Electricians are responsible for designing, installing, maintaining, and troubleshooting electrical wiring systems. Additionally, electricians supply energy for lighting rooms, heating water, and powering devices. It is also the responsibility of electricians to test that electrical equipment works safely and properly.
One of the most important things to understand when considering joining this career is understanding how much money does electricians make. Let’s share some insights.
States Where Electricians Earn The Most Money
One of the first things to consider before becoming an electrician is to understand electrician pay per hour. Although this depends on various factors, where you live plays a significant role. This is very important because each state has various factors that may determine the average pay for electrician including salary, tax, demand, and standards of living.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average pay for an electrician in the U.S is about $59,190 annually. With the cost of living varying across the country, each state pays electricians differently.
Take a look at some of the five top paying states for electricians in the U.S.
The Cities With The Highest Electrician Salaries In Every State
The average salary for electricians varies by state. This may depend on factors including taxes, level of competition, business overhead and state regulation. It is very important to understand how these factors may impact your earning potential in your state.
Urban areas like Los Angeles, Dever and New York usually offer higher salaries to electricians. The hourly rate may exceed $100. However, rural locations usually offer a lower rate of about $50 per hour. Keep in mind that factors such as costs and travel time play a significant role in the rate.
Here are the top 10 paying cities for electricians.
Criteria For Selecting The Best Paying Cities For Electricians
When choosing to pursue a career as an electrician, selecting a city of operation is very important. Now that you’ve seen our best cities with the best wages electrician, we considered the following factors:
Average Electrician Salary In The City
One important factor considered to determine the best-paying cities for electricians is the mean electrical pay in particular locations. We mainly focused on the cities where electricians earn higher salaries.
Cost of living
Another benchmark we used to determine which cities pay electricians higher is an adjustment of the average electrical technician’s salary by the city’s cost of living. The average salary offers insight into the city’s attractiveness for electricians. Keep in mind that life in some cities is more expensive than in others. So, we consider the cost of living index in cities where the cost of living is lower.
Demand For Electrician Services
Some cities pay electricians higher and have low living costs yet lack jobs for electricians. Yet, it doesn’t make sense to live somewhere where you can’t find a job. The location quotient determines the availability of jobs for electricians in a particular part of the city in relation to those available in the whole city. Therefore, we considered cities having more electrician jobs for our analysis.
What Determines The Salaries Of Electricians?
There’s a great earning potential for electricians but it depends on various factors. Let’s look at some of the factors that determine the electrician annual salary.
Using a Field Management App
Any smart business owner today appreciated the use of field management software like Field Complete. This app is the solution to managing your electrician business better. It comes with various features including:
- Allowing estimates, invoicing and collection of payments
- Streamlining communication with clients
- Managing your service team online
- Eliminating paperwork and routine tasks
Using this app will lower costs to increase your profit margin. Additionally, streamlining management tasks will give you more time to focus on important tasks like looking for more clients.
Urgent And Service Time
The salary for an electrician may depend on the urgency of the task involved and the time of service. Electricians who work during after-service hours, holidays, and weekends usually charge an extra fee.
There’s potential to double the usual electrician hourly rate when called to handle an emergency or to fix an issue at night. You have a chance to demand more since other electricians may not be working at that particular moment.
Pricing strategy
There are various ways to charge for your services. When charging an hourly rate, you may charge customers for an hour even if your time is only 30 minutes. You may also charge a minimum trip fee that you might factor into the first hour of service.
Charging per hour pays differently to charging by project. So, be wise when choosing a pricing strategy since it will have a significant impact on how much you’re likely to earn as an electrician.
Extra fees
Do you charge a consultation, service call, trip fee or inspection fee? All these determine your salary as an electrician. The average consultation fee or service call cost for a task that needs diagnosis is about $50 to $100 hourly. A trip fee is usually about $25 to $75 hourly and usually covers gas, small parts, and travel time.
Additionally, you may charge customers for no-shows or no calls. You have a right to demand compensation when clients fail to honor their appointments. Adding up all these charges contributes to the amount you’re likely to get paid for your services as an electrician.
Your service Location
Just like other professions, electricians are paid differently in particular states and cities. You have already seen some of the top paying states and cities for electricians above. Urban areas usually have a high cost of living creating a demand for electricians.
Additionally, areas with a big population usually have a higher demand for all kinds of electricians. So, you have to be mindful of your area of operation to make it big in this industry.
Industry Experience
Your level of experience plays a significant role in your earning potential as an electrician. The longer you’ve worked in the industry, the greater the potential to earn more. Master and journeyman electricians earn higher than an apprentice or entry-level electricians.
For example, a beginner electrician in Michigan makes about $44,000 annually. However, with experience of about seven years, the salary is likely to double to about $87,000.
General Demand For Electricians
The overall demand for electrician services in your state or city will determine your earnings. The existence of a few electricians in an area creates a huge demand for your services. Having a monopoly in an area gives you the power to charge whatever you want for your services.
Additionally, the presence of various manufacturing and commercial facilities creates demand for electricians. You can increase your chances of getting more clients by working on your marketing strategy.
Type Of Electrician
Finally, the kind of electrician you’re determines your earning potential. There are various kinds of electricians and each earns differently. Electricians are categorized including:
According To Work
Inside electricians hand low-voltage wiring for electrical systems in buildings. Outside electricians handle high voltage power such as on power plants. These are responsible for managing electric distribution that transmits power from the main station to various substations. These kinds of electricians work in large residential areas and industrial facilities.
Categorization By Level Of Certification
Another way to categorize electricians is according to their level of certification. This may be in three levels including:
Apprentice Electrician
While learning to become an electrician, joining an apprenticeship program is essential just like in other professions. You need at least a high school diploma or equivalent qualification to become an apprentice.
Then, you may have to spend hundreds of hours in the classroom to sit the required number of courses. After three to six years, you can register for an apprenticeship program under a reputable and licensed electrician.
Journeyman Electrician
You become a journeyman electrician after completing and meeting the requirements of your apprenticeship program. Afterward, you have to get the necessary license from your state. With this, you are ready to service customers as an electrician.
Master Electrician
This is the highest level for electricians. Becoming a master electrician comes after building a solid reputation in the industry and acquiring all reputable certifications. No wonder, master electricians are the highest paid.
Every state has requirements for one to become a master electrician. You may have to complete about 4,000 hours of work in the industry. Then, you have to take an exam from the relevant licensing body to portray your knowledge of the electrical code.
Categorization By Specialization
Another categorization of electricians is by their area of expertise. How much you’re expected to earn as an electrician may depend on your specialization. Let’s look at some of the top paying electricians according to their specialties.
Avionics Technician
These electricians are responsible for the maintenance and installation of electrical systems in aircrafts. Their work includes the management of systems that electronically and physically control airplanes to keep the passengers safe.
Avionic electricians sometimes work overtime to earn a sizable extra income. The average avionic electrician starting salary is about $35,935 annually.
Commercial Electrician
The job of commercial electricians is very demanding. The roles include those of industrial electricians although they don’t have expert knowledge in a manufacturing environment. Working as a commercial electrician comes with good pay with the beginner salary at about $39,935.
Marine Technician
A marine technician is responsible for installing and maintaining electrical systems in boats. This allows powering and navigating essential equipment for running the boat. Specialized knowledge is essential to becoming a marine technician making it one of the most lucrative electricians. The potential beginner salary for a marine technician is about $45,052 annually.
Wind Turbine Electrician
The role of a wind turbine electrician requires installing, repairing, and inspecting wind turbines. You need specialized knowledge to handle complicated repairs. Fortunately, you’re likely to be rewarded handsomely. The beginner salary for wind turbine electricians is about $50,174 annually.
Electrical Technician
The work of an electrical technician is to build, repair, test, and maintain electrical equipment. An electrical engineer supervises the work of an electrical technician. You’re likely to work in various settings including laboratories and manufacturing facilities. The beginner salary for an electrical technician is about $53,353 annually.
Industrial Electrician
Demand for industrial electricians is very high in manufacturing facilities to install, repair, and maintain advanced power equipment. The average beginner salary for an industry technician is about $60,216 annually.
Automation Technician
Being an automation electrician involves handling electrical systems in manufacturing and industrial environments. You need programming expertise to gain the ability to install and repair automated systems. So, it is a very lucrative job. The average beginner salary for an automation electrician is about $77,818 annually.
Solar Installer Electrician
Also known as a PV installer or solar technician, you’ll be responsible for installing and maintaining solar panels. Given that many homeowners and business owners are switching to solar energy, it is a very lucrative job. The average beginner salary for a solar electrician is about $62,691 annually.
FAQ
How much does an electrician make?
According to median figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, electricians make an average electrician hourly rate of $27.36. However, this is only an average indicator of how much do electricians make a year. There’s potential to find electricians earning more or below the given figure. This depends on factors like your location, specialty, and forces of demand for your services.
What cities have the highest electrician salaries?
Some of the cities where electricians earn the highest according to Indeed salaries include:
- New York, New York – $62,253 annually
- San Diego, California – $61,694 annually
- Virginia Beach, Virginia – $54,485 annually
- Phoenix, Arizona – $53,336 annually
- Norfolk, Virginia – $51,530 annually
- Atlanta, Georgia – $48,847 annually
- Tampa, Florida – $47,462 annually
- Orlando, Florida – $45,917 annually
How much does an electrician make per hour?
According to Home Advisor Pro, electricians earn about $10 to $45 hourly. However, the rate may be lower or higher depending on demand and location. Entry-level electricians make an average of $10 to $20 hourly, journeymen electricians earn about $20 to $30 hourly and master electricians earn about $30 to $45 hourly.
