What does the top of the Electrician pay scale look like in New Jersey?

The 90th percentile lands at $129,190. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $109,760.

How many Electricians does New Jersey employ?

BLS OES counts 15,230 Electricians employed in New Jersey in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.

Why is the BEA RPP for New Jersey 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. New Jersey's overall index of 108.9 reflects rents 134.1, services 114.8, and goods 105.8.

Is New Jersey a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Electricians?

No — New Jersey's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.

What are the limits of these Electrician salary numbers?

BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.

Union vs non-union electrician pay in New Jersey?

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 long is the electrician apprenticeship in New Jersey?

New Jersey 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 New Jersey apprentices reach full journeyman pay 5-6 years after starting.

Electrician Salary in New Jersey (2026): $73K Median, BEA RPP-Adjusted

TL;DR

BLS reports New Jersey Electrician median pay at $73,090. Adjusted for state cost of living, real purchasing power equals $67,091.
P25-P75 spread runs $58,410 to $109,760; P10 floor $38,470, P90 ceiling $129,190.
BEA RPP near 100 means nominal pay translates almost 1:1 into real take-home.
State ranks #14 nationally on nominal wage, #28 on real (RPP-adjusted) wage.

Wage breakdown — New Jersey

Percentile	Nominal (BLS)	Real (BEA RPP-adjusted)
P10 (entry tier)	$38,470	$35,313
P25 (lower quartile)	$58,410	$53,616
P50 (median)	$73,090	$67,091
P75 (upper quartile)	$109,760	$100,752
P90 (top tier)	$129,190	$118,587
Mean	$80,090	$73,517
Employment	15,230 Electricians in New Jersey

Cost of living — BEA Regional Price Parity

Component	New Jersey index (US = 100)
All-items RPP	108.9
Goods	105.8
Services	114.8
Rents	134.1

New Jersey is a high-cost state — RPP 108.9 above the national 100 baseline. Most of the cost premium routes through rents (134.1) and services (114.8).

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

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

Layer	Amount	Note
Gross BLS P50 (Electrician)	$73,090	nominal median
Federal income tax	−$7,327	10.0% effective; std deduction $15,750 applied
State income tax	−$2,546	1.4–10.75% (graduated)
FICA (SS 6.2% + Medicare 1.45%)	−$5,591	SS capped at $183,600 wage base
Take-home (after-tax)	$57,626	78.8% of gross
Real take-home (RPP-adjusted)	$52,897	÷ (108.9 / 100) BEA cost-of-living

What the New Jersey state-tax burden means for Electrician take-home

Mid-band state-tax burden at 3.5% effective. Combined with federal and FICA, take-home is $57,626 (78.8% of gross). After the 108.9 RPP, real take-home is $52,897.

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. New Jersey sits at #14 on nominal pay and #28 on real (cost-adjusted) pay among the 51 states and DC. After cost adjustment, New Jersey falls 14 positions — the cost premium eats into the headline wage.

Frequently asked questions

What does the top of the Electrician pay scale look like in New Jersey?: The 90th percentile lands at $129,190. That tier typically reflects senior roles, specialty certifications, high-cost-of-living metros within the state, or union-negotiated rate cards. Below that, the P75 quartile is $109,760.
How many Electricians does New Jersey employ?: BLS OES counts 15,230 Electricians employed in New Jersey in the most recent release. Employment density relative to population determines whether wage tiers reflect a robust competitive market or a thinner labor pool.
Why is the BEA RPP for New Jersey 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. New Jersey's overall index of 108.9 reflects rents 134.1, services 114.8, and goods 105.8.
Is New Jersey a 'real-wage arbitrage' state for Electricians?: No — New Jersey's RPP is close to the national 100 baseline, so nominal and real wages move roughly together. Neither an arbitrage nor a penalty state.
What are the limits of these Electrician salary numbers?: BLS OES is an employer survey of W-2 wages — it excludes contractor pay, bonuses outside the base wage definition, equity compensation, and tip income. Self-employed practitioners and gig workers are not represented. For occupations with significant non-W-2 income, the BLS figure is a floor, not a complete picture.
Union vs non-union electrician pay in New Jersey?: 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 long is the electrician apprenticeship in New Jersey?: New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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 New Jersey 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.