How to become an electrician in Rhode Island

The path in Rhode Island, step by step

Rhode Island licenses electrical work at the state level through the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation. These are the steps it lays out, in order.

1. Train and pass the exam for your journeyperson (Class B) license.
2. Apply for the Class A contractor exam with the $75 fee.
3. Pass the exam and pay the $240 Class A license fee.
4. Renew every two years on your birthday with 15 hours of continuing education.

The full license guide, with every fee and form: electrical license in Rhode Island.

Finding an apprenticeship in Rhode Island

Rhode Island runs Registered Apprenticeship through its own State Apprenticeship Agency, recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor to register and oversee programs there. Its staff are state employees, and it may use the federal paperwork or forms of its own. Apprenticeship.gov lists the Rhode Island State Apprenticeship Agency as the contact.

Either way, a registered program means paid work with a mentor, raises as you progress, classroom instruction and a credential recognized in every state. Search open spots in the Apprenticeship Job Finder.

Across the country. Most electricians learn the trade in a 4 or 5 year apprenticeship. Each year brings about 2,000 hours of paid on-the-job training plus some classroom instruction.

License levels and exams in Rhode Island

The license to aim for: Electrical Contractor license, Class A.

Trade exam. Yes. The state gives written and practical licensing exams.

Keeping it. Every two years, on your birthday, at the license fee. Class A and Class B license holders need 15 hours of continuing education to renew.

What the Rhode Island license costs

The fees the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Professional Regulation lists. Exam fees from a testing company, insurance and any bond come on top.

What electricians earn in Rhode Island

The median electrician in Rhode Island earned $35.62 an hour in May 2025, 18th of 51 states, with 2,420 on payrolls. The national median was $30.38.

At the bottom of the range, a quarter of electricians in Rhode Island earned under $28.08 an hour and a tenth under $20.67. At the top, a quarter earned over $46.01 and a tenth over $49.44.

Every state, the neighbors and what a business should charge: electrician salary in Rhode Island.

Jobs ahead in Rhode Island

Rhode Island's labor market office projects jobs for electricians growing from 2,620 in 2022 to 3,020 in 2032, a change of 15.3%. Counting people who retire or change careers, that is about 290 openings a year.

Jobs are projected to grow 15.3% from 2022 to 2032, faster than the 6.5% projected nationally, ranking 15th of the 50 states in the file.

These are the state's own long-term projections, published together on Projections Central for the occupation group electricians.

Starting your own electrician business in Rhode Island

To contract on your own in Rhode Island, the license is the Electrical Contractor license, Class A.

Pricing comes next. Paying yourself the Rhode Island median of $35.62 an hour, the labor rate calculator's starting numbers (one person, 2 unbilled hours a day, $90,000 of overhead, 15% profit) come to $133.14 per billable hour. Try your own in the electrician labor rate calculator.

The full checklist is in how to start an electrical business. The free Koira Office plan gives you a website on a Koira address, estimates customers sign with a deposit, invoices with card payments and your day's jobs in one place, with no per-person fee. See the plans.