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Becoming an electrician depends on your state
Each state sets its own rules for electricians, starting with who issues the license. SkilledLadder has guides for 26 states so far.
Other trades: Plumber · Sprinkler fitter
Who issues your license
Pick your state
- Name, A to Z
- Highest payHighest median pay first
The state licenses you
15 states
You need a state license in your own name to do this work, whoever you work for.
- AlabamaLicense: Journeyman ElectricianMedian pay: $26.78 an hourApprenticeship programs: 25 programs
- CaliforniaLicense: General ElectricianMedian pay: $36.62 an hourApprenticeship programs: No guide yet
- ColoradoLicense: Journeyman ElectricianMedian pay: $29.92 an hourApprenticeship programs: 57 programs
- IowaLicense: Class A Journeyman ElectricianMedian pay: $29.26 an hourApprenticeship programs: 299 programs
- KentuckyLicense: ElectricianMedian pay: $28.71 an hourApprenticeship programs: 43 programs
- MassachusettsLicense: Journeyman ElectricianMedian pay: $38.18 an hourApprenticeship programs: 166 programs
- MichiganLicense: Electrical journeyman's licenseMedian pay: $36.67 an hourApprenticeship programs: 281 programs
- New JerseyLicense: Class A Journeyman ElectricianMedian pay: $37.14 an hourApprenticeship programs: 644 programs
- OregonLicense: General journeyman electrician (J)Median pay: $48.71 an hourApprenticeship programs: 47 programs
- TennesseeLicense: Limited Licensed Electrician (LLE)Median pay: $29.37 an hourApprenticeship programs: 98 programs
- TexasLicense: Journeyman ElectricianMedian pay: $28.16 an hourApprenticeship programs: 197 programs
- UtahLicense: Journeyman ElectricianMedian pay: $29.81 an hourApprenticeship programs: 80 programs
- VirginiaLicense: Journeyman Electrical (ELE) tradesman licenseMedian pay: $30.24 an hourApprenticeship programs: 536 programs
- WashingtonLicense: General journey level electrician (01) certificate of competencyMedian pay: $45.78 an hourApprenticeship programs: 34 programs
- WisconsinLicense: Journeyman ElectricianMedian pay: $36.80 an hourApprenticeship programs: 238 programs
Cities and counties license you
7 states
There's no statewide license for electricians. You still need one: the rules are the ones where you'll work, and they change across a city line.
- FloridaLicense: Its guide covers Miami-Dade CountyMedian pay: $27.52 an hourApprenticeship programs: 24 with published pay
- IllinoisLicense: Its guide covers Chicago and SpringfieldMedian pay: $47.87 an hourApprenticeship programs: 76 programs
- IndianaLicense: Its guide covers Indianapolis and Allen CountyMedian pay: $32.93 an hourApprenticeship programs: 55 programs
- LouisianaLicense: Its guide covers New OrleansMedian pay: $29.59 an hourApprenticeship programs: 19 programs
- MissouriLicense: Its guide covers Kansas City and Jefferson CityMedian pay: $31.45 an hourApprenticeship programs: 38 programs
- OhioLicense: Its guide covers MiddletownMedian pay: $31.11 an hourApprenticeship programs: 100 programs
- PennsylvaniaLicense: Its guide covers PittsburghMedian pay: $32.50 an hourApprenticeship programs: 183 programs
Only contractors need a state license
3 states
Work for an employer and you need no license from the state. Take work in your own name, bid a job or pull a permit, and you need the contractor license. Cities can still license the trade themselves.
- ArizonaLicense: Contractors: the Arizona Registrar of ContractorsMedian pay: $29.36 an hourApprenticeship programs: 47 programs
- GeorgiaLicense: Contractors: the Georgia State Board of Electrical ContractorsMedian pay: $28.04 an hourApprenticeship programs: 41 programs
- North CarolinaLicense: Contractors: the NC State Board of Examiners of Electrical ContractorsMedian pay: $27.31 an hourApprenticeship programs: 87 programs
Not settled by the state
1 state
The state's licensing pages don't settle whether individual electricians need a license. That doesn't mean no license is needed. The city or county where you'll work answers it.
Your state isn't here? 24 states and the District of Columbia have no electrician guide yet.
Sources
- Each state's licensing board or agency, as listed in that state's guide: who issues the license and its name
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median pay for electricians in each state
- Florida Department of Education, annual apprenticeship report: the programs in Florida with published pay
- Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries, apprenticeship registry: the registered programs in Oregon
- Washington State Department of Labor & Industries, apprenticeship registry: the registered programs in Washington
- U.S. Department of Labor, national apprenticeship data, extract of August 17, 2026: the registered programs in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin
Pay: median pay counts every electrician on a payroll in the state, from first-year apprentices to masters: half earn more and half earn less. It isn't what an apprentice earns.
Programs: Florida's count is the programs whose pay its yearly report publishes, so it isn't a count of every registered program. California and New York have no apprenticeship guide yet. Every other count is the registered programs.
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