Electrician Trade School ROI (2026 stats)
TL;DR
A typical electrician certificate leaves graduates with $9,500 in federal loans and pays $44,727 in the first year after completion, rising to $55,162 by year five, in EDsmart Data's analysis of 617 College Scorecard programs. Debt equals 21.2% of first-year pay. BLS reports a $63,190 median wage for all electricians.
Key Facts
- Median debt, electrician certificate: $9,500
- First-year earnings: $44,727
- Five-year earnings: $55,162
- Graduates working (year 1): 94.1%
- Projected job growth, 2025–35: +9.2%
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Electrician program earnings 1, 4, and 5 years after completion
Pay climbs quickly after training
Our analysis finds electrician certificate graduates' median pay rises from $44,727 in year one to $55,162 by year five (+23.3%).
Medians across programs, weighted by graduates with reported earnings.
Electrician trade school ROI at a glance
| Program | Median debt | Year-1 earnings | Year-5 earnings | Debt as % of year-1 pay | Employed (year 1) | Year-5 pay vs HS median | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical and power transmission installers (certificate) | $9,500 | $44,727 | $55,162 | 21.2% | 94.1% | $15,009 | 617 |
| Electrical and power transmission installers (associate) | $18,023 | $49,417 | $73,891 | 36.5% | 97.8% | $33,738 | 278 |
Electrician program earnings and debt by state
States with at least 3 programs reporting first-year earnings.
| State | Year-1 earnings | Median debt | Programs reporting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | $76,164 | $5,500 | 4 |
| Wisconsin | $68,297 | $5,500 | 5 |
| Nebraska | $66,735 | $6,911 | 3 |
| Michigan | $59,252 | $5,500 | 5 |
| Maine | $59,251 | $9,531 | 5 |
| Kentucky | $57,841 | $8,805 | 17 |
| Ohio | $56,057 | $9,500 | 7 |
| North Carolina | $55,457 | $8,750 | 4 |
| South Dakota | $54,199 | $5,500 | 3 |
| Minnesota | $51,194 | $12,000 | 17 |
| California | $48,082 | $9,500 | 40 |
| Nevada | $44,792 | $9,500 | 3 |
| Georgia | $44,727 | $9,500 | 12 |
| Arizona | $44,727 | $9,500 | 4 |
| Kansas | $44,488 | $5,500 | 6 |
| Louisiana | $42,989 | $8,250 | 8 |
| Connecticut | $42,700 | $11,791 | 7 |
| Illinois | $42,700 | $11,791 | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | $42,700 | $11,791 | 18 |
| New Jersey | $41,310 | $11,489 | 9 |
| Colorado | $41,310 | $11,489 | 4 |
| Indiana | $41,310 | $11,489 | 4 |
| New York | $41,310 | $11,489 | 6 |
| Mississippi | $40,548 | $9,301 | 5 |
| Tennessee | $38,963 | $5,500 | 5 |
| Florida | $35,958 | $9,235 | 8 |
| Oklahoma | $35,958 | $9,235 | 3 |
| Virginia | $35,618 | $14,750 | 6 |
| Texas | $34,517 | $7,125 | 11 |
| Puerto Rico | $25,585 | $10,254 | 6 |
Top 25 electrician programs by first-year earnings
| School | State | Credential | Year-1 earnings | Median debt | Employed (year 1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson College | MI | Certificate | $151,840 | — | 100.0% |
| Community College of Allegheny County | PA | Certificate | $133,940 | — | 100.0% |
| Brookdale Community College | NJ | Associate | $116,975 | — | 100.0% |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Kennedy-King College | IL | Certificate | $112,442 | — | 100.0% |
| Pierpont Community and Technical College | WV | Associate | $106,469 | — | 100.0% |
| Kennebec Valley Community College | ME | Certificate | $99,810 | $9,500 | 100.0% |
| Ivy Tech Community College | IN | Associate | $85,737 | $7,649 | 99.4% |
| Emily Griffith Technical College | CO | Certificate | $80,750 | — | 98.5% |
| Texas State Technical College | TX | Associate | $78,758 | $11,000 | 100.0% |
| Northwest Iowa Community College | IA | Certificate | $78,712 | $5,500 | 100.0% |
| Metropolitan Community College Area | NE | Associate | $77,958 | $6,911 | 93.2% |
| Owensboro Community and Technical College | KY | Certificate | $76,789 | $8,805 | 98.5% |
| Owensboro Community and Technical College | KY | Associate | $76,523 | $5,500 | 98.2% |
| Northwest Iowa Community College | IA | Associate | $76,164 | $10,865 | 100.0% |
| Chippewa Valley Technical College | WI | Certificate | $75,932 | $5,500 | 100.0% |
| Davis Technical College | UT | Certificate | $74,000 | — | 94.4% |
| Great Basin College | NV | Certificate | $73,903 | — | 100.0% |
| Arkansas State University-Newport | AR | Certificate | $72,039 | — | 100.0% |
| Richmond Community College | NC | Associate | $71,836 | — | 100.0% |
| Bismarck State College | ND | Certificate | $69,717 | $6,406 | 100.0% |
| Moraine Park Technical College | WI | Certificate | $68,297 | $3,500 | 100.0% |
| Jefferson Community and Technical College | KY | Certificate | $67,743 | $15,375 | 87.5% |
| Bluegrass Community and Technical College | KY | Certificate | $67,551 | $12,000 | 96.4% |
| Northeast Community College | NE | Associate | $66,735 | $11,855 | 98.3% |
| Pratt Community College | KS | Associate | $66,693 | $5,500 | 100.0% |
Job outlook for electricians
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Employment, 2025 | 821,000 |
| Projected employment, 2035 | 896,900 |
| Projected growth, 2025–35 | +9.2% |
| Median annual wage (all workers) | $63,190 |
What the data shows
By the numbers, electrician training is one of the stronger short-credential bets: modest borrowing, fast entry into paid work, and earnings that keep rising as graduates move through apprenticeship and licensing.
Results still vary a lot by school. The top programs pay far more than the median, and some programs report no earnings at all because too few graduates received federal aid. Check the program-level table before enrolling.
Methodology
Program figures come from the College Scorecard field-of-study file: one record per institution × 4-digit CIP code × credential level. Earnings are median annual earnings of federal-aid recipients who completed the program and were working and not enrolled, measured 1, 4, and 5 years after completion (in the dollar year of the Scorecard release). Debt is the median federal loan balance (Stafford and Grad PLUS) at completion; private loans and Parent PLUS are excluded. Programs with too few graduates are suppressed by the Department of Education and drop out of each column.
When we summarize many programs, we take the median across programs weighted by the number of graduates in each program's earnings (or debt) cohort, so large programs count more than tiny ones.
Graduate-only health fields (dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and similar) are excluded, as are health certificates at bachelor's- or graduate-predominant universities, which are usually post-degree credentials (such as nurse anesthesia) rather than entry-level training.
The employment rate is the share of the year-1 earnings cohort working and not enrolled (a federal proxy, not a placement rate). Year-5 pay versus the high school median compares program earnings with the Census ACS 2024 median for high school graduates 25+ ($40,153). Job outlook comes from BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, SOC 47-2111.
Frequently asked questions
Is electrician trade school worth it?
For most graduates, yes: electrician certificate programs carry median federal debt of $9,500 against first-year earnings of $44,727, so debt equals 21.2% of a year's pay, based on College Scorecard data.
How much do electrician program graduates earn?
Median earnings are $44,727 one year after completing a certificate and $55,162 after five years.
How long does it take to pay off electrician school debt?
At the median, about 0.6 yrs of the earnings premium over a typical high school graduate ($40,153, Census ACS) would cover the debt.
Which state pays electrician graduates the most?
Iowa has the highest median first-year earnings for electrician programs at $76,164.
Data sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard institution and field-of-study files (latest release in our extract)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35 (occupational employment, openings, wages, and typical entry-level education)
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-year, table B20004 (median earnings by educational attainment, age 25+)