Electrician Salary by Metro Area
Median pay ranges from $50,820 to $105,090 across the 30 largest US metro job markets.
Reported BLS metropolitan wage estimates for electricians (occupation 47-2111), OEWS May 2025. National median: $63,190/yr.
Electrician salary by city, at a glance
Metro pay for electricians tracks local union density and cost of living more than city size. The highest-paying large metro is Portland, OR at $105,090/yr median, followed by Chicago ($102,350) and Seattle ($101,780). New York employs the most electricians of any metro ($36,550) at a $79,020 median. Lower-union Southern metros such as Houston, Atlanta, and Miami sit near the national median of $63,190/yr. All figures are BLS OEWS May 2025 reported wages for occupation 47-2111.
Median Pay by Metro Area
The 30 largest US metro job markets for electricians, ranked by median annual wage. BLS OEWS May 2025 (47-2111).
| # | Metro Area | Median | Hourly | 10th-90th %ile | vs US |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland, ORPortland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | $105,090 | $50.53 | $60,360 - $134,380 | +41.9k |
| 2 | Chicago, ILChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $102,350 | $49.21 | $49,890 - $124,070 | +39.2k |
| 3 | Seattle, WASeattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | $101,780 | $48.93 | $55,690 - $151,290 | +38.6k |
| 4 | San Francisco, CASan Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $92,830 | $44.63 | $55,360 - $182,340 | +29.6k |
| 5 | Detroit, MIDetroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | $81,990 | $39.42 | $46,660 - $107,330 | +18.8k |
| 6 | Minneapolis, MNMinneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | $81,890 | $39.37 | $48,970 - $123,250 | +18.7k |
| 7 | Boston, MABoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | $79,910 | $38.42 | $47,240 - $129,320 | +16.7k |
| 8 | New York, NYNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $79,020 | $37.99 | $46,170 - $132,170 | +15.8k |
| 9 | St. Louis, MOSt. Louis, MO-IL | $77,170 | $37.10 | $46,890 - $104,800 | +14.0k |
| 10 | San Diego, CASan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $76,160 | $36.62 | $47,890 - $126,260 | +13.0k |
| 11 | Washington, DCWashington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | $75,930 | $36.50 | $44,690 - $121,570 | +12.7k |
| 12 | Sacramento, CASacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $74,830 | $35.98 | $46,230 - $130,020 | +11.6k |
| 13 | Philadelphia, PAPhiladelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | $74,590 | $35.86 | $46,980 - $132,610 | +11.4k |
| 14 | Los Angeles, CALos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $73,810 | $35.49 | $46,140 - $131,680 | +10.6k |
| 15 | Riverside, CARiverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $72,790 | $35.00 | $45,360 - $139,430 | +9.6k |
| 16 | Las Vegas, NVLas Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $70,890 | $34.08 | $45,810 - $121,200 | +7.7k |
| 17 | Baltimore, MDBaltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | $65,590 | $31.54 | $45,390 - $113,090 | +2.4k |
| 18 | Columbus, OHColumbus, OH | $64,700 | $31.11 | $46,090 - $94,410 | +1.5k |
| 19 | Nashville, TNNashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN | $63,340 | $30.45 | $45,900 - $93,200 | +0.1k |
| 20 | Denver, CODenver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | $63,150 | $30.36 | $46,070 - $94,160 | -0.0k |
| 21 | Virginia Beach, VAVirginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | $62,350 | $29.98 | $43,970 - $81,280 | -0.8k |
| 22 | Phoenix, AZPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | $61,210 | $29.43 | $46,920 - $86,800 | -2.0k |
| 23 | Austin, TXAustin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | $60,390 | $29.03 | $39,260 - $78,820 | -2.8k |
| 24 | Houston, TXHouston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $59,180 | $28.45 | $38,800 - $84,470 | -4.0k |
| 25 | Dallas, TXDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $59,010 | $28.37 | $38,740 - $81,660 | -4.2k |
| 26 | Atlanta, GAAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | $58,650 | $28.20 | $37,380 - $84,000 | -4.5k |
| 27 | Miami, FLMiami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $58,630 | $28.19 | $38,360 - $80,840 | -4.6k |
| 28 | Tampa, FLTampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $57,450 | $27.62 | $38,960 - $76,700 | -5.7k |
| 29 | San Antonio, TXSan Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | $57,010 | $27.41 | $37,460 - $75,670 | -6.2k |
| 30 | Orlando, FLOrlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $50,820 | $24.43 | $37,820 - $74,540 | -12.4k |
Median, 10th-percentile, and 90th-percentile figures are reported directly by the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program (May 2025) for occupation 47-2111. Metros ranked by median annual wage; the 30 largest by electrician employment are shown.
Why Portland, Chicago and Seattle Top the List
The highest metro medians are not the biggest cities, they are the most heavily unionised. Portland ($105,090 median) is IBEW Local 48 territory; Chicago ($102,350 median) is IBEW Local 134 territory; Seattle ($101,780) is Local 46; San Francisco ($92,830) is Local 6. In these markets the BLS median sits close to the negotiated journeyman scale, because union electricians make up a large share of the workforce. See the full union vs non-union wage breakdown and the per-local pay scales below.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Related Pages
Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area estimates, May 2025, occupation 47-2111 (Electricians). Metros ranked by reported median annual wage.