How much does a year of experience for the ordinary IBEW electrician influence their income, and what elements go into determining their pay?
What is the relationship between where you live and your potential earnings as an electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)?
You can now call yourself a “journeyman” electrician once you’ve finished your apprenticeship. With this credential, you’ll be able to command a salary that’s far more than the national average, all owing to IBEW and other labor unions.
Having the backing of a labor union can help you land a job because they determine how much money businesses in a given area must spend to hire trained electricians.
In Hawaii, an electrician’s average annual income is typically around $76k. High-paying jobs like this one are most common in Alaska and New York but can also be found in the districts.
Contents
Electrician Job Description
A “journeyman” is someone who has completed an apprenticeship and attained the status of “journey worker.”
High salaries are given to those who are skilled in reading blueprints, making electrical diagnoses, repairing circuits, restoring motors, and maintaining transmission lines.
Some people, like those who specialize in elevator maintenance as a specialty, make even more money by using abilities that are in high demand in the business world today.
Electrician Education and Salaries
If you are an electrician and have a high school diploma or GED, you can expect to make around $59,640 annually.
Career options include gaining knowledge of electrical circuits at a technical institution and then beginning a paid apprenticeship through a union or a private company.
It takes about 2000 hours per year of classroom study and apprenticeship to master the craft.
Four years of experience in the field are required for an electrician to be considered a journeyman. Apprentices often begin their careers at $15 per hour, but by the time they finish their training, they can earn up to $50.
A license is required in most states, but until they get one, they can operate independently and do a wide range of technical tasks.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), electricians make a median annual salary of $54,110 (or $26.01 per hour), with half earning more and half making less. Union electricians are paid according to the terms of the collective bargaining agreement that was negotiated for their specific location.
Electrician Industry Setting
Engineers with expertise in electrical systems and electricians work in a wide variety of settings that require the use of electricity. Depending on the conditions, they may need to wear protective gear to prevent burns and electrocution.
Installing wiring at a construction site can be dangerous, as can laying transmission lines in wet conditions; this is why electricians’ shifts regularly extend into the evening and on weekends.
Electrician Job Experience
Vocational trade schools are distinct from universities. One, unless you’re also an apprentice with electricians who require assistance with carrying and cleaning equipment, you probably won’t make too much money (usually part-time).
Apprentices typically start at a lower wage bracket than their more experienced counterparts, however, this is offset by the fact that they earn more as their careers progress.
A journeyman earns more than an apprentice because he or she has finished the apprenticeship programs.
According to 2017 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electricians with the most experience and a license may expect to earn the most. As of May of that year, the top 10% of earners had an annual average income of over $92,690.
States Where Electricians Earn The Most Money
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the average annual salary for electricians is $59,600. Their equivalent median hourly earnings are around $10-$18, though this varies greatly from state to state.
- Alaska: $76,330
- California: $69,320
- Illinois: $75,820
- Hawaii: $75,810
- Massachusetts: $68,030
- Minnesota: $70,410
- New Jersey: $71,660
- New York: $77,810
- Oregon: $69,330
- Washington: $68,640
Electrical engineer salaries in New York have increased by 10.3 percent over the previous five years, to a total of $78,000 in 2018.
Salary rise has been especially pronounced in states like Hawaii and Minnesota, where it has increased by 18% and 24.2% since 2013 – a clear evidence that the demand for these experts remains strong across the country.
States Where Electricians Earn The Least Money
Southern, Western, and upper-Midwestern states make up the top 10 highest-paying regions for electricians.
The electrical worker pays in the West and South is lower than in the East and the Northeastern United States because of the higher cost of living there.
- Alabama: $47,590
- Arizona: $47,950
- Arkansas: $43,650
- Idaho: $50,170
- Florida: $45,240
- Mississippi: $49,540
- Nebraska: $50,470
- North Carolina: $44,140
- South Carolina: $44,720
- South Dakota: $45,490
Have the South’s low wages and high unemployment rates been on your mind lately? If that’s the case, it’s not surprising that six of the ten states with the lowest wages are in this area.
This is to be expected, considering the proliferation of right-to-work laws in the South, a major factor in the migration of traditionally industrial and heavy union enterprises to the region in recent decades.
Electrician Job Growth Outlook
Electricians will be in great demand as the need for power rises. Employment opportunities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, are projected to increase by 9 percent between 2016 and 2026.
Approximately 59,600 new employment will be created over the next decade as a result of this expansion across a wide range of sectors, including electrical lines at alternative energy sources like solar parks, where workers will install wires into buildings and residences owned by eco-conscious individuals.
Conclusion
The mean salary for an electrician in Hawaii is $76,000 per year. Elevator repair is a high-paying job that is particularly prevalent in Alaska and New York. The average starting wage for an apprentice is $15 per hour, with a potential increase to $50 once they have completed their apprenticeship. Electricians earn a median annual pay of $59,600, or $10.50 to $18.00 per hour. In May 2017, the top 10% of earners had an average annual income of more than $92,690.
The highest salaries for electricians can be found in the states of Alaska, Hawaii, New York, and New York. Wages for electrical engineers in New York have climbed by 10.3 percent over the past five years, reaching $78,000 this year. Generally speaking, the cost of living in the East and Northeastern United States is higher than in the West and the South, which explains why electrical worker salaries are lower in those regions.
Content Summary
- What is the relationship between where you live and your potential earnings as an electrician with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)?
- You can now call yourself a “journeyman” electrician once you’ve finished your apprenticeship.
- Having the backing of a labor union can help you land a job because they determine how much money businesses in a given area must spend to hire trained electricians.
- A “journeyman” is someone who has completed an apprenticeship and attained the status of “journey worker.
- If you are an electrician and have a high school diploma or GED, you can expect to make around $59,640 annually.
- Four years of experience in the field are required for an electrician to be considered a journeyman.
- Engineers with expertise in electrical systems and electricians work in a wide variety of settings that require the use of electricity.
- One, unless you’re also an apprentice with electricians who require assistance with carrying and cleaning equipment, you probably won’t make too much money (usually part-time).
- Apprentices typically start at a lower wage bracket than their more experienced counterparts, however, this is offset by the fact that they earn more as their careers progress.
- According to 2017 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electricians with the most experience and a license may expect to earn the most.
- As of May of that year, the top 10% of earners had an annual average income of over $92,690.
- The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the average annual salary for electricians is $59,600.
- Their equivalent median hourly earnings are around $10-$18, though this varies greatly from state to state.
- New York electrical engineer salaries have risen 10.3% in five years, to $78,000 in 2018. In Hawaii and Minnesota, salaries have risen 18% and 24.2% since 2013 – showing that demand for these professionals remains robust nationwide.
- The electrical worker pays in the West and South is lower than in the East and the Northeastern United States because of the higher cost of living there.
- If that’s the case, it’s not surprising that six of the ten states with the lowest wages are in this area.
- Electricians will be in great demand as the need for power rises.
- Employment opportunities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, are projected to increase by 9 percent between 2016 and 2026.
- This expansion across a wide range of sectors will produce 59,600 new jobs over the next decade, including installing electrical lines at alternative energy sources like solar parks.
