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Salary Guides / USA
Electrician Salary in USA
Real hourly bands by level, certification premiums, and what your rate is worth in this market. Updated weekly.
What a electrician earns in USA
This guide covers real hourly rates for electricians in USA, broken down by level, so you can see where you stand and what actually moves the number. From there you can check your own rate against the local market, build an estimate from your certifications and shift type, see which certifications pay back fastest, and find out which sectors pay the most for the same licence.
Hourly rates by level in USA
What electricians earn at each stage of the trade in USA, before overtime or per-diem.
Where do you stand?
Enter your hourly rate to see how it compares to other electricians in USA.
What are you making?
Type your hourly rate. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere — it stays in your browser.
Use your base rate, not what you take home after overtime.
You're right around the middle
$34.00 is above roughly 50% of this market. The top quarter starts at $40.00, and the median sits at $34.00.
Build your rate
Pick your level, add certifications, select shift — the estimate updates live.
1Your level
2Certifications you hold
3Shift & work type
4Overtime & per diem
Who pays the most in USA
Same licence, same market, very different money.
Industrial / Petrochemical
Plant maintenance, turnarounds. Highest hourly in most Gulf markets.
Data Centre Construction
Mission-critical build-out. Aggressive schedules.
Utility & Infrastructure
Substation, distribution. Often prevailing wage.
Which states pay electricians the most
Median hourly across every state with a published guide for this trade. Cost of living is not netted out — compare take-home, not just the rate.
What each certification is worth
Sorted by payback speed.
| Certification | Rate bump | Extra / year | Cost | Payback |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OSHA 10 | +$0.53 | $1,102 | $70 | < 1 month |
| OSHA 30 | +$1.05 | $2,184 | $190 | 2 months |
| NFPA 70E Arc Flash | +$1.58 | $3,286 | $200 | < 1 month |
| Journeyman Licence | +$9.45 | $19,656 | $150 | < 1 month |
| PLC / Controls | +$5.25 | $10,920 | $1,400 | 2 months |
| TWIC Card | +$1.58 | $3,286 | $130 | < 1 month |
What overtime actually adds
At $34.00/hr.
Questions workers ask
What's the fastest way to raise my rate?▾
Is overtime worth chasing?▾
Does location change what I earn?▾
See open Electrician jobs
Verified positions matching this trade.
Figures compiled by the American Recruits editorial team from live postings and reported pay, reviewed September 2026.
Last updated September 15, 2026. Rates are market estimates, not guarantees.