Winston Salem	$37,000	860
Fayetteville	$32,000	770
Asheville	$38,000	710
Wilmington	$36,000	570
Hickory	$32,000	440
Rocky Mount	$38,000	380
Greenville	$34,000	350
Burlington	$39,000	230
Goldsboro	$40,000	140
Jacksonville	$38,000	100

North Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Fargo	$44,000	650
Bismarck	$41,000	280
Grand Forks	$43,000	160

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cincinnati	$45,000	4,950
Cleveland	$55,000	4,640
Columbus	$45,000	3,940
Dayton	$48,000	1,830
Akron	$51,000	1,710
Toledo	$53,000	1,340
Youngstown	$55,000	1,110
Canton	$44,000	740
Mansfield	$54,000	260
Lima	$50,000	230
Sandusky	$54,000	220
Springfield	$34,000	70

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$37,000	2,910
Tulsa	$39,000	2,270
Lawton	$41,000	160

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$62,000	4,700
Salem	$56,000	730
Eugene	$56,000	520
Medford	$52,000	510
Bend	$59,000	410
Corvallis	$60,000	90

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Philadelphia	$66,000	8,740
Pittsburgh	$50,000	4,880
Allentown	$66,000	1,460
Harrisburg	$49,000	1,300
Lancaster	$39,000	1,080
Scranton	$50,000	960
Reading	$47,000	900
York	$42,000	880
Erie	$49,000	520
Williamsport	$36,000	250
Johnstown	$40,000	200
Lebanon	$41,000	200
State College	$40,000	120
Altoona	$45,000	120

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$53,000	2,270

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Charleston	$40,000	1,810
Columbia	$37,000	1,670
Greenville	$36,000	1,550
Myrtle Beach	$34,000	540
Spartanburg	$34,000	530
Florence	$33,000	460
Anderson	$33,000	410
Sumter	$36,000	100

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$40,000	740
Rapid City	$41,000	320

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Nashville	$37,000	3,490
Memphis	$43,000	2,960
Knoxville	$39,000	2,110
Chattanooga	$44,000	1,390
Kingsport	$41,000	590
Jackson	$40,000	490
Johnson City	$32,000	360
Clarksville	$39,000	310
Cleveland	$61,000	150
Morristown	$38,000	130

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Houston	$42,000	15,570
Dallas	$42,000	6,340
Fort Worth	$41,000	4,510
San Antonio	$37,000	3,660
Corpus Christi	$39,000	1,680
Beaumont	$46,000	1,410
El Paso	$36,000	650
Killeen	$37,000	520
College Station	$32,000	480
Odessa	$40,000	430
Amarillo	$43,000	420
Mcallen	$29,000	420
Longview	$40,000	410
Brownsville	$27,000	390
Waco	$43,000	340
Abilene	$41,000	330
Lubbock	$34,000	300
Midland	$39,000	280
Tyler	$34,000	270
Sherman	$37,000	240
Laredo	$28,000	230
Texarkana	$40,000	230
San Angelo	$36,000	150
Wichita Falls	$45,000	140

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$42,000	3,520
Ogden	$41,000	1,210
Provo	$49,000	1,130
St George	$38,000	550
Logan	$34,000	240

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$45,000	320

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Virginia Beach	$41,000	5,150
Richmond	$44,000	3,880
Roanoke	$32,000	950
Lynchburg	$36,000	510
Charlottesville	$40,000	500
Blacksburg	$42,000	290
Harrisonburg	$40,000	240
Danville	$38,000	220
Winchester	$41,000	160

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Seattle	$64,000	6,680
Tacoma	$56,000	2,170
Spokane	$44,000	1,190
Bremerton	$57,000	1,010
Bellingham	$46,000	630
Kennewick	$54,000	610
Mount Vernon	$55,000	570
Olympia	$53,000	400
Wenatchee	$49,000	270
Yakima	$56,000	220
Longview	$56,000	150

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Huntington	$50,000	890
Charleston	$50,000	790
Parkersburg	$44,000	550
Wheeling	$49,000	470
Morgantown	$40,000	290
Weirton	$43,000	220

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$57,000	3,590
Appleton	$49,000	1,540
Madison	$50,000	1,530
Green Bay		690
Janesville	$63,000	460
Oshkosh	$46,000	410
Wausau	$47,000	380
Sheboygan	$49,000	360
Racine	$53,000	270
La Crosse	$56,000	240
Eau Claire	$54,000	190
Fond	$52,000	150

Wyoming

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Cheyenne	$46,000	350

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