Electrician
Skilled Trades
Install and repair the electrical systems buildings run on.
Why it matters here: Maryland apprenticeships pay from day one; retirements are opening spots.
Labor Market — DMV Region
Sourced from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS releases (DMV metro and nationwide) plus MD, VA, and D.C. workforce agencies.
Local cost of living is why DMV pay often differs from the national median.
- DMV & state figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — OEWS wage & employment estimates and Employment Projections, with OEWS area pay relatives for the Washington–Arlington–Alexandria metro, Maryland, D.C., and Northern Virginia · View source
- Occupation profiles & skills: O*NET OnLine (U.S. Department of Labor) · onetonline.org
All salary figures are published estimates for groups of workers, not offers or guarantees for any individual role.
Education & Career Pathways
Multiple ways to get here — pick the one that fits your life.
Career Progression
How you can grow — with expected salary at each step.
- Entry-level ElectricianLearning the role, supervised work, building core skills.$53,410
- Electrician (experienced)Independent work, mentoring newer team members.$67,960
- Senior / Lead ElectricianOwning projects, specialization, higher responsibility.$87,200
- Manager or specialist trackSupervising a team or moving into a high-demand specialty.$104,640
Skills Required
What you'll actually do — and how you'll be judged.
Job sites and buildings, early starts, hands-on all day
Where you work
New construction sites, finished buildings, mechanical rooms, attics and crawl spaces — wherever the wiring runs.
Hours and schedule
Early starts, often 6 or 7 a.m., weekday work with overtime available; service electricians take emergency calls.
Pace and pressure
Steady physical work against a project schedule, with inspections setting hard deadlines.
Who you work with
Journeyman-and-apprentice pairs on a crew, coordinating with other trades on site.
Physical demands
Climbing ladders, bending conduit, lifting, working in tight or hot spaces, on your feet all day.
What people wear
Work clothes, boots, hard hat, safety glasses, gloves; no loose jewelry near live work.
Remote reality
None — the work is where the building is.
Workplace culture: what's normal here
- Lockout/tagout is followed exactly — shortcuts around live power end careers and lives.
- Apprentices are taught by being given real work and corrected on the spot.
- Code knowledge earns respect faster than speed; inspectors don't negotiate.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook — Work Environment, with regional detail for the DMV.
Official data behind this career
Federal statistics for DMV Region, translated into plain language.
Washington–Arlington–Alexandria, DC–VA–MD–WV metro area
Source: U.S. Census Bureau — ACS 2019–2023 5-year estimates (tables DP03, DP02, DP05)
- The DMV functions as one labor market: workers routinely cross state lines to get to work.
- The largest employment destinations are D.C., Fairfax County and Montgomery County.
Top places these workers go to work
Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — BEA regional GDP and personal income, most recent published year
Private-sector payroll data from ADP. It is a supplemental near-real-time indicator and does not replace BLS government employment statistics.
Source: ADP National Employment Report — Most recent monthly ADP National Employment Report
- 1U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OOH, OEWS, Employment Projections, CES) — Primary source for occupation wages, outlook, projected openings, education and training.
- 2U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey — Primary source for income, educational attainment, labor force and demographic context by place.
- 3Census LEHD (LODES / OnTheMap) — Primary source for where workers live versus where they work, and local workforce flows.
- 4U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Primary source for regional GDP, industry contribution, compensation and personal income.
- 5ADP National Employment Report — Supplemental near-real-time private-sector employment and pay indicator. Not a replacement for BLS.
Figures describe groups of workers, not any one person. Where an official figure is not published for a category, this page says “Data unavailable for this category.” rather than estimating.
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