Electrician salaries across 50 U.S. cities, from BLS wage data: median and 10th-90th percentiles, plus cost-of-living-adjusted real pay. Compare metros.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS) & BEA Regional Price Parities · Updated June 2026
Negotiating your offer? See where your pay sits for your job and metro and turn it into a counter-offer script with the Salary Negotiation Brief ($19, our product).
Across the 50 U.S. metros tracked here, Electrician pay ranges from about $45,780 in El Paso, TX to $98,970 in San Jose, CA (median wage). The U.S. national average for this role is about $67,810.
The table below ranks every metro by median wage. “Real pay” adjusts each salary for local cost of living (BEA Regional Price Parity, U.S. = 100) so you can compare what the paycheck is actually worth. See our methodology for sources and formulas.
| City | Median | 10th %ile | 90th %ile | Cost of living (US = 100) | Real pay (COL-adjusted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $98,970 | $56,470 | $169,540 | 110.4 | $89,647 |
| Chicago, IL | $98,790 | $49,900 | $119,670 | 103.6 | $95,357 |
| Oakland, CA | $98,560 | $51,930 | $171,420 | 115.6 | $85,260 |
| San Francisco, CA | $98,560 | $51,930 | $171,420 | 115.6 | $85,260 |
| Portland, OR | $96,940 | $49,030 | $116,700 | 105.4 | $91,973 |
| Seattle, WA | $94,850 | $52,000 | $142,800 | 111.1 | $85,374 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $82,170 | $48,470 | $110,700 | 104.8 | $78,406 |
| Boston, MA | $81,180 | $43,825 | $107,328 | 108.3 | $74,958 |
| Milwaukee, WI | $81,130 | $46,350 | $111,140 | 96.9 | $83,725 |
| Long Beach, CA | $78,590 | $46,710 | $130,790 | 113.6 | $69,181 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $78,590 | $46,710 | $130,790 | 113.6 | $69,181 |
| New York, NY | $76,620 | $45,130 | $132,070 | 112.6 | $68,046 |
| Sacramento, CA | $74,170 | $46,870 | $124,810 | 106.7 | $69,513 |
| San Diego, CA | $72,680 | $46,010 | $116,330 | 111.9 | $64,951 |
| Philadelphia, PA | $72,660 | $44,480 | $126,590 | 102.6 | $70,819 |
| Washington, DC | $72,600 | $45,600 | $114,490 | 108.9 | $66,667 |
| Detroit, MI | $67,820 | $39,120 | $99,930 | 100.3 | $67,617 |
| Indianapolis, IN | $64,690 | $40,320 | $92,370 | 95.7 | $67,597 |
| Kansas City, MO | $63,960 | $38,450 | $98,200 | 92.5 | $69,146 |
| Fort Worth, TX | $63,564 | $33,306 | $84,744 | 103.1 | $61,653 |
| Cleveland, OH | $63,550 | $37,620 | $91,450 | — | — |
| Fresno, CA | $63,340 | $44,390 | $114,570 | 102.2 | $61,977 |
| Columbus, OH | $62,960 | $37,430 | $96,890 | 95.5 | $65,927 |
| Wichita, KS | $61,960 | $37,550 | $87,140 | 88.9 | $69,696 |
| Baltimore, MD | $61,670 | $38,310 | $103,820 | 104.5 | $59,014 |
| Omaha, NE | $61,530 | $38,620 | $88,470 | 91.9 | $66,953 |
| Denver, CO | $61,360 | $39,510 | $86,240 | 105.8 | $57,996 |
| Louisville, KY | $60,730 | $38,370 | $80,780 | 93.1 | $65,231 |
| Mesa, AZ | $60,670 | $39,210 | $76,970 | 103.3 | $58,732 |
| Phoenix, AZ | $60,670 | $39,210 | $76,970 | 103.3 | $58,732 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $60,480 | $41,110 | $114,050 | 100.2 | $60,359 |
| New Orleans, LA | $60,360 | $36,270 | $82,260 | 92.6 | $65,184 |
| Houston, TX | $59,500 | $37,810 | $77,520 | 98.6 | $60,345 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $59,470 | $36,810 | $82,830 | 90.4 | $65,785 |
| Colorado Springs, CO | $58,980 | $38,100 | $82,590 | 100.7 | $58,570 |
| Austin, TX | $58,520 | $37,850 | $77,260 | 98.1 | $59,653 |
| Nashville, TN | $58,430 | $37,490 | $80,760 | 96.3 | $60,675 |
| Tulsa, OK | $57,750 | $36,530 | $81,210 | 89.2 | $64,742 |
| Tucson, AZ | $57,440 | $37,110 | $80,700 | 96.9 | $59,278 |
| Albuquerque, NM | $56,730 | $37,210 | $77,430 | 95.5 | $59,403 |
| Atlanta, GA | $56,350 | $37,130 | $82,200 | 100.1 | $56,294 |
| Arlington, TX | $55,370 | $37,910 | $76,740 | — | — |
| Dallas, TX | $55,370 | $37,910 | $76,740 | 103.1 | $53,705 |
| Memphis, TN | $54,660 | $36,820 | $76,340 | 92.2 | $59,284 |
| Charlotte, NC | $52,320 | $39,190 | $66,680 | 97.3 | $53,772 |
| Miami, FL | $51,660 | $38,990 | $71,360 | 114.2 | $45,236 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $51,190 | $37,420 | $64,370 | 99.5 | $51,447 |
| Raleigh, NC | $51,180 | $39,690 | $64,480 | 98.2 | $52,118 |
| San Antonio, TX | $50,840 | $36,730 | $74,060 | 94.7 | $53,685 |
| El Paso, TX | $45,780 | $29,050 | $64,350 | 89.9 | $50,923 |
“Real pay” = average wage × 100 ÷ the metro’s Regional Price Parity — what the salary is worth in national-average dollars. A high-paying city with high costs can rank below a cheaper one on real pay.
The national average for Electricians is $67,810 per year, based on BLS OEWS wage data. Metro-level pay varies widely: across the 50 cities we track, average pay runs from $45,780 in El Paso to $98,970 in San Jose.
Chicago leads after adjusting for the local cost of living: its $98,790 average pay is worth about $95,357 in national-average dollars, ahead of Portland at $91,973.
Real pay divides the metro's average wage by its Regional Price Parity from the BEA, so expensive and cheap cities can be compared directly. Chicago's index is 103.6, so its $98,790 average equals about $95,357 in national buying power.
Self-reported by readers, unverified, moderated for spam — a complement to the BLS data above, not a substitute. No email or name is collected; IPs are stored only as a hash for rate-limiting.
| City | Annual salary | Years | Level | Reported |
|---|
Thanks! Your salary was submitted and will appear here after a quick moderation pass (usually within a few days).
One email each Monday with what moved in US pay data and every new salary guide on this site. Free, unsubscribe anytime.