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Median pay
$62,350
Median annual pay for Electrician.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2024
A strong non-college path with unusually robust employer demand, but the tradeoff is physical, on-site work and a long apprenticeship.
A strong non-college path with unusually robust employer demand, but the tradeoff is physical, on-site work and a long apprenticeship.
The measurable baseline is $62,350 median pay, 9.5% projected employment change from 2024 to 2034, and about 81,000 annual openings. Those figures establish the national baseline; the occupation-specific evidence on this page is what makes the decision more useful than a generic profile.
The national median-pay figure in the current ChooseField dataset is $62,350. The 2024 self-employed share is 7.8%, which matters because self-employment can make outcomes less uniform across workers. A national median is a benchmark, not a personal forecast: experience, geography, employer type, specialty, credentials, and hours can move actual compensation materially.
BLS data in the ChooseField corpus put 2024 employment at 818,700 and projected 2034 employment at 896,100. That corresponds to 9.5% projected growth over the decade. BLS projects about 81,000 openings per year, including growth and replacement demand. This distinction matters when people ask whether a field is oversaturated: growth measures whether the occupation itself is getting larger, while annual openings also reflect people retiring, changing occupations, or leaving roles that must be refilled.
BLS lists the typical entry education as High school diploma or equivalent. On-the-job preparation is listed as Apprenticeship. Treat this entry path like an investment: compare the time and cost required to enter with the pay, annual openings, and alternatives available at a similar training level.
You can enter without a four-year degree. The headline figure is HS + apprenticeship. Typical entry is a high school diploma or equivalent followed by apprenticeship training. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Current profile).
Employers say electricians are hard to find. The headline figure is 77%. Among construction firms with electrician openings, 77% reported difficulty filling them. Source: AGC/NCCER Workforce Survey (2025).
The shortage is industry-wide. The headline figure is 92%. Construction companies reporting difficulty hiring for open positions. Source: NCCER (2025).
This is almost entirely an on-site career. The headline figure is <0.5% routine telework. BLS Occupational Requirements Survey reported routine telework for fewer than 0.5% of electricians. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025).
The economics are attractive partly because the work is physically anchored. Employer hiring difficulty, apprenticeship-based entry, and almost no routine telework all point in the same direction: this is a durable hands-on field, but the work setting is part of the bargain.
This field is a stronger fit if you prefer a concrete training route, are comfortable with on-site work, and value entering without a four-year bachelor's degree.
Before choosing Electrician, compare it with Plumber / Pipefitter, HVAC Technician, Industrial Engineer. The purpose is not to find a universal winner; it is to see how pay, training time, annual openings, work setting, and field-specific risks change when you move to an adjacent option.
A strong non-college path with unusually robust employer demand, but the tradeoff is physical, on-site work and a long apprenticeship. The measurable baseline is $62,350 median pay, 9.5% projected 2024–34 employment change, about 81,000 annual openings, and a typical entry path of High school diploma or equivalent.
The national median in the current ChooseField dataset is $62,350. Treat that as a benchmark rather than an expected starting salary; actual compensation varies by experience, location, employer, specialty, credentials, and hours.
Compare Electrician with Plumber / Pipefitter, HVAC Technician on pay, training time, openings, working conditions, and occupation-specific evidence rather than relying on one score.
The economics are attractive partly because the work is physically anchored. Employer hiring difficulty, apprenticeship-based entry, and almost no routine telework all point in the same direction: this is a durable hands-on field, but the work setting is part of the bargain.
National pay and employment projections come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Other sources are linked on their cards.