How much do electrical contractors make in 2026?
Electrical contractors are counted in the BLS first-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers series: OEWS May 2025 gives the SOC 47-1011 national median as $79,920 a year ($38.42 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $53,280 and the top 10% at $128,260. Read that as the market rate for construction supervision rather than as a contractor's income, because the two are different things. An electrical contractor licence licenses the business, not the electrician: in nearly every state a company offering electrical work to the public must designate a qualifying individual — normally a master electrician — and carry a surety bond and liability insurance, with a business and law examination commonly required alongside the trade credential. An owner's earnings therefore depend on the business rather than on a wage scale. A one-van owner-operator typically earns around this median once they have paid themselves properly and covered vehicle, insurance and licensing costs; a contractor running several crews on commercial or service work can earn well above the top decile; and a contractor who misprices work or cannot fund payroll between progress payments can earn nothing at all. The trade credential ladder beneath the licence — apprentice, journeyman, master — remains the route in, and the master credential is what makes the business licence possible. Employment is projected to grow 5.3% through 2034 with roughly 74,400 openings a year. → Full electrical contractor career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $79,920 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Electrical Contractors earn a national median $79,920/yr ($38.42/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-1011); the P10 to P90 range is $53,280 to $128,260.
- The $79,920 figure is the construction supervision market rate, not a contractor's income — a wage series measures employees, not business owners.
- An electrical contractor licence licenses the business: states require a designated qualifying individual, normally a master electrician, plus surety bond, liability insurance and commonly a business and law examination.
- Owner earnings range from around the median for a one-van operator to well above the $128,260 top decile for a multi-crew contractor, with genuine downside risk in both directions.
US Electrical Contractor Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do electrical contractors earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 47-1011; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 47-1011, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does an electrical contractor earn at each career stage?
Electrical contracting income depends on whether you are selling supervision or running a licensed business. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 47-1011, which measures employee wages rather than owner earnings.
By State
Which states pay electrical contractors the most in 2026?
State figures are modeled estimates — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers salary-calculator state wage index — not BLS state observations, and they describe employee wages rather than contractor income. Electrical licensing is state-administered and requirements vary substantially, so verify specifics with the state licensing board rather than inferring them from a wage figure.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($91,910), the highest-paying state shown. See all 51 state salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay electrical contractors the most?
Metro figures are modeled — national median times state wage index times published metro index — not BLS MSA observations. For a contracting business, local construction volume, permit activity and the availability of licensed electricians matter far more than a metro wage index.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise an electrical contractor’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does electrical contractor pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Electrical Contractors sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify electrical contractor wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does an electrical contractor actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Electrical Contractor Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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