IBEW Pay Scale 2026: Union Electrician Base Rates, Fringe Benefits and Total Package by State and Metro

IBEW pay scale by state: the top union base rate runs from $28.94 in Arkansas to $91.25 in California

Every state except Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada and Wyoming, plus DC, has at least one union electrician rate on an active Building WD. The highest rate found in each state ranges from $28.94 (Arkansas, Local 295) to $91.25 (California, Local 6).

Each state's figure is the highest journeyman inside wireman base rate printed under an ELEC (IBEW) identifier on any of the state's active Davis-Bacon Building wage determinations on 2026-10-27 (SAM.gov). The top of the scale sits in California ($91.25, Local 6, San Francisco County), Washington ($75.96, Local 46, Seattle area) and Pennsylvania ($75.05, Local 98, Philadelphia).

The bottom of the state ranking is mostly in the South: Arkansas ($28.94), Vermont ($31.90), North Carolina ($32.31), Alabama ($32.96) and Mississippi ($33.30). The lowest union rate on any WD is $26.07 in Texas (Local 602, rate effective 2022-09-01). For comparison, the BLS median wage for all electricians is $36.62 in California and $23.59 in Arkansas (May 2025); the full BLS state ranking is on our electrician salary by state page.

The ratio column divides the highest union base rate in the state by the state median for all electricians, so it shows the top of each state's union scale, not a typical gap.

IBEW wages by local: base, fringe and total package in 69 metros

The median metro package is $68.64 an hour. 8 metros top $100 an hour in total package, led by San Jose at $140.08.

For each metro, the table uses the current Building WD for the principal county and the ELEC line that applies to that county. The base rate is the hourly wage; the fringe is the hourly amount the employer pays into health, pension, annuity and similar funds, as printed on the WD. Total package is the sum (ECW calculation).

Inside wireman: The IBEW journeyman classification for building electrical work (the WD classification 'Electrician'), as distinct from outside linemen, sound and communication technicians and residential wiremen.

Fringe benefits differ more than base rates. Local 3 in New York pays $65.81 in fringe on a $62.00 base; Houston's Local 716 pays $10.71 on $38.50. Comparing two locals on the hourly wage alone leaves the fringe out of the comparison.

In 15 of the 84 metros checked, the WD electrician rate is a survey or state-adopted rate. A survey (SU) rate means either a single non-union rate prevailed in the DOL survey or the rate is a weighted average of all rates reported, union and non-union; it does not mean there is no IBEW local in the area. Several survey rates are old: Grand Rapids ($20.68, 2011 survey) and Dallas ($21.51, 2014 survey).

Union electrician salary: the median base rate comes to $94,536 a year at 2,080 hours

Wage determinations print hourly rates. At 2,080 hours, a full-time year, the median union base rate of $45.45 across 69 metros equals $94,536, from $60,195 in Little Rock to $189,800 in San Francisco. These are base rates annualized, not reported earnings.

Union electricians are paid by the hour, so a union electrician salary has to be built from the rate. Multiplying each metro's journeyman base rate by 2,080 hours (40 hours a week for 52 weeks) gives $94,536 at the median of the 69 union metros. The middle half of metros falls between $78,936 and $109,616 a year, base rates of $37.95 to $52.70 an hour (ECW calculation from Davis-Bacon wage determinations, October 2026).

How much union electricians make at base rate varies by local: San Francisco (Local 6) $189,800, San Jose (Local 332) $189,342, Seattle (Local 46) $157,997, Philadelphia (Local 98) $156,104, New York (Local 3) $128,960, Los Angeles (Local 11) $126,464, Chicago (Local 134) $120,120 and Houston (Local 716) $80,080. The lowest union metro rate, Little Rock (Local 295), comes to $60,195; the lowest union rate on any wage determination, Local 602 in Texas, to $54,226.

For comparison, the BLS median wage for all US electricians, $30.38 an hour in May 2025, equals $63,190 at 2,080 hours, the convention BLS uses for its annual wage estimates. The median union metro base rate is 1.50 times that national figure and a median 1.33 times the BLS median in the same metro. The electrician salary by state page has the full BLS ranking.

These are rates, not paychecks. Union electricians are paid for hours worked, so a year with time between jobs pays less and overtime pays more. The closest public earnings measure is the BLS Current Population Survey: union members in construction and extraction occupations had median usual weekly earnings of $1,561 in 2025, or $81,172 over 52 weeks, against $1,004, or $52,208, for non-union workers (BLS CPS). That survey covers all construction and extraction trades, not only electricians.

Federal union rates trail some 2026 agreements by $2.00 to $4.20 an hour

A WD union rate is the last negotiated rate reported to the Wage and Hour Division. The median rate in the metro table took effect 16.9 months ago.

The date next to each ELEC identifier is 'the effective date of the most current negotiated rate', and DOL updates union rates to reflect changes 'that are reported to WHD' (WD explanatory notes, SAM.gov). Where a local's new agreement has not been reported, the WD keeps the older rate.

18 of the 69 metro rates took effect before 2025, including Los Angeles (2023-06-30) and Buffalo (2014-04-01). The opposite also happens: Orange County's WD rate for Local 441 is $61.10 (effective 2025-12-29), above the $60.22 on the local's June 2025 sheet. The WD is the legal minimum on covered federal work; the local's current sheet reflects the agreement in force.

Union scale is a median 1.33 times the typical electrician wage in the same metro

The union base rate beats the BLS metro median in 67 of 69 metros. The gap is widest in Philadelphia (2.09) and narrowest in Baton Rouge (0.94).

The comparison divides each metro's union base rate by the BLS OEWS May 2025 median hourly wage for electricians (SOC 47-2111) in the same metropolitan area (BLS OEWS). The BLS median covers union and non-union electricians together and excludes benefits, so the ratio understates the union-versus-non-union gap where union density is high.

National survey data point the same way. In 2025, union members in construction and extraction occupations had median weekly earnings of $1,561 against $1,004 for non-union workers, 1.55 times as much (BLS CPS). BLS notes that these comparisons do not control for factors such as region, occupation mix or experience.

The total package is the floor on what a union electrician hour costs the contractor: a median $68.64

Base plus fringe is the hourly amount a contractor owes on covered federal work, before payroll taxes, workers' compensation insurance and overhead.

The median union package of $68.64 compares with $51.96 an hour in total employer compensation cost for all construction industry workers, union and non-union, in the BLS ECEC for June 2026 (BLS ECEC). Across all private industries, union workers cost employers $63.06 an hour and non-union workers $45.49, 1.39 times as much.

Benefits are a larger share of union pay. Fringe is a median 34.0% of the electrician package in the metro table; the ECEC puts benefits at 40.5% of union compensation and 28.7% of non-union compensation in private industry. The ECEC benefit figures include legally required benefits, which ECEC reports as a separate component, so the two shares are not directly comparable.

How much IBEW apprentices make: 35% to 45% of journeyman scale at the start

Registered inside wireman apprenticeships pay a fixed percentage of the journeyman rate that rises with hours and classes; the four published ladders end at 80% to 85%.

Under 29 CFR 5.5, an apprentice on Davis-Bacon work may be paid below the WD rate only when individually registered in a program registered with the DOL Office of Apprenticeship or a recognized state agency (eCFR). The apprentice rate then comes from the program's schedule, usually a percentage of the journeyman rate.

In Los Angeles, a Local 11 apprentice moves from $26.00 an hour (40%) in period 1 to $55.25 (85%) in period 10, against a $65.00 journeyman rate (rates effective 2026-01-26). In Portland, Local 48 apprentices go from $26.20 to $55.68 over 8,000 on-the-job hours. California's state apprentice determination for San Bernardino shows how fringe changes too: the period 1 apprentice wage of $22.80 carries a $35.25 total hourly rate, rising to $48.85 and $79.06 in period 6 (2026-2 determination).

Training costs and program length are covered in our electrician school cost report and the how to become an electrician guide.

How we ranked the states

Get the calculations (CSV)

State by state

1. 994 of 1,653 active Davis-Bacon Building WDs in the 50 states and DC (60.1%) list a union electrician rate on 2026-10-27.^[1][2]
2. 228 distinct IBEW locals appear as the source of a prevailing inside wireman rate on active Building WDs (October 2026).^[2]
3. The highest union base rate on any Building WD is $91.25 an hour for Local 6 in San Francisco County (WD CA20260018, rate effective 2024-06-01).^[2]
4. San Jose (Santa Clara County, Local 332) has the largest union package: $91.03 base plus $49.05 fringe, $140.08 an hour (October 2026).^[2]
5. Philadelphia's Local 98 base rate of $75.05 (effective 2026-05-04) is 2.09 times the Philadelphia metro median electrician wage of $35.86 (May 2025), the widest gap among the metros.^[2][4]
6. New York City (Local 3) pays $62.00 base and $65.81 fringe, a $127.81 package; the fringe exceeds the base wage (WD NY20260003, rate effective 2024-04-10).^[2]
7. Chicago (Cook County, Local 134) lists $57.75 base and $42.89 fringe, $100.64 in total; the Chicago metro median electrician wage is $49.21, so the base is 1.17 times the median.^[2][4]
8. Houston (Harris County, Local 716) lists $38.50 base plus $10.71 fringe; Dallas County's WD lists a survey rate of $21.51, not a union rate.^[2]
9. In 67 of 69 union metros the base rate alone exceeds the BLS May 2025 median electrician wage; the exceptions are Baton Rouge (0.94) and Burlington, Vermont (0.99).^[2][4]
10. The median union metro base rate of $45.45 is 1.50 times the US median electrician wage of $30.38 (OEWS May 2025).^[2][5]
11. Fringe benefits are a median 34.0% of the union electrician package across 69 metros, compared with 40.5% for all union workers in private industry in the BLS ECEC (June 2026).^[2][13]
12. Union members in construction and extraction occupations had median weekly earnings of $1,561 in 2025, against $1,004 for non-union workers, a ratio of 1.55 (BLS CPS).^[10]
13. The median union rate in the metro table took effect 16.9 months before 2026-10-27; 18 of 69 took effect before 2025.^[2]
14. Four states list state-adopted rather than union-identified electrician rates on their Building WDs: Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada and Wyoming (October 2026).^[2]
15. First-period inside wireman apprentices earn 40% of the journeyman rate in Los Angeles (Local 11) and Portland (Local 48), 45% in the DC area (Local 26) and 35% at entry in Orange County (Local 441).^{[17][18][19][20]}

In short

• The federal government publishes the IBEW pay scale for most of the country: 994 of 1,653 active Davis-Bacon Building wage determinations (WDs), 60.1%, carry a union (ELEC) electrician rate, covering 228 IBEW locals.
• In 69 large metros with a union rate, the median journeyman inside wireman earns a base rate of $45.45 an hour plus $22.97 in fringe benefits, a total package of $68.64.
• San Jose (Local 332, $140.08) and San Francisco (Local 6, $139.30) have the richest packages; El Paso (Local 583) has the smallest at $38.89.
• The union base rate is a median 1.33 times the BLS May 2025 median wage for all electricians in the same metro, from 0.94 in Baton Rouge to 2.09 in Philadelphia.
• Fringe benefits make up a median 34.0% of the union package; in New York, Local 3's fringe of $65.81 is larger than its $62.00 base rate.
• In 15 of 84 metros the WD electrician rate is not a union rate: survey rates in Dallas, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Nashville and others, and state-adopted rates in Minneapolis, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Reno and Cheyenne.
• WD rates trail some current agreements: Local 11's WD rate of $60.80 dates from 2023-06-30, while its own sheet shows $65.00 from 2026-01-26.
• Apprentices in four published IBEW/NECA ladders start at 35% to 45% of journeyman scale and finish at 80% to 85%.

Common questions

Keep reading

• Electrician salary by state
• How to become an electrician
• Largest Electrical Contractors in the US: A Sourced Ledger of 2025 Revenue and Ownership
• Largest Utility Companies in the US, 2025: Parent Companies Ranked by Customers, Sales and Revenue
• Lineman salary by state, metro and union scale (2026 data)
• All electrical contractor data

How we built this report

Source selection: union rates come from U.S. Department of Labor Davis-Bacon general wage determinations, the public record of collectively bargained rates that prevailed in DOL surveys. All 1,653 active WDs that include the Building schedule in the 50 states and DC were listed through the public SAM.gov search API and the current modification of each was downloaded on 2026-10-27 (modifications published 2026-05-18 to 2026-10-22). Wage comparisons use BLS OEWS May 2025 (posted 2026-05-15), the latest release.

Inclusion rules: a rate counts as an IBEW inside wireman rate when it sits under an ELEC identifier (union rate; the four digits are the local number) and its classification is the journeyman electrician. Lines for line construction, traffic signal, sound and communication, low-voltage-only, alarm-only, technician, residential, heavy and highway, cable splicer and outer travel zones were excluded; scope notes such as 'includes low voltage wiring' were kept. Union average (UAVG), survey (SU) and state-adopted (SA) rates were excluded from the union ranking and are reported separately. The rules are in scripts/classify.py and every selected metro line was re-matched against the WD text (scripts/check_lines.py).

Metro selection: 84 metropolitan areas, chosen as the largest metros plus at least one metro in every state, each represented by its principal county. Where a WD lists several ELEC areas, the line naming the county was used; Boston (Suffolk County) was assigned to the Local 103 line by elimination because the WD truncates its town lists, and all Local 103 lines carry the same rate. Where several union lines applied (for example contract-size splits), the highest base rate was used.

Derived metrics: total package = base + fringe; ratio = WD base / OEWS median hourly wage for SOC 47-2111 in the state or MSA; fringe share = fringe / total package; rate age = months from the identifier effective date to 2026-10-27. All calculations are in derived_metrics.csv and reproducible with the scripts in scripts/. Annual figures (added 2026-11-05) = hourly base rate x 2,080 hours, labelled base rate annualized, not earnings; CPS weekly earnings x 52.

Conflicting numbers: where a local's own wage sheet differs from the WD, the WD is reported as the federal rate and the local sheet as a Tier 2 comparison (table t5). Crowd-sourced and unsourced pay-scale listings were not used for any figure.

Limitations: WD union rates can lag the current agreement; a county WD rate is compared with a whole-MSA wage; the BLS median includes union workers; state maxima reflect one line, not a typical worker; fringe columns exclude payroll taxes and insurance; national CPS and ECEC figures cover all construction trades or all industries.

Neutrality: Electrical Contractors and Wiring is not affiliated with the IBEW or NECA. The report takes no position on union versus non-union employment.

Last updated 2026-10-27. WDs are modified continuously; this page reflects the modifications active on that date.

This report presents published data with its limitations. It is not legal, financial or investment advice.

Sources by tier

Tier 1: primary and official sources (16)

• [1] U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, via SAM.gov. Davis-Bacon wage determination search (all active WDs, public API). Active WDs as of 2026-10-27; modifications published 2026-05-18 to 2026-10-22. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [2] U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, via SAM.gov. General wage determination documents, Building schedule (1,653 WDs, current modification of each). Current modifications as of 2026-10-27; per-metro WD links in the metro table. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [3] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, state file. May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [4] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, metropolitan area file. May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [5] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national file. May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [6] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2025: 47-2111 Electricians. May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [7] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. OEWS tables (release page, last modified 2026-05-15). May 2025. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [8] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey. Union Members 2025 (news release USDL-26-0229, 2026-02-18). 2025 annual averages. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [9] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey. Union Members 2025, Table 3: union affiliation by occupation and industry. 2025 annual averages. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [10] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey. Union Members 2025, Table 4: median weekly earnings by union affiliation, occupation and industry. 2025 annual averages. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [11] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employer Costs for Employee Compensation, June 2026 (USDL-26-1494, 2026-09-09). June 2026. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [12] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ECEC Table 4: private industry by occupational and industry group. June 2026. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [13] U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. ECEC Table 5: private industry by bargaining and work status. June 2026. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [14] Electronic Code of Federal Regulations. 29 CFR 5.5(a)(4): apprentices on Davis-Bacon work. eCFR as of 2026-10-01. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [15] California Department of Industrial Relations. General Prevailing Wage Apprentice Rates: San Bernardino, Electrician Inside Wireman, 2026-2. Issued 2026-08-22. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [16] California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Apprenticeship Standards. Apprenticeship program detail: Central Valley Electrical JATC, Electrician Inside Wireman. Data current as of 2026-10-26. Accessed 2026-10-27.

Tier 2: trade bodies, market research, company data (4)

• [17] Los Angeles County Chapter NECA (scibew-neca.org). IBEW Local 11 Inside Wiremen's Agreement: rates effective January 26, 2026 through June 30, 2026. 2026-01-26 to 2026-06-30. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [18] Washington DC Electrical JATC. Inside Wireman 'A' Apprenticeship Program (Local 26 JATC). Rate as of 2026-06-01. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [19] NECA-IBEW Electrical Training Center (Oregon-Columbia Chapter NECA and IBEW Local 48). Inside Electrician apprenticeship program (Local 48). Rate effective 2026-01-01. Accessed 2026-10-27.
• [20] Orange County NECA (scibew-neca.org). Orange County NECA / IBEW Local 441 Inside Wireman's Agreement, Appendix I. 2025-06-30 to 2025-12-28. Accessed 2026-10-27.