- The middle half earn between $29.44 and $58.68 an hour.
- Only 6 states pay electricians more at the median.
- The District of Columbia pays more than both neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 2,440 electricians on payrolls in the District of Columbia.
- At the state median wage, an electrical contracting business needs to bill about $137.27 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Electrician pay in the District of Columbia, bottom to top
The BLS group covers electricians who install and repair wiring in homes, businesses and plants. Line workers on power lines are counted separately and are not included.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $24.97 | $51,950 | $20.50 |
| 25th percentile | $29.44 | $61,240 | $23.76 |
| Median | $37.97 | $78,970 | $30.38 |
| 75th percentile | $58.68 | $122,050 | $40.36 |
| 90th percentile | $60.48 | $125,790 | $52.17 |
| Average (mean) | $42.72 | $88,860 | $34.37 |
From the bottom tenth ($24.97) to the top tenth ($60.48), the top of the scale pays about 2.4 times the bottom in the District of Columbia, close to the 2.5 times spread for electricians nationwide.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $24.97 against $20.50 at the bottom tenth, and $60.48 against $52.17 at the top.
The average wage, $42.72, sits 13% above the median. A smaller group of higher earners pulls the average up, so the median is the better guide to what a typical electrician makes.
How the District of Columbia compares with other states
Over a full year, the the District of Columbia median of $78,970 is $15,780 more than the national $63,190.
In the state ranking, the District of Columbia sits 7th, between Massachusetts ($38.18) and New York ($37.86). The range runs from $23.59 in Arkansas to $48.71 in Oregon.
The District of Columbia pays electricians more than any of its neighboring states, Maryland and Virginia. Someone working near the border can earn more by taking work on this side of it.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in the District of Columbia. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
How many electricians work in the District of Columbia
The District of Columbia has one of the smaller workforces in the trade: 2,440 electricians on payrolls, 0.3% of the 757,220 nationwide.
It is a smaller part of local jobs than in most of the country, at 3.5 per 1,000 jobs, 0.71 times the national share.
What an electrical contracting business in the District of Columbia should charge
Higher wages in the District of Columbia go straight into the price. Take an electrical contracting business in the District of Columbia paying the state median of $37.97 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $37.97 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $85,019 |
| Break-even rate | ($85,019 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $116.68 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $116.68 ÷ 0.85 | $137.27 |
That is $137.27 per billable hour, 3.6 times the wage, and $13.33 more than the $123.94 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $58.68 in the District of Columbia, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $173.64.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $29.44, the rate only drops to $122.29.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the electrician labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as an electrician in the District of Columbia
- Licensing. What the District of Columbia asks for before you can work on your own: Electrical license in District of Columbia.
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how electrical contractors run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 47-2111, electricians, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: electrician salary by state.