Find accredited Electrical training programs near you
$63,190
Avg. Salary
9.2%
Job Growth
9-24 months
Program Length
516
Schools Listed
Electricians install and maintain the electrical systems in homes, businesses, and industrial facilities. It's one of the highest-paid skilled trades in the country, with strong union and non-union pathways. Recent investments in EV charging, data centers, semiconductor fabs, and grid modernization have pushed demand to multi-decade highs.
Electrical work suits methodical, safety-conscious people who enjoy understanding how systems work. You will be reading blueprints, bending conduit, pulling wire, terminating circuits, and troubleshooting. The math (Ohm's law, load calcs) becomes second nature with practice.
A residential electrician spends most days on new construction or service calls — running circuits, installing panels, troubleshooting outages. Commercial work involves larger projects with longer timelines. Industrial electricians work on motors, controls, and three-phase power in plants and factories.
Earning certifications like Journeyman License and Master Electrician can increase your employability and qualify you for higher-paying positions. Many Electrical training programs include certification prep as part of the curriculum.
Electrical is not one job — it's a family of related roles. Choosing a specialization early can shape your training, certifications, and earning ceiling.
Single-family homes, multi-family. Most common entry point.
Offices, retail, schools. Larger conduit, three-phase power.
Plants, factories, utility work. Motors, PLCs, instrumentation.
Network cabling, security, AV. Different licensing path.
PV installs, EV chargers, battery storage. Fastest-growing niche.
Local hiring conditions matter more than national averages. These states currently have the strongest combination of employer demand, training infrastructure, and pay.
ERCOT grid expansion and DFW/Austin construction
TSMC and Intel fab construction
IBEW Local 3 and NYC commercial work
Hyundai Metaplant and Atlanta data center buildout
Toyota battery plant and Wolfspeed fabs
$63,190
National median salary
9.2%
10-year job growth
9-24 months
Typical training length
Realistic pay range
$42,000–$95,000
Entry to experienced
Training cost range
$5,000–$22,000
Public to private programs
5700 Southern Boulevard, Virginia Beach, VA 23462
$14,568
7 months
View Details →5150 S. Decatur Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89118
$14,400
9 months
View Details →2276 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Graniteville, SC 29829
$6,000
12 months
View Details →3405 Highway 231 South, Ozark, AL 36360
$10,150
18-24 months
View Details →1247 Jimmie Kerr Road, Graham, NC 27253
$5,056
2 years
View Details →843 4th Street, Kotzebue, AK 99752
$8,217
9 months
View Details →Showing 6 of 516 schools. Select a state in the sidebar to view all schools in your area.
National figures for electricians from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The 90th percentile is a better guide to what the trade can pay than the median, which describes the middle of the field.
$63,190
Median pay
$108,510
Top 10% earn above
$42,640
Lowest 10% earn below
757,220
Employed nationally
Employment is projected to grow 9.2% over 2025-2035, with about 72,700 openings a year from growth and retirements combined. The typical way in is high school diploma or equivalent, followed by apprenticeship.
Median annual pay varies roughly two to one across states. Cost of living explains part of the gap; union density and local construction demand explain the rest.
| State | Median pay | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $101,310 | +60% |
| Illinois | $99,560 | +58% |
| Hawaii | $96,460 | +53% |
| Washington | $95,220 | +51% |
| Alaska | $89,440 | +42% |
| Massachusetts | $79,420 | +26% |
| District of Columbia | $78,970 | +25% |
| New York | $78,750 | +25% |
| Minnesota | $78,160 | +24% |
| Connecticut | $77,540 | +23% |
| New Jersey | $77,250 | +22% |
| Montana | $76,760 | +21% |
| Wisconsin | $76,540 | +21% |
| Michigan | $76,270 | +21% |
| California | $76,160 | +21% |
| Wyoming | $76,120 | +20% |
| Maine | $75,380 | +19% |
| Rhode Island | $74,090 | +17% |
| Nevada | $73,570 | +16% |
| Maryland | $73,490 | +16% |
| Indiana | $68,490 | +8% |
| Pennsylvania | $67,600 | +7% |
| Kansas | $65,860 | +4% |
| North Dakota | $65,710 | +4% |
| Missouri | $65,410 | +4% |
| West Virginia | $64,810 | +3% |
| Ohio | $64,700 | +2% |
| Vermont | $63,430 | 0% |
| Idaho | $63,000 | 0% |
| Virginia | $62,900 | 0% |
| New Hampshire | $62,840 | -1% |
| Colorado | $62,230 | -2% |
| Utah | $62,000 | -2% |
| Louisiana | $61,540 | -3% |
| Tennessee | $61,090 | -3% |
| Arizona | $61,060 | -3% |
| Oklahoma | $61,010 | -3% |
| Iowa | $60,860 | -4% |
| Mississippi | $60,860 | -4% |
| Nebraska | $60,820 | -4% |
| Kentucky | $59,720 | -5% |
| South Carolina | $58,740 | -7% |
| Texas | $58,570 | -7% |
| New Mexico | $58,390 | -8% |
| Georgia | $58,320 | -8% |
| Florida | $57,250 | -9% |
| North Carolina | $56,800 | -10% |
| Alabama | $55,690 | -12% |
| Arkansas | $49,070 | -22% |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. States shown are those with schools listed on this site.
Trade school: 9-24 months for the technical training. After that, most states require 4,000-8,000 hours of supervised work to qualify for a journeyman license. Union apprenticeships combine paid work and classroom training over 4-5 years.
Trade school gets you working faster as a helper or apprentice and is good if there is no IBEW local hiring nearby. Union apprenticeships pay you while you train and lead to higher long-term wages and benefits, but they're competitive to enter.
BLS median is $60,040 nationally. Apprentices start around $42,000. Journeymen typically earn $55,000-$80,000. Master electricians and union journeymen in major metros earn $90,000-$130,000+.