Residential & commercial
Electrician
Wiring the buildings everyone else works in.
Typical pay
$45k-$110k
How you get in
4-year paid apprenticeship + license
Outlook
Strong; aging workforce and constant demand
Steady openings
28/100A normal flow of openings each year, and the field is growing.
JobPOVs index, calculated from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025-2035 for Electricians. It measures how many openings arise each year relative to the size of the field — not how many people apply. BLS does not publish a saturation figure.
Electricians install, troubleshoot and maintain electrical systems. Most start as an apprentice and get paid while learning, ending up with a licensed trade that is hard to outsource.
A day in the life
6:30a – 3:30p · 9 hours
- 6:30aLoad the van, check the day's work orders
- 7:30aOn site, walk the job with the general contractor
- 9:00aRough-in wiring: drilling studs, running cable, setting boxes
- 12:00pLunch in the truck, order missing parts
- 1:00pPanel work and troubleshooting a dead circuit
- 3:30pClean up, log hours, plan tomorrow
How to get in
Union apprenticeship (IBEW)
Duration
4-5 years
Cost
$0 — you earn a wage from week one
Credential
Journeyman electrician license
- Finish high school or a GED, with algebra on the transcript
- Apply to your local IBEW/NECA training center when applications open
- Pass the aptitude test (mostly algebra and reading) and sit for the interview
- Work roughly 8,000 supervised hours while attending night classes
- Pass your state's journeyman exam
Merit shop apprenticeship (IEC / ABC)
Duration
4 years
Cost
$500-$3,000 total for books and class fees
Credential
Journeyman electrician license
- Get hired as a helper at a non-union electrical contractor
- Enroll in the contractor's IEC or ABC apprenticeship program
- Log the same ~8,000 hours, classes usually one or two nights a week
- Pass your state's journeyman exam
Trade school first
Duration
9-12 months, then an apprenticeship
Cost
$8,000-$18,000
Credential
Certificate, then journeyman license
- Complete an electrical program at a community or technical college
- Use the certificate to get hired and sometimes shave hours off the apprenticeship
- Still log the required on-the-job hours
- Pass your state's journeyman exam
What people love
- · Strong pay without a degree
- · Apprenticeship pays you while you learn
- · Always in demand
- · Tangible finished work
What wears people down
- · Hot attics and cold crawlspaces
- · Hard on knees and back
- · Real safety risk if careless
- · Early mornings