Apprentice Electrician Salary: What Apprentices Earn and How Pay Rises

An apprentice electrician salary is a share of the local journeyman rate. In the pay scales we checked, it starts at 40% to 60% and rises in steps to 80% or more by the last step. First-step pay ran from $16.22 an hour in Roanoke, Virginia, to $27.90 near Washington, DC.

If you want to walk into that first job ready, our recommended route is the CourseCareers Electrician Course. It's our course, so we're biased, but it teaches the safety, theory and code basics employers look for in new apprentices. For the full path into the trade, see how to start an electrician career.

Key takeaways

• Starting pay: the scales we found start apprentices at 40% to 60% of journeyman pay. The Independent Electrical Contractors (IEC) says 50% is typical.
• Raises: pay climbs in steps tied to work hours and often classes, reaching 80% to 88% of journeyman pay in those scales.
• Location matters a lot: one IBEW training committee lists $27.90 an hour for first-period apprentices near DC and $16.22 in Roanoke.
• Where it leads: BLS puts the median electrician wage at $63,190 a year (May 2025).
• Our pick: the CourseCareers Electrician Course ($499, or four payments of $150) helps you prepare to apply. It doesn't make you an apprentice or set your wage.

What's on this page

• How much apprentices make
• Pay by year: a real union scale
• Union vs non-union scales
• What changes your pay
• Journeyman pay
• How to get in and earn more
• Costs and trade-offs
• Why we recommend our course
• FAQ

How Much Do Apprentice Electricians Make?

Most apprentices earn a set percentage of their area's journeyman rate, so there's no single national apprentice wage. Your pay depends on your local scale and your step.

The U.S. Department of Labor says registered apprentices earn a competitive wage from day one and "earn wage increases as they learn and gain new skills." The BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook agrees: "Apprentices receive less pay than fully trained electricians, but their pay increases as they learn to do more."

For a rough national figure, Indeed lists an average of $23.65 an hour for apprentice electricians, based on about 9,300 salaries from Indeed job postings in the past 36 months (updated September 7, 2026). Your local scale matters more.

Why no BLS apprentice figure? Under the federal job classification rules BLS uses, apprentices are grouped with the occupation they're training for. So BLS electrician wages blend apprentices with fully trained electricians.

Apprentice Electrician Salary by Year: One Real Union Scale

A published scale shows how pay climbs. The joint apprenticeship and training committee (JATC) for IBEW Local 26 posts separate scales for its DC-area inside wireman program and its Roanoke, Virginia, program.

Both last five years, with at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training and 800 classroom hours. Each raise comes after a set number of work hours, and from the second step on, a year of school.

BLS says apprentices typically get 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training a year. By our math, 2,000 hours at the DC first-period rate is about $55,800 before taxes and overtime, and Roanoke's about $32,440. At sixth-period rates, it's roughly $99,200 and $55,200. Each period lasts 1,000 to 1,500 hours, and slow seasons would lower these.

Two lessons stand out. The biggest raises come late: in DC, pay jumps from 50% in the 3rd period to 80% in the 6th. And the same rules produce very different paychecks, because each area has its own journeyman rate.

Union vs Non-Union Apprentice Pay Scales Compared

Both kinds of programs pay a percentage of journeyman pay that rises over time. In the scales we found, starting pay ranged from 40% to 60%. IEC and ABC describe themselves as "merit shop" groups, a term often used for non-union contractors.

Don't compare percentages alone. Starting at 60% of a low journeyman rate can pay less than starting at 45% of a high one. Ask each program for dollar amounts and what benefits come on top.

IEC's apprenticeship FAQ gives this example: if a journeyman earns $32 an hour, a starting apprentice "might earn around $16 per hour." IEC Southern Arizona says its apprentices get "regular wage increases every six months (per work hours)."

What Changes an Apprentice Electrician's Pay

Four things drive your paycheck: where you work, your program and its benefits, your step, and overtime.

Location

This can be the biggest factor. In the Local 26 scales, a first-period apprentice near DC earns $11.68 an hour more than one in Roanoke.

Program and benefits

The union scales we found list benefits on top of pay. IBEW Local 226 in Topeka lists pension benefits that start on your first day of on-the-job training, plus paid health insurance with medical, prescription drug, dental and optical coverage. Benefits vary by program and employer, so compare the full package.

Your step

Raises aren't automatic each year. In the scales above, each step depends on finished work hours, and often on classes too.

Overtime

BLS says electricians' schedules may include evenings and weekends, and "overtime is common." Indeed lists about $6,000 a year in overtime for apprentice electricians.

Journeyman and Electrician Pay: Where the Raises Lead

When you finish, you're a journey worker. BLS says you can then work on your own, subject to licensing, and most states require electricians to pass a test and be licensed. Here's national electrician pay from BLS data on O*NET OnLine.

Employer type matters too. BLS lists May 2025 medians of $79,820 in government, $74,550 in manufacturing, $61,570 at electrical contractors and $57,760 in employment services.

BLS projects electrician jobs to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, "much faster than the average." Across all registered apprenticeships, not just electrical ones, a 2024 Department of Labor fact sheet says 94% of completers stay employed, with an average annual salary of $80,000.

How to Get Into an Electrical Apprenticeship and Earn More, Faster

Get accepted, then move up the steps on time. Here's how.

1. Check the basics. BLS says you need a high school diploma or equivalent. The Southwest Washington Electrical JATC also asks for a minimum age of 18, a year of high school algebra with a C or better (or a post-high school algebra course), and a drug screen.
2. Prepare for the aptitude test. Applying to an IBEW program? Read our breakdown of the IBEW aptitude test and practice early.
3. Apply to more than one program. Try union JATCs and merit shop programs run through IEC or ABC chapters. Minnesota's labor department lists application fees of $26.50 to $45 at several union programs, and no fee at ABC Minnesota/North Dakota.
4. Show up ready. Learn basic safety, tools and terms first. See what electrical contractors look for in apprentices.
5. Keep your hours up and pass your classes. Raises depend on both.
6. Ask about credit for past training. BLS says technical school graduates usually receive credit toward their apprenticeship.
7. Plan for your license. See how to move from apprentice to journeyman faster.

Costs and Trade-Offs of an Electrical Apprenticeship

An apprenticeship pays you to learn, but it has costs and trade-offs.

• School costs vary. The Southwest Washington Electrical JATC lists $0 for tuition, fees, books and supplies. IEC says its programs have costs, though employers may help with tuition, and "books are often covered by the student."
• Lower pay at first. In some scales above, you earn under half of journeyman pay for your first 1,000 to 2,000 hours.
• School on top of work. The DC-area Local 26 program holds class one day every two weeks for four years, then one night a week, September through May, in year five.
• A long commitment. BLS says most electricians learn the trade in a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship.

The upside: the Department of Labor says apprenticeships often provide college credit "while allowing you to avoid student debt." The DC-area program says apprentices can earn 60 college credits through the American Council on Education.

Why We Recommend the CourseCareers Electrician Course

Our Electrician Course won't change any pay scale. It helps you apply with confidence and start your first job already knowing the basics.

What it teaches

• Job-site safety, including the OSHA "Fatal Four," lockout/tagout, PPE and arc-flash protection
• Electrical theory: Ohm's Law and series, parallel and combination circuits
• How the National Electrical Code is organized, how to look things up and conduit-fill calculations
• Conduit bending: 90s, back-to-back bends, offsets and kicks
• Tools, meters, materials, and wiring receptacles, GFCIs and switches
• Blueprint symbols, plans and redlines
• Interview and job search help, with resume creation, a skills profile and a shareable certificate

Who teaches it

Stephen Madrosen began his electrical career in 2017 as an apprentice with IBEW Local 48. He founded Mad Electrician LLC, and through his social media channels he has helped thousands start in the trade. Today he's an electrician foreman.

Price and refunds

It's $499 one time, or four payments of $150 every two weeks. Within 14 days of purchase, you can switch courses or get a refund if you haven't taken the final exam. The intro course is free. It's self-paced, and graduates often finish in 1 to 3 months.

What it doesn't do

It doesn't make you an apprentice, count toward your work hours or give you a license. It won't raise your starting rate, since the program and employer set that. You still have to apply, pass any test and interview, and earn every raise on the job.

What to Do Next

Look up the apprentice scale and journeyman rate for programs near you, then apply to more than one.

Our recommendation: Start our free Electrician intro course this week. If it fits, take the full course while you apply, so you can talk about safety, circuits and the NEC in your interview. To picture the job first, read what an apprentice electrician actually does.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do first-year apprentice electricians make an hour?
In the scales we checked, first-step pay was $16.22 an hour in Roanoke, $18.10 plus benefits in Topeka and $27.90 near Washington, DC. Indeed's national average for apprentice electricians at all levels is $23.65.

Do union apprentice electricians make more than non-union apprentices?
Not always. Both pay a percentage of a local journeyman rate, and those rates vary. The union scales we found add benefits, like the pension and paid health insurance IBEW Local 226 in Topeka lists. Compare dollar amounts and the full package.

How long does it take to reach journeyman pay?
BLS says most electricians train in a 4- or 5-year apprenticeship. The Local 26 and IEC programs we checked require at least 8,000 hours of on-the-job training. Most states also require a licensing test.

Do apprentice electricians have to pay for school?
Sometimes. The Southwest Washington Electrical JATC lists $0 for tuition, fees and books. IEC says its programs have costs, though employers may help with tuition. Ask each program before you apply.

Can electricians make $100,000 a year?
Some do. BLS says the top 10% of electricians earned more than $108,510 in May 2025. The median was $63,190.

What's the best electrician course for beginners?
We recommend the CourseCareers Electrician Course. It's our course, so we're biased. It covers safety, theory, the NEC, conduit bending, tools and blueprints, plus the apprentice job search, for $499 or four payments of $150. It doesn't make you an apprentice, but it helps you prepare to apply.

Sources

• BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Electricians (May 2025 pay data)
• O*NET OnLine: Electricians wages (BLS 2025 wage data)
• BLS: 2018 SOC Classification Principles (principle 7)
• Apprenticeship.gov: Career Seekers
• U.S. Department of Labor: Career seeker fact sheet (2024)
• IBEW Local 26 JATC: DC-area inside wireman program
• IBEW Local 26 JATC: Roanoke inside wireman program
• IBEW Local 226: Apprenticeship
• IEC: Apprenticeship FAQ
• IEC Southern Arizona
• IEC Southern Arizona: Electrician wage schedule (2024)
• ABC Minnesota/North Dakota: Apprenticeship
• ABC Minnesota/North Dakota: Electrician trade schedule
• Associated Builders and Contractors: About ABC (merit shop)
• Wikipedia: Merit shop (definition)
• Washington Career Bridge: Southwest Washington Electrical JATC
• Minnesota DLI: Construction electrician apprenticeships
• Indeed: Apprentice Electrician Salaries (secondary, updated Sept 7, 2026)
• CourseCareers: Electrician Course