TL;DR

About 742,580 electricians nationally earn a mean of $88,301. Projections imply about 1.3% annual growth; CA accounts for about 66,920 jobs in our geographic extract.

Key Statistics

742,580
2023 Workforce
41.0
Average Age
$88,301
Average Salary

Electricians: what the data shows

Common questions about electricians careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a electricians?

Electricians is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 47-2111.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 742,580 workers.

What does a electricians do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Getting Information, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a electricians make?

BLS national median annual wage: $62,350 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $88,301 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$48,001
25th percentile$61,167
Median (50th)$78,790
75th percentile$106,769
90th percentile$140,728

What education do you need?

For Electricians, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Troubleshooting, Repairing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Installation, and knowledge areas including Building and Construction, Administration and Management, Mechanical, Mathematics. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is electricians in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 1.3% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: 6.6%.

Ten-year projected employment change: 13.7%.

Current U.S. headcount: 742,580.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do electricianss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry742,58017.1%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only711,21016.3%
Construction582,13013.4%
Specialty Trade Contractors548,89012.6%
Building Equipment Contractors544,27012.5%
Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors526,88012.1%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Electricians in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

What careers are related?

Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian wage
Electrical and Electronics Repairers59,990$71,300
Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment7,310$82,730
Helpers--Electricians64,440$39,890
Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers123,680$92,560
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay23,040$100,940
Electrical Engineers188,790$111,910
Carpenters697,740$59,310

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Electricians workforce.

Employment Over Time

742,580 Workforce in 2023

The Electricians workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Electricians.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$88,301 Average Wage

In 2023, Electricians earned an average of $88,301.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Electricians.

Salary distribution for Electricians.

Employment Growth Projections

1.3% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

305,356 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: 6.6%

325,659 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: 13.7%

This occupation is projected to grow at 1.3% annually, indicating strong future demand.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Electricians.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Electricians and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Electricians employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Electricians.

Wage Trends by Industry

4.7% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Electricians.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Electricians.

Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 66,920 employees, $88,910 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Electricians.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 12,710 employees, $84,352 avg wage
  • Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 8,370 employees, $84,337 avg wage
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 7,570 employees, $82,485 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 7,330 employees, $84,822 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 5,850 employees, $84,153 avg wage
  • Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 5,800 employees, $100,985 avg wage
  • San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 5,540 employees, $106,450 avg wage
  • San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 3,240 employees, $119,295 avg wage
  • Fresno MSA: 1,850 employees, $76,597 avg wage
  • Bakersfield-Delano MSA: 1,350 employees, $82,115 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Electricians.

Diversity

Demographic information on Electricians in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Electricians in 2023 was 742,580 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Electricians.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Electricians.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Electricians.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Electricians in 2023 were Electrical Technology, Electrical Engineering, Technical Training.

Common majors for Electricians.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Electricians workers.

Education level distribution for Electricians.

Skills

Electricians need many skills, but most especially Troubleshooting, Repairing, Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking.

Required skills for Electricians.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Electricians.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Electricians include Building and Construction, Administration and Management, Mechanical, Mathematics, Design.

Knowledge areas required for Electricians.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Electricians include Near Vision, Problem Sensitivity, Inductive Reasoning, Deductive Reasoning, Finger Dexterity.

Required abilities for Electricians.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Electricians.

Daily Activities

Electricians spend their time on activities such as Performing General Physical Activities, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates, Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work, Getting Information, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings.

Most important work activities for Electricians.

About

Electricians

The average yearly wage for Electricians was $88,301 in 2023.

SOC Code

47-2111 - Electricians

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Electricians reports an average salary of $88,301.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 742,580 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 1.3%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.