How to Become an Electrician: Certification, Licensing & Pay
Electricians install, maintain, and repair the electrical systems that power homes, businesses, and factories: wiring, lighting, control systems, and communications infrastructure. Most electricians enter the trade through a registered apprenticeship rather than a four-year degree — a paid path that combines on-the-job training with technical classroom instruction.
Apprenticeship Path
A typical electrician apprenticeship runs 4 to 5 years. Apprentices work under a licensed electrician and log roughly 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training per year, alongside technical instruction covering electrical theory, blueprint reading, the National Electrical Code, and safety practices. Some apprentices start with a technical school program first; that coursework can often count toward the apprenticeship.
Certification & Licensing
After finishing an apprenticeship, an electrician is considered a journey worker and can perform electrical work independently — but almost every state requires passing a licensing exam first, and many require additional hours or a separate exam to reach master electrician status.
Exact hour requirements, exam content, and reciprocity between states vary. Requirements vary by state — verify current licensing steps with your state's electrical licensing board before you rely on them.
Electrician Pay
The median electrician in the US earned $62,350 per year as of May 2024 — the middle 80% earned between $39,430 and $106,030.
Pay varies a lot by location. See the highest-paying states and highest-paying cities for electricians, both ranked from BLS OEWS data.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Electricians (SOC 47-2111), May 2024.
Job Outlook
The BLS projects employment of electricians to grow 9% from 2024–34, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 81,000 openings projected each year on average (most from workers transferring to other occupations or retiring, not net-new growth alone).
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Electricians, 2024–34 projections.