How are Massachusetts Electrician salaries calculated on this page?

Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.

Why is the BEA RPP for Massachusetts different from a single CPI number?

BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Massachusetts's overall index of 107.7 reflects rents 130.1, services 166.1, and goods 100.0.

Where does Massachusetts rank for Electrician pay?

On nominal BLS wages alone, Massachusetts ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.

How wide is the wage spread in Massachusetts?

P10 to P90 spans $47,280 to $122,990. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.

Union vs non-union electrician pay in Massachusetts?

BLS does not split union from non-union pay. In {state}, IBEW-represented electricians typically earn 15-30% above the non-union median once benefits and pension contributions are included. The premium is concentrated in commercial and industrial work; residential is more often non-union.

How much do journeyman vs master electricians earn in Massachusetts?

Master electrician status (typically 4+ years post-journeyman plus state exam) commands a 15-25% premium over journeyman pay in most Massachusetts markets. Master licensure also enables business ownership and permit-pulling — the income upside compounds via owner-operator scenarios.

How long is the electrician apprenticeship in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts typically requires 4 years (8,000 hours) of supervised on-the-job training plus classroom hours before the journeyman exam. Apprenticeship pay starts at roughly 40-50% of journeyman scale and steps up annually. Many Massachusetts apprentices reach full journeyman pay 5-6 years after starting.

How Much Do Electricians Make in Massachusetts? $82K (2026 BLS + BEA)

TL;DR

Electricians in Massachusetts earn a BLS median of $82,120, with real take-home of $76,267 after BEA RPP adjustment.
Cost adjustment is small — neither an arbitrage state nor a high-cost penalty.
Bottom quartile $58,970, top quartile $100,420. The P90 ($122,990) is roughly 2.6× the P10 ($47,280).
Electrician ranking: #5 on the BLS table, #10 once cost of living is in.

Wage breakdown — Massachusetts

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$47,280	$43,910
P25 (lower quartile)	$58,970	$54,767
P50 (median)	$82,120	$76,267
P75 (upper quartile)	$100,420	$93,262
P90 (top tier)	$122,990	$114,223
Mean	$82,140	$76,285
Employment	16,570 Electricians in Massachusetts

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	Massachusetts index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	107.7
Goods	100.0
Services	166.1
Rents	130.1

Massachusetts is a high-cost state — RPP 107.7 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (130.1) and services (166.1).

After-tax take-home — Massachusetts (2024 BLS · 2024 tax year, single filer)

Layer-by-layer take-home math at the BLS median

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Electrician)	$82,120	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$9,313	11.3% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$4,106	5% flat 2026 (4% surtax above $1M)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$6,282	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$62,418	76.0% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$57,969	÷ (107.7 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the Massachusetts state-tax burden means for Electrician take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 5.0% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $62,418 (76.0% of gross). After the 107.7 RPP, real take-home is $57,969.

Computed from 2026 IRS federal brackets (Rev. Proc. 2025-32), 2026 state DOR brackets, and 2026 FICA rates. Single filer, standard deduction, no other adjustments. See methodology · tax for limitations (married filers, ITM/SALT itemizers, retirement deferrals, HSA, dependent credits, etc.).

National context

Across the United States, BLS reports a national median of $62,350 for Electricians with mean pay of $69,630 and total employment of 742,580. Massachusetts sits at #5 on nominal pay and #10 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, Massachusetts falls 5 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

How are Massachusetts Electrician salaries calculated on this page?: Nominal wages come from BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES) — annual employer surveys, May 2026 reference period. Real-wage figures use BEA Regional Price Parities (2023 vintage) to adjust for state-level cost of living. No self-report or jobs-board data is mixed in.
Why is the BEA RPP for Massachusetts different from a single CPI number?: BEA splits regional price parity into three components — goods, services, and rents — reweighted to the BEA's national consumption basket. Massachusetts's overall index of 107.7 reflects rents 130.1, services 166.1, and goods 100.0.
Where does Massachusetts rank for Electrician pay?: On nominal BLS wages alone, Massachusetts ranks among the 51 states and DC by median pay. After the BEA cost-of-living adjustment the ordering changes — high-cost states fall, low-cost states rise. Both rankings are shown in the data table on this page.
How wide is the wage spread in Massachusetts?: P10 to P90 spans $47,280 to $122,990. That spread captures entry-level to top-quartile pay, including specialty differentials and metro-area variance within the state.
Union vs non-union electrician pay in Massachusetts?: BLS does not split union from non-union pay. In {state}, IBEW-represented electricians typically earn 15-30% above the non-union median once benefits and pension contributions are included. The premium is concentrated in commercial and industrial work; residential is more often non-union.
How much do journeyman vs master electricians earn in Massachusetts?: Master electrician status (typically 4+ years post-journeyman plus state exam) commands a 15-25% premium over journeyman pay in most Massachusetts markets. Master licensure also enables business ownership and permit-pulling — the income upside compounds via owner-operator scenarios.
How long is the electrician apprenticeship in Massachusetts?: Massachusetts typically requires 4 years (8,000 hours) of supervised on-the-job training plus classroom hours before the journeyman exam. Apprenticeship pay starts at roughly 40-50% of journeyman scale and steps up annually. Many Massachusetts apprentices reach full journeyman pay 5-6 years after starting.

Sources & methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES), SOC 47-2111, 2024 reference period.
U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities, 2023 vintage (all-items, goods, services, rents).
Real-wage figures = nominal BLS wage ÷ (state RPP / 100).
See the methodology page for full computation details and limitations.

By Marcus Liang · Founder & Editor · Last synced 2026-05-05.

Cross-comparison: see how Massachusetts Electrician pay ranks against the other 254 state × occupation pages on the Real Wage Atlas → — four-way ranking by real wage, after-tax take-home, state-tax savings, and cost-of-living arbitrage.