Electrician hourly rate

The median electrician earns $30.38 an hour (BLS OEWS May 2025), and half of all electricians earn within the band below. That's the wage, not the bill: a service call costs more because the rate you pay also carries the truck, insurance, licensing and the shop's time off the clock.

Lower quarter earns under: $23.76
Median hourly wage: $30.38
Upper quarter earns over: $40.36

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025, electricians, SOC 47-2111, national, 757,220 employed.

Most electricians in the survey work for contractors, so the wage is what the contractor pays and the rate is what the contractor charges you.

What an electrician needs to charge per hour

Start with the wage you pay (or want to earn), then add your payroll costs, your overhead and your profit, each as a percentage. Nothing is filled in for you: those three numbers are yours.

Hourly wage$/hrStarts at the BLS median for electricians.Payroll costs%Payroll taxes, workers’ comp and benefits, as a share of wages.Overhead%Vehicle, tools, insurance, licensing, office and unbilled hours.Profit%What the business keeps after every cost.

Enter your payroll costs, overhead and profit to see the billed rate your numbers need.

Self-employed electrician hourly rate

BLS OEWS counts employees only, so there is no survey figure for self-employed electricians. A licensed electrician working alone pays both halves of payroll tax, buys their own insurance and permits, and bills fewer hours than they work, so their rate has to cover all of that on top of the wage above.

Electrician rates near me

Wages follow local living costs and union density. These are state medians from the same survey; your own quote depends on the job, the permit and how far the electrician drives.

Highest state medians

Oregon$48.71
Illinois$47.87
Hawaii$46.38
Washington$45.78
Alaska$43.00

Lowest state medians

Arkansas$23.59
Alabama$26.78
North Carolina$27.31
Florida$27.52
Georgia$28.04

Checking an electrician's quote

On an electrical quote, ask for labor and materials as separate lines, and whether the permit and inspection are included.

Electrical contractors: the builder opens with electrical line items and the electrician wage for your ZIP.

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Other trades: Plumber hourly rate · Handyman rates · all trade rates